NEWS
DIGEST, Afternoon
27 Dec. 2018:19 Rabiul-II 1440:
Vol: 11, No:86
INDIA
Triple Talaq Bill politically motivated, real
purpose is to penalise Muslim men, says Opposition, demands to send it to joint
select committee
A united opposition in the Lok Sabha today, pitched
for referring the triple talaq bill to a 'joint select committee' of
Parliament, claiming its provisions were unconstitutional and that there was a
need for a greater scrutiny of the draft law.Opposing the Triple talaq bill in
its current form, Congress MP Sushmita Dev said in the Lok Sabha that the real
purpose of the bill was not to empower Muslim women but to "penalise"
Muslim men.Demanding that bill be referred to the joint select committee of
Parliament, Dev said criminalisation of triple talaq goes against the Supreme
Court verdict."In the name of empowerment you (Govt) has given nothing but
a criminal case to women...the aim of the bill is not to empower Muslim women
but to penalise Muslim men," she said.AIADMK MP A Anwhar Raajhaa, TMC's
Sudip Bandyopadhyay, AIMIM's Asaduddin Owaisi and Supriya Sule (NCP) also made
similar demands.RSP leader NK Premchandran has strongly disagreed with the
passing of the bill and asserted that BJP Govt had brought this bill with some
other “ulterior motives”. He said that other civil laws don’t have the
provision to make a civil dispute a criminal offence. He also stated that the
move was politically motivated with Govt keeping an eye on 2019 General polls. AIADMK
MP A Anwhar Raajhaa said that the triple talaq bill went against the Sharia
Law’s provisions. He said that the bill would only “break ties” and does not
protect the rights of Muslim women. He called the bill a "direct
infringement in Muslim personal law". Raajhaa said that his party sought
changes in the current bill. TMC MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay also said that the Bill
be sent to the joint select committee with all the opposition parties sharing
the same opinion.Congress MP Mallikarjun Kharge said “This is a very important
bill which needs detailed study. It is also a constitutional matter. I request
the bill be sent to joint select committee Triple Talaq Bill” reported by ANI
in a tweet.The fresh bill will supersede an earlier bill passed in Lok Sabha
and pending in Rajya Sabha.The earlier bill was approved by the Lower House.But
amid opposition by some parties in upper house, Govt had then cleared some
amendments, including introduction of a provision of bail, to make it more
acceptable. However, as the bill continued to face resistance in Rajya Sabha, govt
issued an ordinance in Sept, incorporating the amendments.National Herald
‘Triple
Talaq bill not against any religion,’ says Govt as debate begins in Lok Sabha
AIMPLB requests non-BJP
MPs to reject talaq Bill
All India Muslim Personal
Law Board (AIMPLB) has written to non-BJP MPs asking them to reject the Muslim
Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2018, which the board believes
is anti-women and against the fundamental rights of an Indian citizen as guaranteed
by the Constitution.The letter, signed by AIMPLB executive member Asma Zehra,
argues that the Bill is anti-women as it criminalises an offence that is
essentially civil as per Islamic law which will only lead to an increase in the
number of abandoned women. According to the letter, the Bill does not answer
the question of the livelihood of the woman who has been given instant triple
talaq given that the offending husband will be in jail for a 3-year term. “As
your party stands as champions of citizens’ constitutional rights and secular
credentials,we request you to take active participation in defeating this
Bill,” letter implores. indianexpress
NIA’s claims of busting ISIS module exposed as
Doval faces ridicule for presenting Diwali crackers as serious weapons to
attack India:JantaKa Reporter
NIA went
to town claiming that it had busted an ISIS module in India after the federal
agency conducted raids across Delhi and UP and arrested 10 people. These people,
all Muslims, are accused of planning to attack crowded places and political
personalities. The arrested men are identified as Mufti Mohammed Suhail alias
Hazrath, Anas Yunus, Rashid Zafar Raq alias Zafar, Saeed alias Sayeed, Saeed’s
brother Raees Ahmad, Zubair Malik, Zubair’s brother Zaid, Saqib Iftekar,
Mohammed Irshad and Mohammed Azam. The agency later flaunted the so-called
weapons and explosives that it had recovered from the raids. ‘Recovered’ weapons
included home-made revolvers also known as desi katta, dozens of bullets and
low-intensity bombs that looked more like firecrackers, used in Diwali.NIA also
