24 Nov. 2018:15 Rabiul-I 1440:
Vol: 11, No:62
INDIA
Rafale deal: More headaches for Modi; French
NGO demands probe against Dassault, govt
In what is seeming to be a never-ending saga
of woes for PM Narendra Modi and his council of ministers, a French NGO Sherpa
has filed a complaint with the country’s National Financial Prosecutor’s office
on Rafale deal between India and France, reported the website Mediapart.Sherpa
has described itself as an organisation which has the “mission to protect and
defend victims of economic crimes drawing on the power of the law and to fight
against the new forms of impunity linked to globalisation”.It has allegedly
lodged the complaint to seek answers about allegations of money laundering,
granting of undue advantage, corruption and influence peddling on the part of
France and Dassault, in the deal inked between India and France in Sept 2016. According
to the founder of Sherpa, William Bourdon, “Everything indicates that it may be
a matter of great seriousness.The elements communicated to the national
financial Parquet should lead to the opening of an investigation as soon as
possible.”Congress head Rahul Gandhi’s allegations were bolstered by former
French President Francois Hollande’s statement in September that the Indian Govt
had proposed the name of Ambani’s Reliance Defence for the offset obligations
in the deal.The Congress has accused the Govt of overpaying for the fighter aircraft and
claimed that the deal has benefitted businessman Anil Ambani. The party has
also stated that Rafale deal violated defence procurement procedures and
included no transfer of technology (ToT).Gandhi’s allegations were bolstered by
ex French President Francois Hollande’s statement in Sept.that the Indian Govt
had proposed the name of Ambani’s Reliance Defence for the offset obligations
in the deal. Congress has also demanded a joint parliamentary committee probe
into the matter. nationalheraldindia
Rafale deal: French NGO demands probe from
French National Prosecutor
Gujarat Govt Is Using An Online Examination Form To Identify
Muslim Students: Report
Gujarat Govt is using a mandatory examination
online form to identify Muslim students, Ahmedabad Mirror reported today.The
online form, which class 10 and 12 students appearing for board examinations
are required to fill up, asks them whether they belong to a
"minority." Once the student identifies as a minority, the form has 2
options: Muslim or other, according to the report.The newspaper has pointed out
that Gujarat has at least four religious minorities, Christians, Sikh, Buddhist
and Jains, but the Gujarat Govt is only
asking Muslims students to identify themselves.Parents of Muslim students are
questioning why Gujarat Govt is
collecting this data and whether it could be misused.Speaking to Ahmedabad
Mirror, father of a class 12 student said, "This left me wondering if the
data gathered from online forms could be misused for something else. This has
raised fear in me."A father of another class 12 student, who runs a
restaurant, told the newspaper, "Before 2002, a similar exercise was
initiated by the Gujarat Govt where
every police station was asked to identify Muslim businesses in their locality.
My restaurant was singled out and burnt. It was revealed that rioters had used
the census collected by the Govt and police. I am scared for my son now. Why is
Gujarat Govt keen to know if the student is Muslim or not. What is the
purpose?"GSHSEB (Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board)
chairman, A J Shah, told the newspaper that the same form has been in place
since 2013.huffingtonpost
Guj govt asking Muslim students to identify religion
Modi’s Backers Step up Ayodhya Dispute as
Indian Election Looms: Reuters
Ayodhya: When a Hindu mob tore down a
centuries-old mosque in the northern Indian town of Ayodhya 26 years ago, Haji
Mahboob Ahmad says he and his family had to flee to a Muslim religious school
miles away to escape deadly rioting.In days of communal clashes that followed
more than a dozen people were killed in Ayodhya and about 2,000 people across
the country.Ahmad said when he returned to his house, about a mile south of the
disputed site, it had been gutted by fire.Now leaders of PM Narendra Modi’s
Hindu nationalist BJP and its affiliates are stepping up efforts to build a
massive Hindu temple where the mosque once stood, and Ahmad and many of the
other 5,000 Muslims still living in the town say they once again feel under
siege.“They’re playing a dangerous game in the name of Ayodhya,” Ahmad, a
65-year-old Muslim community leader, said as he sat beside his rifle-toting
police guard. Ahmad has been getting round-the-clock police security since
months after the riots.“This is the biggest build-up in favor of a temple since
the mosque was destroyed.They are provoking the public. They are stirring up
emotions.”Muslim leaders are considering temporarily moving members of community
out of Ayodhya on Sunday, when tens of thousands of Hindu seers and monks are expected
to gather demanding a new temple on the site, fearing religious tensions. Facing
a general election by next May, and concerns about the impact on voters of low
farm prices, weak jobs growth and the difficulty small businesses face in
borrowing, BJP leaders are seeking to shore up support among the most devoted
in Hindu majority.
