NEWS
DIGEST, Afternoon
02 Jan. 2019: 25 Rabiul-II 1440:
Vol: 11, No:92
INDIA
Rafale deal: Congress releases audio clip,
claims Parrikar said he had ‘all files in his bedroom’
New Delhi/Panaji: Congress today claimed to have an audio recording of
a Goa minister quoting Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar as saying that files
related to the Rafale jet deal were "in his bedroom" and asked Prime
Minister Narendra Modi whether that was why his government was not allowing a
Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) inquiry. Manohar Parrikar tweeted that the
audio clip was a "desperate attempt to fabricate facts". The minister
supposedly on tape, Vishwajit Rane, says the tape is doctored and that Mr
Parrikar "never made any reference to Rafale".Manohar Parrikar was
Union Defence Minister when the deal for 36 Rafale jets was signed between
India and France. He has been chief minister of his native state Goa since
March 2017. In recent months, he has been severely unwell, battling a
pancreatic condition, which has spurred calls for his replacement. Congress
claimed that Parrikar had said at a meeting of the Goa cabinet that no one
could remove him as "all the Rafale papers are in my flat, in my
bedroom". Vishwajit Rane, the Goa health minister, is on tape relating
this conversation, claimed Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala shortly
before the jet deal was to be discussed in parliament.Surjewala played an audio
tape, the authenticity of which cannot be verified by NDTV, in which Vishwajit
Rane is apparently talking to an unknown person about a three-hour cabinet
meeting and saying "keep it confidential". A voice said to be Rane's
says that the chief minister "made a very interesting statement, that I
have all the information of Rafale in my bedroom". The other person is
heard reacting: "What are you saying!" To which, the minister says:
"...You can cross-check with somebody you are close to in the cabinet. This
is something he said, that means he is holding them to ransom...He said it is
in my bedroom here only in my flat, each and every document on
Rafale."Surjewala told reporters: "Former Defence Minister Manohar
Parrikar has all the files relating to Rafale jet deal. The fashion in which
every procedure was bypassed...it is all recorded in the files. Those files are
with Mr Parrikar. Why are those files being hidden? We want the
truth."Rane, in a press conference, said: "The audio tape is doctored.
The Congress has stooped to such a low level to doctor a tape to create
miscommunication between the cabinet and chief minister. Mr Parrikar has never
made any reference to Rafale or any documents. I have asked him for a criminal
investigation into this." The Supreme Court last month cleared the
government of allegations linked to the Rafale deal. The court said there was
no reason to doubt the decision-making process, delivering a huge reprieve to
the government amid Congress allegations of corruption in the Rs. 59,000-crore
contract. ndtv
Former union ministers seek review of Supreme
Court judgment on Rafale deal
New Delhi :Former Union ministers Yashwant
Sinha and Arun Shourie and advocate Prashant Bhushan on Wednesday moved the
Supreme Court, seeking review of its December 14 judgment on the Rafale fighter
jet deal. The petitioners alleged that the court relied upon “incorrect claims”
made by the Centre.This comes on a day when the Rafale issue will be discussed
in the Lok Sabha after the Congress changed its stand and agreed for a
discussion on the deal. Earlier, the
Congress had disrupted proceedings in the Lok Sabha, demanding a Joint
Parliamentary Committee to probe the deal.In their review plea today, the
petitioners alleged that the judgment “relied upon patently incorrect claims
made by the government in an unsigned note given in a sealed cover” to the apex
court, according to PTI. They have also sought that the plea be heard in an
open court.On December 14, the apex court had dismissed all PILs alleging
irregularities in the procurement of 36 Rafale jets from France.indianexpress
Parliament LIVE: Jaitley, Rahul target each
other over defence deals
New Delhi :Lok Sabha on Wednesday witnessed
stormy scenes as the Rafale deal was taken up for discussion and had to be
adjourned twice. Initiating the discussion on the Rafale issue, Congress chief
Rahul Gandhi targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claiming that he “does not
have guts” to come to Parliament to confront questions on the issue and “hides”
in his room.Gandhi also sought permission to play a tape purportedly of a Goa minister
on the Rafale issue but failed to receive the Speaker’s nod. Interrupting
Gandhi, Arun Jaitley demanded if he can authenticate it, but the Congress