recovered several A4 sized pages of ISIS logo printed on papers. These
printouts can be taken with an access to Google and a printer. NIA even coined
a name of an outfit, Harkat ul Harb e Islam, which it claimed was planning to
wage a war against India with desi katta and firecrackers. Senior Govt officials
familiar with the functioning of NIA said that Wednesday’s raids had taken
place at the behest of NSA Ajit Doval.IG Alok Mittal, according to PTI, told
reporters that the arrested men were in touch with foreign handlers, whose
identity is yet to be established.Mittal said that searches were carried out in
Delhi’s Seelampur locality, UP’s Lucknow, Amroha and Hapur districts where a
huge quantity of explosives, a country-made rocket launcher,100 mobiles and 135
SIM cards were recovered.As expected, NIA and Doval became a butt of jokes
among journalists on social media. Piyush Rai of TOI, who covers UP for his organisation, posted 2 photos-one of
‘weapons’ recovered in Wednesday’s raids and other of weapons seized from a
gang in Meerut some time ago. It was clear that the weapons seized from a
small-time gang were of far more sophisticated quality than what NIA claimed
were going to be used to attack India.He wrote, “The pic on left is the
recovery from a local Meerut gang after a consignment was intercepted in Delhi
earlier this year. The second pic (right) is recovery made during NIA raids at
16 locations in West UP from would be terrorists plotting country wide
attacks.”Rai posted another photo of arms recovery from another gang in Meerut
in the past. This looked more capable of causing large-scale devastation than
the ‘weapons’ recovered by NIA. He wrote, “This recovery from another Meerut
gang this year. I am sure such recoveries would surprise many but it is very
common in this part of the country.”Soon the topic evoked responses from other
journalists. Journalist-turned-filmmaker Vinod Kapri wrote, “NIA has busted a
big planned attack by ISIS in India. Weapons recovered by NIA include sutli
bomb used in Diwali, desi katta etc. These weapons are no used even by local
gangs in Meerut.”Journalist Umashankar Singh of NDTV sarcastically
wrote, “ISIS becomes so helpless after reaching India that it chooses to carry
out fidayeen attack using the leftover firecrackers of Diwali. Congrats to NIA
for averting such attack. By the way, how many mass killings have taken place
in Syria using these Munger-made weapons?”Journalist Swati Chaturvedi wrote, “Thank
you Doval, I feel so much safer knowing ISIS is armed with sutli bombs &
local kattas. Less scary than the cow terrorists.”According to many, the defeat
in the just concluded assembly polls for BJP has prompted the central Govt to
go down the route of ‘India is in danger’ theory in a bid to whip up the
sentiments of nationalism ahead of the next year’s Lok Sabha polls.
IS arresting: In Delhi,
families of accused deny links
New Delhi:For Mohammed
Ubaid, originally from Amroha in UP and
a resident of Jafrabad in northeast Delhi for the last 3 decades, it came as an
early-morning bolt from the blue. Around 5 am on Wednesday, 15 men arrived at
their home and identified themselves as NIA officers.“They assured us that we
won’t be troubled and searched our two-storey house. They even checked the gas
stove,” Ubaid said. He soon learnt that his younger brother, Mohd Suhail, 29,
who studied in Deoband and began teaching in Amroha madrasa, was one of the men
arrested on Wednesday.According to Ubaid, Suhail started teaching in the
madrasa two months ago. “At the end of their search, they took mobile phones
from us — at least 6 (phones)…and our SIM cards, memory cards. There was a
broken charger at home — they took that, too. My father used to run an inverter
manufacturing shop and I work there now. NIA officials came to the godown and
took 2 push-button circuits used in inverters,” he said.According to NIA,
Suhail had tasked others to buy arms explosives and other accessories to prepare
IEDs and pipe bombs. “I don’t understand what explosives they are talking
about…they got nothing from our house,” Ubaid maintained.At the home of another
accused, Zafar, 22, in the same locality, his mother Sehnaz said NIA officials
came at 4.30 am and did not allow anyone to enter or leave. Stating that the
officials “behaved well”, she said, “We run a garment business, and 6 months
ago we started another retail garment shop for Zafar. He used to sell men’s
jackets procured from Jafrabad.”Claiming that Zafar never took part in any
“illegal activity”, Sehnaz said her son undertook the pilgrimage to Mecca a