Ayodhya tense before Sangh parivar’s rally
tomorrow to push for Ram temple
Muslims leave Ayodhya as Sena, VHP men raise
Ram Mandir pitch; authorities claim situation normal
Deploy Army in Ayodhya, BJP Can Go To Any
Extent, Akhilesh Urges Supreme Court
Lucknow:Samajwadi Party chief and ex CM ,
Akhilesh Yadav on Friday expressed deep concern on the present situation in
Ayodhya and Faizabad as saffron groups including BJP and Shiv Sena are
reportedly gathering lakhs of people there in the coming days to vow for a Ram
temple. He urged the Supreme Court of India to take suo motu notice of the
situation. Akhilesh said that people of BJP can go to any extent as they don’t
have faith in SC and the top court should take notice of the current situation
and order deployment of Army to maintain peace and protect life of
people.caravandaily
'Demolish Jama Masjid' and 'We destroyed Babri
Masjid in 17 min': BJP, Shiv Sena try to outdo each other on Hindutva stakes
BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj on Friday made a bid to
stir the communal cauldron, as he called for the demolition of Delhi's Jama
Masjid. He said that he would be ready to be hanged if idols are not found
below the staircase of the mosque, Indian Express reported.MP from Unnao said
that the Mughals played with the sentiments of the Hindu community and built
more than 3,000 mosques after demolishing temples. He further said this was his
first statement when he entered politics, and he continues to stand by it.With
these comments, the controversial saffron leader appears to be seeking to
outmaneuver his party's ally, the Shiv Sena, which has been stepping up pressure
on the BJP on the issue of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. In one of the Shiv Sena's
most strident comments on the issue, its leader Sanjay Raut asked the Govt as to how long it will take to bring an
ordinance to build temple at the site where the Babri mosque was
"demolished in 17 minutes by Ram bhakts". "How long does it take
to prepare papers... to bring ordinance...from Rashtrapati Bhawan to UP
Assembly. They are all BJP Govts," Shiv Sena leader said.firstpost
We demolished Babri Masjid in 17 minutes, why
Modi govt is taking so much time on Ram Temple: Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut
Demolish Delhi’s Jama Masjid, hang me if idols
are not found: BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj
Announce Ram temple date now: Uddhav Thackeray
dares Govt in Ayodhya
Ayodhya:Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray today
dared BJP Govt to announce a date for
the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. “Vajpayee Govt was a coalition one. Today’s Govt has full
strength. Bring an ordinance or law, whatever you want, but announce a date
now,” he said.Thackeray arrived along with his son Aditya Thackeray at around
1.30pm amid heavy security to take part in grand puja (rituals) as part of a
campaign to raise pitch for the construction of a Ram temple.HT
Uddhav Thackeray arrives in Ayodhya, Section
144 imposed as a precaution
Ayodhya on alert for VHP, Shiv Sena events; 1
lakh people expected to attend
Battle For Ayodhya: Modi Is Finished In UP,
Says Prime Accused In Babri Demolition Case
Ayodhya:"This is where I was shot. One
bullet went straight through my chest and the second was lodged in my
hand," said Santosh Dubey, as he walked along Shaheed gali, a quiet street
in Ayodhya."That is where Ram Kothari and his brother Santosh Kothari were
shot dead. Ram Kothari fell first and when his brother ran towards him, they
killed him with burst fire," he said, closer to the mouth of the street.On
6 December, 1992, Dubey, armed with a pickaxe, climbed to the very top of Babri
Masjid and hammered away at its middle dome for 2 hours. Dubey said, "We
spilt our blood, ate bullets, went to jail, our families suffered, but BJP has
only lied, lied and lied about building the Ram Temple for 30 years." "And
now, PM Modi ji goes to Safai to attend Mulayam Singh Yadav son's (grandnephew)
wedding. They have made fools of us."huffingtonpost
Let people of Ayodhya live in peace: Litigant
ahead of VHP event
Ayodhya: Muslim litigant in the Ram
Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit, Iqbal Ansari today said he was satisfied
with security arrangements in Ayodhya ahead of VHP 'Dharam Sabha', but
questioned the intention of the leaders in bringing such large crowds to the
town. "If anyone has any issue on the matter of temple-mosque, he/she
should go to Delhi and Lucknow to express their views," Ansari who
succeeded his father late Hashim Ansari as the main litigant in the case told
PTI."They can gherao Vidhan Sabha or Parliament if they want but leave the
people of Ayodhya in peace," added Ansari as he cast aspersions on the
intentions of those encouraging people to gather at the temple town and
"posing problems" for the locals.PTI
No threat to Muslims during 'dharam sabha' in
Ayodhya: VHP
Ayodhya: VHP has blamed the anti-Ram temple
forces for spreading canards about threat to the Muslims in Ayodhya during the
VHP sponsored 'dharam sabha' on November 25th." No one is scared and no
untoward incident is going to happen in Ayodhya on November 25th.The Muslim
community is living in Ayodhya without any fear," said VHP spokesperson
Sharad Sharma here on Friday.He said that the Ram 'bhakts' are coming here next