leader said he would not do so. Is it not true that defence ministry officials
objected to the new price of Rs 1600 crore, Gandhi said, accusing Modi of
favouring his “dear friend” and “failed businessman” Anil Ambani.Replying to
Gandhi, Jaitley said the Congress chief’s allegations were rejected by the
Supreme Court. “Some people naturally dislike the truth.French govt dismissed
the Congress’ allegations,”Jaitley said. Raking up the Bofors scam, Jaitley
said, “Some people understand money but not national security. When he (Rahul)
was a young man, he was playing in the lap of one Q (Quattrocchi) whose name
cropped up in Bofors case.”indianexpress
Modi sidestepping Ayodhya issue, why talk
ordinance after SC order: Congress
New Delhi :Congress hit out at Prime Minister
Narendra Modi following his interview to ANI and accused him of suffering from
an “I, Me, Mine and Myself” syndrome and argued that his “I’s” and “lies” have
destroyed India’s social fabric and economy.The party said nation expected the PM
to talk about 10 major poll promises he had made in 2014, but was left
disappointed.Congress communication department in-charge Randeep Surjewala said
he failed to understand what the Prime Minister meant when, responding to a
question on bringing an ordinance for construction of Ram temple at the
disputed site, Modi said his government will make all efforts once the judicial
process is over. Arguing that the decision of Supreme Court, whatever it may
be, “should be accepted by everyone”, Surjewala said, “There is no need for an
ordinance thereafter…the Prime Minister is trying to derail.”He said, “Which
constituency is he trying to please? I hope (RSS chief) Mohan Bhagwat and other
colleagues of his are listening carefully – he has (today) rejected his own
party and the RSS’s demand. We are happy that the Prime Minister is today
stating that the Supreme Court will decide the issue, but he is trying to
confuse and sidestep the issue by saying an ordinance will come thereafter. On
the decision of the Supreme Court, there is no need for an ordinance, Mr Prime
Minister — that is law of the land.”Surjewala also hit out at Modi’s assertion
that there is no personal allegation against him. indianexpress
RSS on Modi’s interview: Remarks step in
direction of building Ram temple
New Delhi :Hours after PM Narendra Modi told
ANI Tuesday that the government would make “all efforts” on the Ram temple
issue once the judicial process is over, the RSS welcomed his remarks and
expressed hope that the government “fulfils the promise” in this tenure.In a
statement, RSS sah sarkaryavah Dattatreya Hosabale said, “Even in 2014 Election
Manifesto prepared under the leadership of Narendra Modi, BJP promised to
explore all possibilities within the framework of the Constitution to
facilitate the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. The people of Bharat
reposed complete confidence and gave BJP the full mandate. The people of Bharat
expect this government to fulfil the same promise during this tenure.”He said:
“We feel that the statement by Prime Minister is a positive step in the
direction of temple construction. PM reiterating the resolve to construct a
grand Sri Ram Temple in Ayodhya in his interview is in tune with the resolution
passed by BJP at Palampur in 1989. In this resolution the BJP had stated that
they would try to construct the grand Sri Ram Temple at Ram Janmabhoomi in
Ayodhya through mutual dialogue between the two communities or by enabling
required legislation.”Ram Temple issue was back on the frontburner in September
when RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, in his lecture series in New Delhi, said that Ram
temple should be built in Ayodhya at the “earliest”. In his annual Vijayadashmi
speech in Oct., Bhagwat said that the decision regarding ownership of the land
should be expedited and the government should clear the path for construction
of the temple through an appropriate and requisite law. indian express
‘Can’t wait for verdict’: VHP’s terse message
to BJP on Ram Temple
New Delhi:Hindus cannot wait till eternity for
court to decide on the Ram Temple, VHP working president Alok Kumar said on
Wednesday.Kumar was reacting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement in an
interview that the government would do whatever is required only after the judicial
process gets over. “The only way forward is to enact a legislation clearing the
way for construction of a grand temple at the Ram janmabhoomi,”VHP leader Alok
Kumar said while addressing a press conference.“The Ayodhya matter has not been
listed before the appropriate bench, but it’s in CJI’s court and the hearing
may be far away,” Kumar said.HT
BJP's Assurances on Ram Temple Have Very
Little Credibility:Yechury
New Delhi: After Prime Minister Narendra Modi