year ago. About Zafar’s alleged involvement, she said, “He is too young — he
might have known the other accused, but I cannot believe he was involved in any
terror activities. We don’t know what to do now.” His friend Aamir said Zafar
has completed class XII and kept a beard. He added, “That is how people are
identified these days — maybe that’s why the NIA picked him up.”Another
accused, Mohd Azam, 35, runs a medical shop in Jafrabad and stays with his wife
and daughter. According to his nephew, Naved, the raid began at 4.30 am. Officials,
he said, seized mobile phones, SIM cards and memory cards. Stating that Azam
had gone to Mecca once, Naved said, “He knew Suhail, but not the others.NIA
also came to the medical shop and checked all medicines, but did not take
anything from here.”On NIA’s charge that Azam helped the mastermind in
arranging weapons, Naved said, “My uncle was a peace-loving man. He did not
know all this.” Brothers Zubair Malik and Zaid Malik’s father runs a business
manufacturing and selling coolers and fan motors. While Zubair, 20, was a Delhi
University student, Zaid, 22, worked with his father.NIA says siblings were
part of the terror conspiracy. A family member dismissed the allegations as
false.indian express
Delhi court sends
suspects to 12-day NIA custody
New Delhi:A Delhi court today
sent 10 people, arrested by NIA on suspicion of being part of an ISIS-inspired
group, to 12-day of custody of probe agency. They were produced amidst tight
security and with covered faces before Additional Sessions Judge Ajay Pandey
who ordered in-camera proceedings in the case.indianexpress
Jaitley: Would IS module
bust have been possible without snooping?
New Delhi :Union Minister
Arun Jaitley today lauded NIA for busting an alleged Islamic State plot in New
Delhi and UP but also took the
opportunity to take potshots at the Opposition, who has been demanding the
withdrawal of a recent Ministry of Home Affairs notification authorising
investigative agencies to intercept, monitor and decrypt information stored in
any computer.He defended “snooping” order and asked if the crackdown on the
terror module would have been possible without “interception of electronic
communications”. “Well done for cracking the dangerous terrorist module,” he
said.He added, “Would this crackdown of the terrorist module by NIA have been
possible without interception of electronic communications?”Indian express
Govt’s surveillance order
key to national security: MHA officials
A recent Govt order
authorising 10 central agencies to access “any information” on computers within
the country is crucial for national security and there are adequate safeguards
against its misuse, officials in the ministry of home affairs said, citing
statements made by ex minister P Chidambaram to Parliament and similar legislation
in western countries. Claims come at a time when the opposition has accused Govt
of trying to create a “police state” by issuing the Dec.20 order, which was
also challenged in the Supreme Court earlier this week for being “illegal,
unconstitutional and ultra vires to the law”.“A needless controversy has been
generated... Actually, Govt order will ensure prevention of unauthorised
interception or monitoring by agencies not mentioned in the order or by
unscrupulous ISPs,”an official of the ministry said, asking not to be named.HT
Amroha: 8 cops suspended
after Dalit youth ‘dies in custody’
New Delhi: 8 police
personnel have been suspended and an enquiry has been ordered after alleged
custodial death of a 30-year-old Dalit man, three days after his arrest, in
Amroha district.Balkrishna, who worked as a driver, was arrested for alleged
car theft in Dhanaura, police said. He died on Wednesday during treatment at a
district Govt hospital, where he was taken by police officials allegedly due to
serious illness. Police personnel involved in his interrogation have been
booked for murder after a complaint by Balkrishna’s family members, who alleged
that he was beaten up badly on Tuesday night which resulted in his death. In a
letter to the police, they alleged that Balkrishna was picked up on Sunday
night when he lost his way on the highway due to fog. “Police officials
demanded 5 lakh after arresting him and claimed that he would be charged with
serious crimes if the money was not provided,” the letter read.In a purported
video of his family members, Balkrishna’s wife and a relative can be seen
holding wads of cash, alleging that police were demanding the money.An enquiry
has been set up under ASP following which the date and time of arrest and the
allegations on the part of the family will be looked into. 8 police personnel,