Sunday just to support the early construction of Ram Temple and will apprise
that delay in the matter would not be tolerated now.UNI
Dalits to VHP: Appoint one Ram temple priest
from community
Gandhinagar:Members of Dalit community of
Danilimda area of Ahmedabad city urged VHP to pass a resolution to appoint at
least one Dalit on the panel of priests, if and when the Ram Mandir is built in
Ayodhya. The demand was raised at a coordination meeting, organised by VHP’s
Ahmedabad city president Jeetu Solanki, in Danilimda on Nov.21.Around 100
people from various outfits such as RSS, VHP, Bajrang Dal, and BJP, among
others, attended the meeting.Hasmukh Sokhadia, an office-bearer of Ahmedabad
BJP, who comes from a Dalit family, was present at the meeting. indianexpress
Why no legal time limit to detention of
‘foreigners’: Amnesty report
New Delhi :Ashraf Ali and Kismat Ali, both 41,
had been picked up from their homes in Sonajuli village, in Assam’s Udalguri
district, in August 2015 and were sent to a foreigners’ detention camp in
Goalpara. They were released in Oct.2017 — 2 years and two months later — after
the Supreme Court upheld the duo’s case that their families had migrated to
Assam decades ago from Bihar and UP .On Friday, the two were in the national
capital, sharing their stories at an event that saw the release of an Amnesty
India report — “Between fear and hatred: Surviving migration detention in
Assam”. Among the key points flagged in the report are the ostensibly flawed
processes to identify foreigners by Foreigners Tribunals, and routine detention
of people declared foreigners in the state — like Ashraf and Kismat were. As of
Sept.25, 2018, the report states, 1,037 people declared foreigners were being
held in detention centres across Assam. It points out that a key issue is that
there is no statutory limit for which individuals declared as foreigners can be
detained. “International law says that such detention should be for around 90
days, and if necessary for another three years but here there’s no end to this.
India is not even negotiating a treaty with Bangladesh in this matter. So what
is this detention leading towards,” asked Harsh Mander, former special monitor
of the NHRC. Amnesty report consulted Mander and Abdul Kalam Azad, an
Assam-based researcher, who had visited detention centres in Goalpara and
Kokrajhar. The report states that the detention centres are cordoned-off
portions within jails and lack rules governing rights of detainees, due to
which the jail manual acts a default framework. The consultants stated that
certain rights offered to prisoners are denied to them such as wage for work
done and parole.indianexpress
Lankesh murder: Will consider banning
right-wing groups, says Karnataka Deputy CM
New Delhi :A day after a SIT of the Karnataka
Police, probing the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh, filed an additional
chargesheet naming radical right-wing outfit Sanatan Sanstha, Karnataka Deputy CM
G Parameshwara today said the state Govt would soon take a call on banning the
organisation.“No discussions have taken place regarding the organisations
involved in the crime, but shortly we will take a decision on that,”he was
quoted as saying by PTI. SIT has sought time from the court to investigate the
case further. It had named 18 persons, including shooter Parashuram Waghmare
and masterminds Amol Kale, Sujith Kumar alias Praveen and Amit Degwekar in th
9,235-page chargesheet on Friday. The gang is suspected to be involved in the
killing of three other rationalists MM Kalburgi,Narendra Dabholkar and Govind
Pansare.The chargesheet filed Friday is the second in the case after SIT on May
30 filed a preliminary chargesheet against KT Naveen Kumar, the first suspect
who was arrested on March 2. In its first chargesheet, SIT quoted Kumar as saying
that Lankesh was killed for her “anti-Hindu views”.Kumar member of the Hindu
Yuva Sena, was allegedly told of the murder plot after he attended a convention
of the Sanatan Sanstha and HJS in Goa in June 2017.indianexpress
SIT names Sanatan Sanstha in Lankesh murder,
says planning took 5 years
Bengaluru:SIT, probing the killing of Gauri
Lankesh, has named Hindu right wing outfit Sanatan Sanstha in its additional
charge sheet filed before a city court.SIT submitted the 9,235-page charge
sheet in Principal Civil and Sessions court here Friday. The charge sheet
stated that a network within Sanstha targeted Lankesh for no personal
reasons.It also said the planning to kill Lankesh took place for almost 5
years.“Killer and the killed have no personal or any other enmity. Why she was
killed? Because she believed in certain ideology, she wrote and spoke on that.
So, it must be an ideology and it must be an outfit,”Special Public Prosecutor
S Balan said.PTI
J&K: Militants abduct, kill ex-SPO in
Shopian; 12 abducted since Nov. 15
Srinagar: Suspected Militants abducted and
killed a former Special Police Officer (SPO) of J&K Police in Shopian
district of South Kashmir Friday evening. Police sources said that the
bullet-riddled body of the former SPO, identified as Basharat Ahmad, was found
in Nikloora area.A police statement issued late Friday night said that three
civilians — including Basharat — were abducted “forcibly by terrorists” from
Reban area of Shopian earlier in the day. “Two of them were set free. However,
police retrieved the body of Basharat Ahmad from village Nikloora in Pulwama.