suggested that a decision on an ordinance on the Ram temple in Ayodhya could
only be taken after the completion of judicial process, CPI(M) general
secretary Sitaram Yechury has said the assurances given by BJP had very little
credibility.He also alleged that sharpening communal polarisation was the
ruling BJP only plan.PTI
Rajya Sabha repeatedly adjourned amid din over
Triple Talaq, Cauvery issue
New Delhi: Rajya Sabha was Wednesday
repeatedly adjourned after the opposition members kept creating a ruckus in the
House over the issues of Triple Talaq Bill and Cauvery dam. They even entered
the Well of the House following which Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu adjourned the
House. Soon after the House was convened for the day, members from the AIADMK
started protesting against the construction of a dam across the Cauvery river,
while other opposition party members raised the demand to send the Triple Bill
to the Select Committee of Parliament, which led to the adjournment of the
House.As the din continued, Chairman Naidu again adjourned the proceedings till
noon. Since the House was not being allowed to function smoothly by the
agitating members, Chairman adjourned Rajya Sabha for the day.It is worth
mentioning that the Triple Talaq Bill, which was passed in the Lok Sabha, with
245 votes in favour and 11 opposing, was listed for discussion the Upper
House.ANI
Triple Talaq Bill 'Anti-women and Barbaric',
Says AIMPLB Women Wing
Hyderabad: Terming triple talaq bill
"inhuman, anti-women and barbaric", women's wing of the All India
Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) on Tuesday appealed to Rajya Sabha members
to press for referring it to a select committee for scrutiny.Asma Zohra, the
chief organiser of the women's wing of AIMPLB, told reporters here that if
passed, the triple talaq legislation will damage the family and social fabric
of the community."There was no need for this bill after Supreme Court
judgment invalidating triple talaq. It is brought with political and communal
motives to divide the society," she said.She claimed that Muslims across
India oppose and condemn the bill brought in the Rajya Sabha for a second
time.The women's wing of AIMPLB believes that if passed the legislation will
break marriages rather than empowering women. It termed the bill a direct blow
to family system and the institution of marriage.She said the AIMPLB has time
and again stated that triple talaq in one sitting is not the standard procedure
of divorce and those practicing this shall face social boycott."Muslim
women will not get anything from this bill. Instead, they will be left
abandoned and deserted. Her condition will become more miserable," it
said."It is ironic that there is freedom in this country for men and women
to have premarital, extramarital and even multiple relationships.
Decriminalisation of Section 377 is being cited as an example of freedom in
personal and civil matters, then why a Muslim husband is penalised for divorce,"
asked Asma Zohra.IANS
‘Triple Talaq bill is inhuman’: Women’s wing
of Muslim Law Board calls for scrutiny
UP BJP mulls setting up special panels for
triple talaq victims
Lucknow: With the opposition blocking the
passage of Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2018 in Rajya
Sabha, UP BJP is toying with the idea to constitute a separate panel of experts
comprising Islamic scholars, Muftis and advocates to take up cases of instant
triple talaq victims in the state. The panel, proposed to be set up in all six
zones of the state, will take up cases of instant triple talaq just like
AIMPLB, an organisation constituted for the protection of Muslim Personal Law
(Shariat) and provisioning application of the Islamic Law Code in personal
affairs.The proposal to set up separate panel of experts comes days after BJP
decided to set up a separate team of party functionaries headed by Nazia Hasan,
a member of UP BJP minority affairs wing, to reach out to women who are victims
of triple talaq.“The idea of a separate panel is to provide legal support to
instant triple talaq victims and rehabilitate them,” Hasan told TOI. She said
that the party would also approach the state government to provide training to
such victims and make them self-reliant. timesofindia
Correction Of Names, Particulars In Assam
Citizens' List Begins today
Guwahati: The process for correcting names and
other particulars that appeared in the final draft of the National Register of
Citizens will begin from January 2, said a notice issued by the office of NRC
Assam. According to the notice issued by NRC state coordinator, Government of
Assam, "Name, etc Correction - Services for online correction of names and
other particulars appearing in Draft NRC will be started from 10 am of 2/1/19.