including Dhanaura station in-charge Anand Mohan, a sub-inspector and
constables, were suspended after a preliminary enquiry.Balkrishan’s family
members along with residents of his native Basi Sherpur village staged a
protest outside SDM’s office. indianexpress
Punjabi magazine hailing
accused of targeted killings on sale at meet
Mohali:A Punjabi magazine
with a cover on the ‘Referendum 2020’ and a report hailing a man arrested by
the Punjab Police for his alleged involvement in targeted killings was on sale
at the Shaheedi Sabha in Fategarh Sahib.The magazine, ‘Vangaar’ (Challenge),
was on sale outside the stall of SAD(Amritsar).The same magazine was on sale
last year too, with a cover on Burhan Wani, Kashmiri Hizbul Mujahideen militant
who was killed by security forces in 2016. Punjab Govt, and CM Amarinder Singh,
have underlined several times that attempts were being made by some to revive
secessionist forces in Punjab. CM has
repeatedly linked Pakistan’s decision to open the Kartarpur Corridor to this,
describing it as a scheme by ISI.Yet, radical magazine was being displayed and
was for sale quite openly, even with all the police deployment at the
congregation. The Sept. issue has a cover story justifying the so-called
‘Referendum 2020’. It also carries a report on the desecration incidents in
Punjab.Oct.issue has a cover hailing targeted killing accused Ramandeep Singh
Bagga for attacking Shiv Sena (Hind) leader Nishant Sharma in a Ropar jail in
Sept.indianexpress
J&K: Sajad Lone
accuses senior cop of bid to script wave in favour of ‘favourite’ leader
Srinagar:People’s
Conference (PC) chairman and ex J&K minister Sajad Lone accused an unnamed
senior police officer of indulging in “electoral politics” and attempting to
“script a wave” in favour of a “favorite” political leader. Lone said that he
would write to PM Narendra Modi and the Election Commission regarding the
issue.Lone tweeted that he would soon name the rank officer. “IPS officer of
the rank of ADGP indulging in electoral politics. Summoned Some SPs, DSPs
deliberating how to script a wave for his fav leader. Will name him soon. But
hope @PMOIndia @jandkgovernor @KVijayKumarIPS take note. give us an even play
field. Is that too much to ask,” Lone tweeted, tagging the Twitter handles of
J&K Governor Satya Pal Malik, Advisor to Governor K Vijay Kumar and PMO
India.Lone hinted that ADGP is not from the state. indianexpress
Religious hate crimes in
India rose to a decade-high level in 2018: Report
Hate crimes motivated by
religious bias shot up to a decade-high of 93 in 2018, according to a
multi-organisation project led by FactChecker.in. In 2018, 30 people were
killed in such attacks – the most since 2009, when the project began tracking
hate crimes – and at least 305 were injured. Eighteen victims were Muslim, 10
were Hindu and two were Christian. While there were almost as many deaths in 2017
(29), there were twice as many non-fatal injuries this year.Since 2009, 100
persons – including 65 Muslims, 27 Hindus and four Christians – have been
killed in such attacks.Most attacks in 2018 – 27 – occurred in UP , where a BJP
Govt led by Adityanath is in power,
followed by Bihar, where 10 such attacks were reported. A coalition of BJP and
Janata Dal (United) runs the Govt in Bihar.scroll.in
"You'll Build
Mosque?": Video That Likely Triggered Noida Namaz Diktat
Lucknow: Days after Noida
police told multinational companies in Sector- 58 to direct their employees not
to offer Friday prayers in a community park, a video showing a group of
right-wing activists bullying a few Muslims in the park has emerged as the
likely cause of the much-criticised diktat.The video starts with one of the
right-wing activists asking the Muslim devotees whether they had come all the
way from Bihar's Kishangarh to "build a mosque". When one of the
devotees says that they are only observing the namaz, the activist accuses them
of creating a commotion in plain sight of everybody. Even explanations that
they gather in the park only on Fridays failed to cut ice with their
detractors. The activist in question identified himself as Manoj Sharma, a
local resident.While the people who shot the video were likely fringe
activists, it did not take long for the city police to address their grievance
by instructing at least 12 multi-national corporations -- including tech major
HCL-- to forbid their Muslim employees from offering prayers at the park.ndtv
VHP leader Bansal calls
offering namaz in open a ploy to grab land for Mosque
After namaz row in Noida
‘illegal’ pandal for katha event removed from Greater Noida ground