His body was handed over to his family after completion of medico-legal
formalities,” said the statement.Basharat and the two others — Reyaz Ahmad and
Zahid Ahmad — were all residents of Reban.12 people have been abducted since
Nov.15. All of the abductions have taken place in Shopian district.The
abductions have come as a new challenge for security agencies in the Valley.indianexpress
After Amritsar blast MHA seeks NIA probe on
J&K students held from Jalandhar
New Delhi :While Punjab Police claims to have
cracked the grenade attack on Nirankari Satsang Bhawan in Amritsar on Sunday as
the handiwork of ISI-backed Khalistani forces in Pakistan, the Centre had,
after the attack, ordered a probe by NIA into last month’s arrest of three
Kashmiri students from an engineering college in Jalandhar.The students — Zahid
Gulzar, Yasir Rafiq Bhat and Mohd Idris Shah — were alleged to be members of
Zakir Musa’s outfit Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH), and officials said the terror
outfit’s pan-network requires detailed investigation. indianexpress
Kartarpur corridor: Citing Berlin Wall, PM Modi
holds out promise of pilgrims’ progress
New Delhi:A day after Pakistan and India
announced they would develop a pilgrim corridor, on both sides of the border,
to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, PM Narendra Modi invoked the fall of the
Berlin Wall to underline the potential transformative nature of the diplomatic
move. “Who thought the Berlin Wall would fall. May be, with the blessings of
Guru Nanak Devji, Kartarpur corridor will not only be a corridor but can be a
reason to bring people together,”Modi said Friday at a function to mark the
birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev at the New Delhi home of Union Minister
Harsimrat Kaur. indianexpress
Kartarpur Corridor: Sidhu says invited by
Pakistan for ground-breaking ceremony
Chandigarh:Punjab’s Local Bodies Minister and
Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu on Friday said he has got another invite
from Pakistan PM Imran Khan’s office to attend the ground-breaking (bhoomi
pujan) ceremony of Kartarpur corridor on Pakistan side on November 28.Sidhu
told The Indian Express on phone from Madhya Pradesh, where he is on
campaigning duty, “I got a call from Pakistan Prime Minister’s office on
Friday. It was the same person who had called me when I was invited for the
swearing-in ceremony.”Sidhu said he intends to go. “I will go if the Govt of India allows me to go. It will be a great
honour to be a part of history. There will not be a happier moment than the
time when my turban touches the ground where Guru Nanak Dev once walked. It was
an unfulfilled wish of my parents.”On whether he would attend the foundation
stone-laying ceremony on this side of the border on November 26, Sidhu said, “I
will certainly go if I am invited.”indianexpress
Both countries able to solve issues through
dialogue: NSA Ajit Doval at India-China border talks
New Delhi :In the 21st round of India-China
border talks held at Dujiangyan city on Saturday, National Security Advisor
Ajit Doval said the two neighbouring countries need to send a signal to the
world that, as ancient civilisations, they have wisdom and ability to solve
problems peacefully through dialogue.The last round of border talks, held in
New Delhi between Doval and former State Councillor Yang Jiechi, took place in
the backdrop of the 73-day standoff between the two militaries at Doklam over
Chinese army’s plan to build a road close to India’s strategic “Chicken’s Neck”
corridor connecting the north-eastern states. The standoff ended after the
People’s Liberation Army halted the plans to build the road.indianexpress
TN noon meal scam: Income Tax seizures reveal
payment of ₹2,400 crore in kickbacks to politicians, officials
Chennai:Income Tax Department has unearthed
documents that expose an alleged nexus between a major supplier of food items
for Tamil Nadu’s flagship noon meal scheme and politicians, bureaucrats and
their associates.Analysis of electronic storage devices and documents seized
from the premises of Tiruchengode-based Christy Friedgram Industry, its
employees and others in July has revealed payment of kickbacks to the tune of ₹2,400
crore to top politicians, senior bureaucrats and their family members in recent
years. Highly placed sources told The Hindu on Thursday that the investigating
wing of IT Department had started the process of issuing summons to the
suspected beneficiaries of the scam. Christy Friedgram Industry is a supplier
of items like weaning food, pulses and palm oil for the noon meal programme and
other welfare schemes of the Social Welfare Department.The seizures made by IT
department included some documents related to suspicious payments and
classified documents like proposals for posting of IAS officers, sources in the
investigating agency said.thehindu
Telangana : Jamaat-e-Islami Hind to support
TRS in polls
Hyderabad: Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Telangana
announced its support to TRS in the coming Assembly elections in the State.The
decision was taken after assessing the situation carefully and analysing the
performance and style of governance of all political parties, said Hameed Mohd
Khan, president Jamaat-e-Islami, Telangana and Odhisa, here on Thursday. “It is
our duty to guide the State electorate by pointing towards a most suitable
political party to rule the State,” he said.A comparative statement released by
the JIH points out that TRS Govt has
increased the minority budget to Rs 2,000 crore, introduced flagship schemes
for people such as Telangana Minorities Residential Educational Institutions
Society, TS iPass, Mission Kakatiya, Mission Bhagiratha and Telangana Harith
Haram.Its social security schemes covers wider section of society compared to