This facility can be availed by visiting NRC Assam's website. Facility for name
correction will also be available by submission of correction forms at NRC Seva
Kendras (NSKs). These facilities will be available till 31/1/19," the
notice stated.The process has no connection with the submission of claims and
objections which got over on Dec.31, 2018, it said.The filing of claims and
objections to decide the fate of 40 lakh people whose names were excluded from
the draft list (released on July 30 last) had begun on Sept.25, 2018 and ended
on Dec.15. PTI
In Assam, student group contests the inclusion
of over 2.5 lakh people in draft NRC
Even as 30 lakh of the 40 lakh people left out
of Assam’s draft National Register of Citizens made fresh claims of citizenship
before the deadline of December 31, more than 2.5 lakh objections have been
filed against people who were included in the roster. Almost all of these
objections were filed on the last day of the “Claims and Objections” round,
said officials. “Before yesterday, the number was less than 600,” said an NRC
official who did not want to be identified. “The number increased to 2.6 lakh
on the last day, we are still counting but the final tally should not
significantly change.” About 2.89 crore of the 3.3 crore people who applied to
be included in the National Register of Citizens – a roster of bona fide Indian
citizens in Assam – have made it so far. To be included in the citizenry list,
an individual has to prove that they or their ancestors entered the country
before midnight on March 24, 1971.scroll.in
Not compulsory to sing ‘Vande Mataram’ at
secretariat on 1st day of month: Madhya Pradesh
Asserting that singing Vande Mataram for a day
is not a barometer of patriotism, the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh on
Tuesday announced that it was no longer compulsory to sing the national song in
the secretariat on the first day of every month.For the first time since 2005,
government employees did not sing the national song at the secretariat on
Tuesday — the first day of the month.Chief Minister Kamal Nath holds the
portfolio of General Administration Department (GAD), which is responsible for
organising the monthly event.BJP spokesperson Rajneesh Agrawal asked Nath to
tell the state if he had stopped the practice because he holds GAD portfolio.
“By discontinuing singing of Vande Mataram, he has given a new year gift to
patriotic citizens,” Agrawal said. Congress spokespersons and ministers were at
a loss to explain what they thought was a mistake, with some, including
ministers P C Sharma and Jitu Patwari of the opinion that it was an
oversight.However, the CM struck a different note, saying, “The decision has
not been taken as part of any agenda. We are not against singing Vande
Mataram…It’s a wrong to link patriotism and nationalism with day’s singing of
Vande Mataram. Are those people who don’t sing Vande Mataram not patriots?” he
said.indianexpress
UP Cabinet gives nod to impose cow welfare
cess on eight public sector depts
Lucknow: ttar Pradesh Cabinet has cleared a
proposal to impose a ‘Gau kalyan cess’ (cow welfare cess) on eight
“profit-making” public sector departments to generate funds for setting up and
maintaining temporary cow shelters across the state.These departments include
excise, public works, State Industrial Development Corporation and UP
Expressways Industrial Development Authority (toll tax) among others.Cabinet
also gave the green signal for punitive action against farmers who leave their
animals in public places and on other’s properties. A fine will be imposed
under existing laws by the police, district administration or urban body.“The
decision is very significant and special. It is regarding a policy for
establishment and maintenance of temporary cow shelters in gram panchayats,
chetra panchayats, nagar panchayats, municipal corporations etc,” said Cabinet
Minister Srikant Sharma, adding that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had said
that cow slaughter would not be accepted in any form.indianexpress
UP Cabinet decides to set up cow sheds for
stray cattle
Madhya Pradesh to withdraw, Rajasthan govt to
examine cases against Dalits
Bhopal, Jaipur:A day after BSP chief Mayawati
threatened to withdraw support to Congress-led governments in Madhya Pradesh
and Rajasthan unless cases registered against innocent people during last
year’s Bharat Bandh are withdrawn, the MP government on Tuesday announced that
cases lodged against political opponents by the previous BJP dispensation will
be withdrawn.Madhya Pradesh Law Minister P C Sharma said cases lodged against
people who were not on the spot of violence or disturbances during the April 2
agitation will also be withdrawn. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said
his government will examine the cases registered in connection with violence
during the Bharat Bandh on April 2, 2018, and that innocent people should not
be implicated.Justifying Mayawati’s demand as “natural”, Gehlot told the media,
“It is a matter of investigation to see how many people, against whom cases
were registered, were guilty, and how many were innocent. Sometimes, a person
who is not guilty gets implicated.”indianexpress
Rajasthan’s Muslim minister performs puja at
Shiva temple in Pokhran:HT
Barmer:Minister in the Rajasthan’s Gehlot
government, Saleh Mohammed on Sunday performed a special puja at Shiva temple
in Pokhran in Jaisalmer district. Mohammed, son of Muslim religious leader Gazi
Fakir, reached Pokhran for the first time after taking oath as a minister in
the Gehlot Cabinet. The sudden move of the minister surprised people in the
area.Madhu Changani, priest of Shiv Temple, confirmed the report. Changani told
HT that it was not for the first time Mohammad had visited the temple. “He
(Mohammad) had visited this temple during the election time also,” he said,
adding that Mohammad has “some association” with the temple. Changani said that
after reaching the temple Mohammad performed “special puja” for about
half-an-hour following “Hindu rituals”. He (Mohammad) also performed ablution
and offered honey and milk on Lord Shiva’s idol.