A makeshift pandal
erected on a public ground in Greater Noida’s Sector-37 for a “katha” ceremony
was removed on Wednesday by authority officials citing that the organisers had
not obtained permission for it. The action comes just days after Noida police
issued a notice to companies in the city that they would be held responsible if
their employees were found offering namaz at a Sector-58 public park.On
Wednesday, Greater Noida officials said they received a complaint from some
residents of Sector-37 regarding the ceremony in Kasna area. Authority
officials removed the pandal while the function was going on.HT
Aligarh: Vehicles taking
stray cows to shelters attacked following cattle-slaughter rumours
UP Police have arrested
four people in Aligarh district for allegedly attacking vehicles transporting
800 stray cattle, NDTV reported on Thursday. The administration was moving the
cattle to shelters on Tuesday evening after farmers had locked them up on the
premises of a Govt school and a primary
healthcare centre, claiming that the animals were damaging their
crops.Protestors attacked the vehicles, allegedly because of rumours on
WhatsApp that the animals were being taken for slaughter, SSP (Aligarh) AK
Sahni told ANI. 2 cases have been filed and an investigation is underway, he
added.Mathura Prasad Sharma, a farmer, said neither the district administration
nor the state Govt had taken any action even though the animals destroy crops.
Shyam Bihari, a resident of Gorai, told NDTV that villagers were staying awake
at night to protect their farms. “We are also falling sick because of this,”
Bihari said. “So we chose to lock the stray animals together in a health
centre.”scroll.in
UP Police make arrests in
Sanjali’s murder case; Bhim Army questions findings,asks for CBI inquiry
In a major breakthrough,
UP Police claimed to have solved the gruesome murder of a Dalit girl who was
burnt alive on Dec.18 in Agra District. The police said one of the deceased’s
cousin and two other Dalit boys were responsible for the act and revealed that
it had arrested two of the 3 accused. However, UP Police announcement has not
gone down well with Dalit protesters who believe the announcement was only to
stop countrywide protests in support of Sanjali, girl murdered and put the
blame on Dalit community.UP Police actions also came into question because the
third person accused-Yogesh-was a cousin of Sanjali, was questioned by Police and
released later following which he committed suicide. Bhim Army supremo rejected
the Police findings and asked for a CBI inquiry into the matter. He questioned
why Yogesh was let free after questioning if he was an accused in the case and
said it was police action that drove Yogesh to suicide. While police claims and
actions are being questioned, what cannot be questioned is the effect that it
had on plans for countrywide protests. According to ground reports, all
protests have been cancelled for te time being which can only be seen as a
positive for UP Govt .twocircles
After Kushwaha’s NDA
exit, Apna Dal (S) leader Anupriya says BJP should not repeat same mistakes in UP
BJP-led NDA ally Apna Dal (Sonelal) said the
ruling Govt should learn from its defeats in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and
Rajasthan. Irked by BJP’s Big Brother attitude, Apna Dal (S) leader and Union
Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel said the saffron outfit should
respect and give due importance to small parties. Mirzapur MP Anupriya said her
party president has already expressed the party’s view and she stands by it.n
December 26, Anupriya Patel skipped UP CM
Yogi Adityanath’s programme in Deoria
district, a day after her husband and party president Ashish Patel voiced
concern over the treatment of smaller NDA allies. Expressing his party’s
support for the NDA Govt at the Centre
in 2019 under the aegis of PM Narendra
Modi, Ashish Patel had said the BJP should learn from its defeats in the 3
states.Ashish even warned the BJP that SP-BSP alliance in UP poses a serious challenge for NDA in 2019 Lok
Sabha polls.Apna Dal (S) has its support base mainly among the OBC communities
of the Varanasi-Mirzapur region in UP. As part of the NDA, Apna Dal (S)
contested UP elections with the BJP and
bagged 9 seats with 851,336 votes.newsx
BJP veteran Laxmi Kanta
Chawla censures PM, Rly. Minister for “apathy towards common man”
New Delhi:Ex-Punjab
Minister and BJP leader Laxmi Kanta Chawla has rapped PM Narendra Modi and Railway Minister Piyush
Goyal for the alleged apathy towards the common man and urged them to forget