the other political parties, the statement said. “Regional parties are
sometimes compelled to support govts at the Centre,” Khan remarked.He further
said that TRS party presented the history of Nizam Rulers as a glorious period,
otherwise the Muslim community was often made to feel guilty for it. “TRS
declared the community as an equal partner in the governance and tried to
develop a helpful and pleasant atmosphere for all social units in the State,”
he said.JIH appealed to all its supporters to vote for TRS in the coming
elections.telanganatoday
Delhi Minorities Commission report warns of no
land for burials after a year
New Delhi: There will be no space left for
Muslim burials in the national capital after a year, a Delhi Minorities
Commission (DMC) report has warned, seeking remedial measures like allocation
of land and provision of temporary graves.The report was released by Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. Quoting a study conducted by
the commission, it pointed out that against an average of 13,000 Muslim burials
every year in the city, there were 29,370 vacancies in existing graveyards till
2017. "This means that at the present pace, there will be no space left
after one year from now unless some remedial strategies are adopted," the
report said. As per records, there are
704 Muslim graveyards in various parts of Delhi, out of which only 131 are
functional. "Out of the functioning 131 graveyards, 16 are not operational
due to litigation while 43 others have been encroached upon by different
entities," the report said. Most graveyards in the city are small,
measuring 10 bighas or less and 46 % of them measure five bighas or less, it
added. "Very few graveyards were developed in the recent past despite the
growing need due to the increase in population as a result of natural growth
and immigration from other parts of the country," the report said. Hans
India
Handle minorities issues effectively,Kejriwal to
panel
AMU: AMUSU demands cancellation of BJP MP’s
court membership
Aligarh: Secretary Students’ Union of AMU
Huzaifa Aamir has written a letter to AMU Visitor and President of India
Ramnath Kovind and demanded cancellation of MP Satish Gautam’s membership of
AMU Court. He said Satish Gautam should be replaced by an educated, sincere MP.
He announced that the said MP will not be allowed to attend the Court meeting
to be held on Dec. 2. AMU Students’ Union (AMUSU) accused BJP MP from Aligarh,
of attempting to “sully” the name of the institution by making baseless charges
against it.BJP MP Gautam had reportedly alleged that AMU administration was
being run on“Talibani ideology”.siasat
Kolkata gets its first Muslim mayor
post-Independence in minister Firhad Hakim
Kolkata: Minister in West Bengal Govt Firhad Hakim has been named as the new mayor
of Kolkata after the sudden ouster of Sovan Chatterjee who also quit as a
minister from the Govt. Hakim is currently the minister for municipal and urban
development affairs. It was said that Hakim's experience in matters related to
the municipal affairs helped him to emerge as a frontrunner for the top civic
post.Chatterjee resigned as the minister on Tuesday, November 20, following
which he was also asked to step down from the post of the mayor by CM Mamata Banerjee. Chatterjee is having a torrid
time on his home front which the party - TMC - was seeing as a threat to its
own image.Hakim was named for the plum post after a bill was passed in the
state Assembly on Thursday that would enable a non-corporator to be appointed
as a mayor of the corporation - a post which was once held by Netaji Subhash
Chandra Bose. Hakim, known to be a Mamata loyalist, has to get elected as the
corporator within six months.Oneindia
Drop 'Muslim' from AMU to end row, says ‘sad’
Zafar Iqbal, ex-Olympian and India hockey captain
Agra: A "sad" Zafar Iqbal, former
Indian hockey captain and Olympian, and an alumnus of AMU, said that all the
political controversies shrouding the varsity will cease if the word “Muslim”
is removed from its name.Iqbal, who will be the guest of honour at the closing
ceremony of the ongoing north zone inter-varsity hockey tournament in Aligarh
on Friday, was reacting to statements some BJP leaders have made about the
university in the recent past, some calling it “a seminary of terrorists”.In
April this year, MP Subramanian Swamy had dubbed AMU “hub of terrorists and
extremist ideologies”.Iqbal, who won the gold medal in the Moscow Olympics of
1980, said the country can only progress in a peaceful atmosphere. "The
word 'Muslim' in the university’s name has become a bone of contention. It will
be better if the word is dropped. There has to be calm." TOI
JNU prof cancels event as it does not grant
leave
New Delhi:JNU Professor Nivedita Menon said
that she had to pull out of Kappen Memorial Lecture in Bengaluru that she had
to deliver on Nov.30 after JNU administration decided not to process any
application of faculty — from leave to medical bills — unless they comply with
an order to sign a register for attendance every day.In a letter to organisers,
Prof. Menon wrote, “As we know the current regime since 2014 has sharply
targeted universities as spaces that produce critical thinking.In JNU, initial
attack in 2016 was on grounds of supposed anti-nationalism, but since then administration
has used innumerable bureaucratic methods to sabotage and destroy every democratic
decision-making process,and all possibility of serious academic work, both of
which JNU was noted for.”thehindu
RTI request to see RTI Amendment Bill denied
New Delhi:Centre has denied a Right to
Information Request for a copy of Right to Information (Amendment) Bill 2018,
which had been notified for introduction in the monsoon session of Parliament.