Trump signs law to step up India defence ties,
call out China
New Delhi:Just before ushering in the New Year
on Dec.31, US President Donald Trump signed an Act designed to counter the
encroaching influence and growing threat from China and to reinvigorate US
leadership in Indo-Pacific region.Calling for strengthening of diplomatic,
economic, and security ties with India, Asia Reassurance Initiative Act (ARIA)
allocates a budget of $1.5 billion over a five-year period to enhance
cooperation with America’s strategic regional allies in the region. The new law
cites “China’s illegal construction and militarization of artificial features
in the South China Sea and coercive economic practices”, and mandates actions
for “countering China’s influence to undermine the international system”.Act
notes “the increased presence throughout Southeast Asia of the Islamic State
and other international terrorist organizations that threaten the US”. The law
states that US “recognizes the vital role of the strategic partnership between US
and India in promoting peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region” and
“calls for strengthening and broadening of diplomatic, economic, and security
ties between the United States and India”. indianexpress
5 Rohingya in detention in Assam to be repatriated
Guwahati:Five Myanmar nationals, who are in
detention in Assam, will be repatriated via the India-Myanmar border in Moreh
in Tengnoupal district of Manipur, officials confirmed.Another Myanmar
national, Mohd Slam who was brought from Ambala in Haryana, was repatriated on
Wednesday, Manipur police said.A top police official in Sonitpur said that five
people, believed to be Rohingya, are on their way to Manipur and are likely to
be repatriated either on Wednesday or Thursday depending on Myanmar
officials.“They are on their way,” Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta, Assam’s additional
director general of police (border) said, confirming the possible repatriation
of the five Myanmar nationals.“Five of them left from Tezpur yesterday,” Numal
Mahatta, Sonitpur’s additional superintendent of police said, adding their
travel documents had arrived.HT
FCRA licence of over 4,800 NGOs cancelled in 3
years: Govt tells Rajya Sabha
New Delhi:Over 4,800 NGOs were barred from
receiving foreign funds in the last three years as their FCRA registrations
were cancelled for not filing annual returns, Union minister Kiren Rijiju said
Wednesday.Replying to a written question in Rajya Sabha, Rijiju said as per the
Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), 2010, all associations and NGOs,
which are registered under the Act or which are given prior permission to
receive foreign contribution under it are required to submit their annual
returns, and income and expenditure statements, receipts and payment account,
balance sheet for every fiscal.Non-submission of the mandatory annual returns
is a violation of the provisions of the FCRA.PTI
2 women under 50 years of age enter Sabarimala
temple, shrine shut for performing purification rites
Police provide security to the residences of
Kanakadurga and Bindu at Malappuram and Kottayam.