about the “bullet” train.In a video that went viral on Wednesday, Ms.Chawla is
seen aboard a train, appealing to Modi Govt to “have mercy on the common man”. “I am on
board the Saryu Yamuna Express for 24 plus eight hours. This train is running
nine hours behind schedule. For God’s sake, forget about bullet train, focus on
the trains that are already running,” she said.IANS
Probe ordered against PS
of 3 UP minister’s after sting exposes graft talks
UP Govt has ordered a
probe against personal secretaries of 3 senior ministers after a sting
operation conducted by a TV channel showed them seeking bribes against favours
like transfers, winging contracts in their favour, an official said today.Additional
Chief Secretary Mahesh Gupta has ordered the probe and in all likelihood they
would be suspended anytime now, the source said.In the sting operation, Om
Prakash Kashyap, personal secretary of backward welfare minister Om Prakash
Rajbhar is shown allegedly seeking Rs 40 lakh for a transfer.There are also
alleged recordings of the secretariat staff assuring the reporter posing as a
contractor that a school bag and uniform contract would be swung in his favour
and for the deal, talks will be held with the husband of minister of state for
basic education Anupama Jaiswal.The secretary of the minister is shown seeking
commission in the tender of socks and shoes. The minister who is from SBSP has
clarified that he has nothing to do with the whole incident and has asked
principal secretary of his department to order a probe into the whole
issue.IANS
AIUDF chief Ajmal
apologises for abusing journalist, faces FIR
Guwahati: A day after
abusing a journalist, and threatening him of “smashing his head”, Moulana
Badruddin Ajmal expressed his apologies today, saying he respects media
persons.Ajmal, MP from Assam’s Dhubri constituency, landed himself in a
controversy on Wednesday over the episode. Ajmal, who leads AIUDF, faced
condemnation from from different sections over the incident. Several media
organisations have threatened to file FIRs against him. Apologising over the
episode, Ajmal, who is also a perfume trader, wrote on Twitter: “Media is the
fourth pillar of democracy and I have always respected media persons and everyone
knows that. I have sincere regards for them.Mankachar incident was an
unintentional aberration and I sincerely apologize for that to all concerned.”IANS
WORLD
Trump defends Syria pull-out during surprise
visit to Iraq
In a surprise trip to Iraq, President Donald
Trump on Wednesday defended his decision to withdraw American forces from Syria
where they have been helping battle ISIS group. "We're no longer the
suckers, folks," Trump told US servicemen and women at al-Asad Airbase,
west of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.Trump, who has faced growing criticism at
home for not visiting troops in combat zones, said it's because of US military
gains that he can withdraw 2,000 troops from Syria. He added, however, that he
has no plans to pull soldiers out of Iraq."I made it clear from the
beginning that our mission in Syria was to strip ISIS of its military
strongholds," Trump said in a speech to US troops clad in camouflage
fatigues in a hangar at the airbase.Trump did not meet any Iraqi officials
during his 3-hour visit. A planned meeting with Iraqi PM Adel Abdul Mahdi was scrapped and the two
leaders spoke instead on the phone.Mahdi's office said there was
"disagreement over how to conduct the meeting", while Iraqi
legislators said PM declined Trump's
request to meet him at the military base. White House spokesperson Sarah
Sanders said the meeting was cancelled due to security concerns and the short
notice of the trip, but she said they had a "great call" and that
Mahdi accepted Trump's invitation to the White House in New Year.Al Jazeera's
Imran Khan, reporting from Baghdad after the cancellation of the face-to-face
meeting between the two leaders, said there is a sense of "confusion"
in Iraq in regard to US's policy in the region."They are very concerned in
Iraq about the 2,000 troops pulled out of Syria," he said. "Baghdad
is much more safe than it has been for a very long time and the Iraqis are very
confident that they can deal with ISIL within their own borders - but what
really concerns them is Syria and that's where they are less confident." Trump's
decision to withdraw troops from Syria came despite objections from a number of
politicians within his own party and Pentagon officials. Trump's trip to Iraq
was shrouded in secrecy. Air Force One flew overnight from Washington, landing
at an airbase west of Baghdad under the cover of darkness on Wednesday evening.