Bill sought to give the Centre power to set the tenure and salaries of State
and Central Information Commissioners. Critics worry this could threaten the
independence of Commissioners. An RTI request for details on the applicants and
search committee set up to fill vacancies on Central Information Commission
(CIC) has also been denied. The CIC is the final appellate authority for all
Central public authorities. By December 1, there will be eight vacancies in the
11-member Commission.In an affidavit filed in an ongoing Supreme Court case
regarding the appointment of Information Commissioners, the Centre admitted
that it has held up appointments due to its effort to first amend the law.In
its rejoinder, to be filed on Monday, National Campaign for People’s Right to
Information(NCPRI), plans to argue that this rationale does not provide “a
legal ground for not filling vacancies in the Central Information Commission”
as the existing Act already provides sufficient details on salaries and tenure.thehindu
India to finance national printing press in
Palestine
Palestinian Minister of Finance, Shukri
Bishara, and India’s Cosmas International Company yesterday signed a contract
for the construction of a national printing press in Palestine.Bishara said in
a statement that the national printing press will be financed by India and will
cost $5 million.Palestinian Authority (PA)-owned Wafa News Agency reported that
Ahmad Assaf, General Supervisor of the Palestinian Official Media, attended the
signing ceremony and said there was a need for this printing press to print
Al-Hayat Al-Jadida newspaper, Govt al and official documents, as well as
books.Assaf added that work for the construction of a national printing press
started several years ago with efforts mainly from the Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas.NENO
Education neglected by all Muslim segments: Ansari
New Delhi:Former Vice President Hamid Ansari has
said among the identified issues faced by the Muslim community, education has
been the most important one and is neglected by all the segments of the
community. "We have identified the issues (faced by Muslims) a number of
times. The issue is of identity and security, it is also of education. And I
feel education is the most important issue," Ansari said during 12th Dr.
Asghar Ali Engineer Memorial Lecture On 'Muslims of India: Past and Present'.IANS
Maharashtra Muslim committee writes to CBFC
for censoring controversial film 'Ram Janmabhoomi',
Aurangabad: In regards to the upcoming film
titled 'Ram Janmabhoomi', Maharashtra Muslim Awami Committee (MMAC) on Friday
wrote a letter to Central Board of Film Certification(CBFC) and marked its
copies to the Union Information Broadcasting Minister Rajwardhan Rathore, State
chief CM Devendra Fadnavis.MMAC
President Ilyas Kirmani issued a copy of the said letter to the media.The
letter has been addressed to Advocate Sayed Sikandar Ali,a CBFC member.MMAC in
the letter has requested the CBFC to censor the the film 'Ram Janmabhoomi'
which espouses on decadal contentious issue of 1992 demolition of Babri Masjid
in Ayodhya.It further stated that since the issue of Ram Temple is in court of
law,its presentation in the public fora should be strictly prohibited.UNI
Karnataka: At least 25 dead after bus plunges
into canal in Mandya district
New Delhi:At least 25 people were killed today
after a bus they were travelling in fell into a canal in Karnataka’s Mandya
district, said Deputy CM G Parameshwara. “25 people have died. I believe the
driver was not driving properly, I will find out, take some more inputs,”
Parameshwara was quoted as saying by ANI.The incident took place around noon
near Kanakanamaradi of Pandavapura taluk.According to PTI, locals said most of
the victims are school children who were returning home after half-a-day of
school. indianexpress
WORLD
'Not welcome': Tunisians decry Saudi crown
prince's planned visit
Tunisian politicians and civil society groups
have expressed their rejection of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's
upcoming visit to Tunisia.The visit is part of Prince Mohammed's first tour
abroad since the killing of Jamal Khashoggi at the kingdom's consulate in
Istanbul, which has widely been blamed on the crown prince.Saida Qarash, a
spokesperson of the Tunisian Govt , confirmed the visit of Prince Mohammed,
also known as MBS, on November 27 via a local radio station.The crown prince
arrived in Abu Dhabi late on Thursday and is due to visit other countries in
the region, including Bahrain and Egypt, where he will be warmly received by
allied leaders who have stood firmly by his side amid international outrage
over the murder of Khashoggi.MBS will also attend G20 Summit in Argentina at
the end of this month, where he will likely come face-to-face with world
leaders, including Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who has implicitly accused
the crown prince of being behind the killing.
Saudi Royal Court said that the tour was decided on the directives of
King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and that it aims to strengthen the kingdom's
relations regionally and internationally. Qarash said Tunisia condemns
Khashoggi's murder, and stressed that her country's position calls for
revealing the truth.aljazeera
Khashoggi murder planned 12 days in advance:
Turkish officials
Turkish investigators analysing phone calls
and the movement of the suspects in Khashoggi's murder have told Al Jazeera
that the operation to kill the journalist was planned 12 days in
advance.Investigators sifting through 19 phone calls made by Maher Mutreb,
thought to be the lead negotiator inside the consulate, to Saudi Arabia have
found that four of them were made to Saud al-Qahtani and that there is a third
voice on the calls.Al-Qahtani was believed to be the right-hand man of Saudi
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman before being removed as a royal court adviser
following the uproar over the murder."Today we learned from the officials
that when Mutreb and al-Qahtani were talking on the phone, there was a third
voice coming from the background of al-Qahtani's phone ... Al-Qahtani was
transferring the information that he got from Mutreb to that third
person," Al Jazeera's Sinem Koseoglu, reporting from Ankara, said.aljazeera
Egypt: ‘Fake’ photo of Morsi circulating on
social media
Egyptian activists have circulated a shocking
photo of the ousted President Mohamed Morsi which they say is how he now looks
like after spending five years in solitary confinement.The photo, which went
viral on Wednesday, was reported to have been taken from inside Morsi’s
cell.According to the activists, Morsi appeared with signs of fatigue and
sickness and looked like he had lost lots of weight, contrary to his last
appearance in court. His son, Ahmed, was later quoted as saying that the photo
was “baseless”, adding that it was published by “oppressors”, referring to the
country’s incumbent Govt .Morsi has been sentenced to an “irrevocable” 45 years
in prison after being charged with “inciting violence and communicating with
foreign countries”. He was ousted from power in July 2013 in a bloody coup
which saw the current President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi take control of the
country and tighten the military’s grip over it. Morsi had been Egypt’s first
ever freely elected president.middleeastmonitor
Egypt reveals it is holding daughter of Muslim
Brotherhood leader, 5 others
Cairo:Egypt has revealed that it was holding
the daughter of Muslim Brotherhood leader Khairat al-Shater and 5 other people,
3 weeks after family members say they disappeared in a new Govt crackdown.The state security prosecutor
ordered Aisha al-Shater and the other five to be held for 15 days pending an
investigation on charges including membership in a terror outfit, state agency
MENA said.HRW said that Egyptian police and security forces had conducted a
mass arrest campaign, rounding up at least 40 political activists, lawyers and
human rights workers since late Oct.Security forces carrying out the arrests
presented no warrants, and families were not told where the detainees were
being held, the New York-based rights watchdog said.Among the others whose
detentions were revealed along with Shater was Hoda Abd al-Moneim, a
60-year-old lawyer and Brotherhood member. Her family said in a statement they
saw her on Thursday at state security prosecution office “after 21 days of
enforced disappearance by Egyptian authorities”.Her daughters were “shocked to
find that Hoda, a 60-year old mother and grandmother, was in a dire health
condition with clear signs of weight loss, psychological trauma, severe signs
of instability and shock,”statement said.“She couldn’t give a reason for her
condition to her family members.”reuters
Egypt orders pre-trial detention for 8 rights
activists
Egypt has ordered 15-day pre-trial detention
for eight human rights activists and lawyers who have been missing for nearly
21 days in the capital Cairo.According to activists who spoke to MEE on Friday,
State Security Prosecution has accused eight activists, including human rights
lawyers Hoda Abdelmonem and Mohamed Abu Horairah, of "joining an illegal
group" and "inciting harm to the national economy".The
defendants include activists Aisha Shater, Mohamed al-Hodeiby, Ahmed al-Hodeiby,
and Bahaa Odah, Marwa Abdelmonem, Ibrahim Atta and Somaya Nassef. 8 defendants
had been missing since their detention in the early hours of Thursday, and have
only appeared yesterday at the prosecution HQRS in Cairo.middleeasteye
Hamas publishes images of 'Israelis involved
in Gaza covert unit': aljazeera
Hamas group has published photos of what it
says are members of an Israeli covert operations unit that infiltrated the Gaza
Strip on Nov.11.Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades posted pictures of eight alleged
members of the Israeli force, including two women, on its official website, as
well as pictures of two vehicles used by the force during the botched
operation.In a statement, group called on Palestinians to communicate to them
any information they might have regarding the persons but provided no further
details on the identities of those pictured.Israel's army censor issued a
statement shortly afterwards calling on the public and news media not to
distribute the photos or information relating to them.