US military says it has about 5,200 troops in Iraq, focused on training and advising
Iraqi troops to ensure that ISIL does not re-emerge. aljazeera
Trump Declares End To US "Policeman"
Role On Surprise Iraq Visit
Iraqi leaders denounce Trump's visit to US
troops
Iraqi political and militia leaders have
condemned US President Donald Trump's unannounced trip to Iraq as a violation
of their country's sovereignty.Sabah al-Saadi, the leader of the Islah
parliamentary bloc, called for an emergency session of the Iraqi parliament
"to discuss this blatant violation of Iraq's sovereignty and to stop these
aggressive actions by Trump who should know his limits: The US occupation of
Iraq is over".Islah is headed by Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr, who has long
opposed the US presence in Iraq since a Washington-led invasion toppled the Govt
of Saddam Hussein in 2003 over weapons
of mass destruction and ties to al-Qaeda that both proved non-existent.Hundreds
of thousands of Iraqis have died in the conflict, which many analysts call one
of the major US foreign policy debacles in recent history and one of the most
destructive invasions in modern history.Bina bloc, Islah's rival in parliament
and led by Iran-backed militia leader Hadi al-Amiri, also objected to Trump's
trip to Iraq."Trump's visit is a flagrant and clear violation of
diplomatic norms and shows his disdain and hostility in his dealings with the
Iraqi Govt ," said a statement from Bina.aljazeera
US offers safety, job security to Taliban:
report
Islamabad:US is eager to persuade the Taliban
to join the peace process in Afghanistan and is offering a safety network that
includes job opportunities for the insurgents, a media report said Thursday.As
the US, Pakistan, China, Russia and other world powers expedite efforts to
encourage the Taliban to join the Afghan peace process, US Defence Department
has also outlined a plan for rehabilitating the rebels in a new Afghanistan,
the Dawn reported. “Although some members of the Taliban may be weary of
fighting and ready to lay down their weapons, they will only rejoin society if
they believe their safety and the safety of their families are guaranteed, and
if they have an opportunity to earn enough money to provide for their
families,” the report said, quoting a Pentagon plan sent to Congress this week,
along with the proposals for addressing US security concerns and the interests
of Afghanistan’s neighbours. Pentagon, however, notes that while local leaders
are developing programmes that may offer a path to peace on a small scale,
“Afghan Govt has not developed a national reintegration programme,” it said. Eager
to persuade Taliban to join the Afghan peace process, the US is offering them a
safety network that includes creating job opportunities for the insurgents, the
report said.While the Trump administration appears keen to start withdrawing US
troops from Afghanistan, the Pentagon advocates maintaining enough troops in
Afghanistan to force Taliban to join peace talks.Over the past 16 months, US
and its partners have used military force to drive Taliban towards “a durable
and inclusive political settlement”, the report said.PTI
Israel 'advances plans' for nearly 2,200
settler homes
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/12/israel-advances-plans-2200-settler-homes-181226160425389.html
Israeli authorities have advanced plans for
nearly 2,200 settlement homes in the occupied West Bank, an NGO and Israeli
media said.A defence ministry committee with responsibility for such projects
on Tuesday and Wednesday approved the plans, settlement watchdog Peace Now said
in a statement.It said 1,159 housing units were given final approvals before
building permits can be issued, while 1,032 were at an earlier stage.The Times
of Israel website also reported the development, saying in total 2,191
settlement homes are expected to be advanced this week.It is the first such approvals
since snap polls were called earlier this week, after the ruling right-wing Govt
led by PM Benjamin Netanyahu collapsed.On Monday,
Netanyahu agreed to dissolve parliament and call for early elections on April
9.The settlements, which play an important role in Israel's right-wing
politics, have surged under Netanyahu. Earlier on Wednesday, he met settler
leaders in Jerusalem. "We'll see an
attempt by the left-wing to overthrow our rule with the help of the media and
others," he said, speaking of polls."They can't succeed, because if
they do - that will pose a clear danger to the settlement
movement."Israeli settlements have also long been viewed as a major
roadblock to a viable Palestinian state.aljazeera
Russia slams Israel for 'gross violation' in
Syria strikes
Russia has accused Israel of violating Syria's
sovereignty and threatening two civilian flights after Israeli warplanes
launched air raids in Damascus on Tuesday."We are very concerned by the
attacks and how they were made. This is a gross violation of the sovereignty of
Syria," Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Syrian state media said
the country's air defences intercepted Israeli missiles near Damascus, while
Israel said it was protecting itself from anti-aircraft fire."An [Israeli]
aerial defence system activated in response to an anti-aircraft missile
launched from Syria," the Israeli army's official Twitter account later
said.Moscow also said the Israeli attacks endangered two passenger
planes."The provocative actions of the Israeli air force ... directly
threatened 2 airliners," Russian defence ministry spokesman Igor
Konashenkov said. He said the attack from over the Lebanese territory came as
"2 airliners, not from Russia, were preparing to land at the airports of
Beirut and Damascus".aljazeera
Mubarak testifies against Morsi in Egyptian
court
2 former Egyptian presidents have appeared in
the same Cairo courtroom with Hosni Mubarak testifying in the retrial of his
successor Mohamed Morsi on mass jailbreak charges. Overthrown during the 2011 protests that
ended his 30-year rule, a frail, grey-haired Mubarak could be seen walking into
the courtroom with a cane on Wednesday. During his testimony against Morsi,
Egypt's first democratically elected president, 90-year-old Mubarak claimed he
could not answer most questions, saying he needed permission from the military
and current President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Earlier in the month, Mubarak
failed to make a court appearance in the case. His lawyer, Farid al-Deeb, had
told the Cairo Criminal Court that the former president was a member of the
military and that he had to obtain permission from the military to appear in
court.Since his removal from power in a military coup staged by Sisi, Morsi has
been tried in several different cases.In April 2015, he was sentenced to 20
years on charges of ordering the arrest and torture of protesters in clashes
outside the presidential palace in 2012.aljazeera
25 Bangla Jamaat leaders have no bar to
contest polls: Bangladesh HC
The Bangladeshi High Court today cleared the
way for 25 Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami leaders to contest the 11th parliamentary
election on 30 Dec, reports UNB.The court declined to direct the election
commission to treat Jamaat men disqualified for contesting the election. Following
the HC order, Ruhul Kuddus Kajol, a counsel of the Jamaat leaders, said there
will be no bar for the Jamaat leaders from contesting the upcoming election. The
HC bench of justice JBM Hassan and justice Md Khairul Alam issued a rule asking
the EC and the Govt to explain in four weeks
why the EC’s decision should not be declared illegal. Earlier on Wednesday, a
writ petition was filed with the High Court challenging the election
commission's decision to approve the candidacies of 25 Jamaat leaders for the
upcoming 11th general election.Lawyer Tania Amir filed the petition on behalf
of 4 people including btf secretary general Syed Rezaul Haque Chandpuri. The
petition was filed as a supplementary writ challenging EC's decision that
rejected an application for cancellation of Jamaat leaders' candidacy. Prothom
Alo
Hodeidah ceasefire: UN monitors meet both
sides in port city
A Yemeni Govt delegation is in the port city of Hodeidah to
oversee the implementation of the ceasefire brokered with the Houthi rebels
under the supervision of the United Nations.The warring sides are meeting
face-to-face yet again as the UN is hosting talks as part of the latest efforts
to end the over 4-year-old conflict.A ceasefire in the city has been in place
since Dec. 18, but both sides accuse each other of violating it.aljazeera
FLASH: VIEWS & NEWS
Correcting falsehood in textbooks should be a
priority in Rajasthan:Jyoti Punwani
Militant Recruitment Data in 2018 Is Telling
of the Centre's Failed Strategies in J&K:Azaan Javaid
Herald View: Oversight of NIA, IB and CBI by
Parliament necessary
'Myanmar wants to drive out all Muslims':
Q&A with Kyaw Hla Aung:Saif Khalid
& Sorin Furcoi
Transgender Persons Bill doesn't ensure them
privacy, dignity:Faizan Mustafa
‘Taking kids to a temple, church or mosque
shows them how all religions are equal’: Anuradha Varma
Compiled and edited by
Anwarulhaq (Released at: 7:03 PM)
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