Bahrain holds polls with ban on opposition
groups
Bahrainis are heading to polls today in a
parliamentary election from which opposition groups have been barred in a crackdown
on dissent in the Western-allied kingdom as tensions with Shia Muslim
opposition show no signs of abating.Activists have called for a boycott of what
they describe as "farce" elections, raising doubts about the
credibility of the polls. Govt says the
elections are democratic.Bahrain's Sunni-Muslim ruling Al Khalifa family has
kept a lid on dissent since the Shia opposition staged a failed uprising in
2011.aljazeera
Pakistan: Crackdown on protesters after arrest
of TLP chief
Dozens of protesters were arrested as they
clashed with police in an ongoing crackdown against followers of a religious
party leader, who had led three days of nationwide protests following the
acquittal of a Christian woman in a blasphemy case.Members of Muslim leader
Khadim Hussain Rizvi's Tehreek-e-Labbaik (TLP) party had shut down major cities
in protest earlier this month after Aasia Bibi, who had spent eight years on
death row on blasphemy charges, was aquitted.At least five people were wounded
in last night's clashes between Rizvi's supporters and police in the eastern
city of Lahore after police arrested the religious leader on Friday night. A
spokesperson for Punjab CM's office said Rizvi's second-in-command, Afzal
Qadri, had also been detained."Afzal Qadri and Khadim Rizvi have been sent
to jail. Qadri has been admitted to the jail's hospital. A crackdown is under
way across Punjab against TLP activists," Shahbaz Gill told Reuters.aljazeera
32 killed in powerful blast in Pakistan's
restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province
At least 32 people, including 3
Pakistani-Sikhs, were killed and over 40 others injured on Friday when a
suicide bomber triggered a powerful bomb blast at a busy market outside a
religious seminary in the country's restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province,police
said. According to initial probe,an improvised explosive device was planted in
a bike that was used for transporting vegetables to popular Friday Market near an imambargah,Shia religious place, in
Orakzai tribal Kalaya area, bordering Afghanistan."This is a Friday
bazaar, where hundreds of people had gathered for groceries," Deputy
Commissioner Khalid Iqbal said.PTI
5 killed in attack near Chinese Consulate in
Pakistan
Islamabad: At least five people including two
policemen were killed on Friday in a terrorist attack near the Chinese
Consulate in Pakistan's port city of Karachi, police and hospital officials
said. DIG of Karachi South Region Javed Alam confirmed that two policemen and
three other unidentified persons were killed when a group of terrorists opened
fire at them near the consulate in the diplomatic zone where several other
foreign missions are located in Clifton area of Karachi. Around three to 4
terrorists reached the area and started firing and hurled a couple of hand
grenades at the police personnel deployed for security in the area. Two of the
deceased were recognized as police personnel but the others have not been
identified yet, said the hospital director. Karachi's police chief Amir Sheikh
said at least three terrorists have been killed in the shootout with the
security forces. Two suicide jackets were also recovered from the killed
terrorists, the police chief said.IANS
Deadly blast hits mosque in Afghanistan's
Khost province, 27 army personnel killed, 57 injured
Kabul :Captain Abdullah, a spokesman for the
2nd Regiment of Army in Mandozai district in Khost said the ANA members were
busy in Friday prayers when the suicide attack happened at around 1:30 pm Kabul
time. Afghan military spokesperson Captain Abdullah said that it still wasn't
clear whether the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber or whether a
remotely detonated device was used.No group immediately claimed responsibility
for the attack.indiatvnews
IS claims attacks in W.Africa caused 118 casualties:Reuters
Cairo:Islamic State claimed responsibility for
5 attacks in an area it calls the “State of West Africa” that it said resulted
in 118 casualties in the past week, according to a video posted on its account
on the messaging website Telegram late on Thursday.The militant group, which
typically uses the “State of West Africa” to refer to Nigeria, made the claim
in a video presentation of attacks it says it carried out between Nov. 16 and
22. It did not specify the number of people killed in the attacks, referring
only to 118 casualties.5 security sources told Reuters more than 100 soldiers
had been killed in attacks in Nigeria in recent days, one of the highest death tolls
since President Muhammadu Buhari came to power in 2015.reuters
FLASH: VIEWS &
NEWS
Decision to dissolve J&K Assembly
constitutionally flawed:Faizan Mustafa
By renaming cities and alienating Indian
Muslims, BJP is undermining its own idea of national unity:Akshat Khandelwal
Modi govt using Dalits’ money for its own
election campaign:Bhasha Singh
https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/india/modi-govt-using-dalits-money-for-its-own-election-campaign
Go Ahead, Rename India Itself — Aijaz Zaka
Syed
The Unfolding of the Encounter in Which
Militant Accused in Shujaat Bukhari's Murder Was Killed:Mudasir Ahmad
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Anwarulhaq (Released at: 5:57 PM)
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