Two women in the age group of 10-50 years
entered the Ayyapa temple in Sabarimala in the early hours of Wednesday, police
sources told The Hindu.This is the first time that women from this age group
have entered the temple following a Supreme Court verdict that allowed the
same.Video footage shows Bindu from Kozhikode and Kanakadurga from Malappuram
making the entry through the staff gate on the northern side at 3:48 a.m. and
moving out through the seemingly empty barricade in front of the temple
''sopanam'' at 3:50 a.m. Policemen in plainclothes escorted them. Protesters
shout slogans as they part in a rally called by various Hindu organisations
after 2 women entered the Sabarimala temple in Kochi on Jan. 2.The duo made an
attempt to visit Sabarimala during the recently concluded Mandalam pilgrim season,
but police forcibly took them back to Pampa following stiff resistance from
devotees and sangh parivar workers.thehindu
Kannada Author Booked For Saying Ram Not God;
Questioning Ram Temple
BENGALURU:K. S. Bhagawan, a retired professor
and Kannada writer has been charged for allegedly insulting Lord Ram and
Mahatma Gandhi in his recent book, police said on Tuesday, reports
PTI.Bhagawan, who has many books to his credit on Hinduism, Indian culture and
history, earlier had courted controversy by making certain references to the
Bhagavad Gita that are termed as “offensive” by right-wing organisations, has
made unflattering observations about Lord Ram’s character in his book.The
Kannada book “Rama Mandira Yeke Beda” (Why Ram temple is not required) claims
Ram was not a God and he suffered from weaknesses just as any other human
being.Right-wing organisations had on Friday staged a demonstration against Mr
Bhagawan, accusing him of depicting Lord Ram in poor light in his book and
making derogatory references, and a complaint was also lodged by Hindu Jagaran
Vedike Mysuru district president K Jagadish Hebbar on Saturday against him for
his alleged derogatory references to Lord Ram and Mahatma Gandhi.caravandaily
WORLD
Israeli settlement activity surged in Trump
era: Monitor group
With little resistance from a friendly White
House, Israel has launched a new settlement push in the West Bank since
President Donald Trump took office, laying the groundwork for what could be the
largest construction binge in years, according to data obtained by AP.The
figures, gathered from official government sources by the anti-settlement
monitoring group Peace Now, show an increase in building in 2018 and a sharp
spike in planning for future construction.The trend, highlighted last week when
an Israeli committee advanced plans for thousands more settlement homes on
occupied lands, has only deepened Palestinian mistrust of the Trump
administration as it says it is preparing to roll out a Middle East peace plan.Each
new settlement expansion further diminishes the chances of setting up a
Palestinian state alongside Israel.Both supporters and opponents of settlements
confirm a change in atmosphere since early 2017 when Trump took over from
Barack Obama, whose administration had tried to rein in construction.aljazeera
British MPs, lawyers request visit to detained
Saudi activists
A cross-party group of British parliamentarians
and international lawyers has asked to visit detained female activists in Saudi
Arabia to investigate allegations that they are being tortured and denied legal
representation and family visits.In a letter to the Saudi ambassador to the UK,
MP Crispin Blunt, the head of the group's detention review panel, asked Prince
Mohammed bin Nawwaf bin Abdulaziz to assist them in arranging a visit to
Dhahban prison near Jeddah to speak to the activists held there."We hope
to be able to gather direct testimony from the detainees during our visit in
Saudi Arabia," Blunt wrote on Wednesday, adding the group wanted to also
"meet and interview officials responsible for and tasked" with the
activists' detention.Several international human rights groups, including
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have alleged that eight female
activists who had campaigned for the right for women to drive have been
tortured with electric shocks and whipped with an "egal", a rope that
keeps a male headscarf in place.aljazeera
Sudan: Calls grow for Omar al-Bashir to step
down
Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir is facing
growing calls to step down following deadly protests over a dire economic
crisis in the country.22 Sudanese opposition political parties and groups on
Tuesday demanded that Bashir transfer power to a "sovereign council"
and a transitional government that would set a "suitable" date for
democratic elections.The groupings, calling themselves the National Front for
Change, include some Islamist factions that were once allied with Bashir, who
seized power in a 1989 military coup, as well as breakaway groups from large
traditional parties."This government does not have the ability to overcome
the economic crisis because the economic crisis is basically a political
crisis," Mubarak Elfadel, chairman of the Umma Party, told reporters at a
press conference in Sudan's capital, Khartoum.aljazeera
Somalia orders UN envoy to leave country
Somalia's government has ordered the top
United Nations official in the country to leave, accusing him of interfering
with national sovereignty days after he raised concerns about the actions of
UN-supported Somali security forces. Foreign affairs ministry said on Tuesday
that Nicholas Haysom, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General
for Somalia, "is not required and cannot work in this country",
effectively declaring the official persona non grata. aljazeera
Clashes between 'radical' fighters and rebels
'leave 31 dead in western Aleppo'
Clashes between "radical" fighters
and rebels in northern Syria have killed at least 31 people, an activist group
said on Wednesday.Tuesday's fighting, pitting al-Qaeda-linked coalition Hayat
Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) against an alliance of rebel groups, flared in western
Aleppo province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.As a result of
the fighting, the Observatory said HTS had taken control of Darat Izza, the
second largest town in the western sector of the Aleppo countryside, as well as
the roads to the town and a number of checkpoints, positions and areas around
it.HTS had on Monday accused rebel group Nureddine al-Zinki of killing five of
its members, and launched an offensive against rebel positions close to the
country's last opposition bastion in the northwestern province of
Idlib.Al-Zinki is a major player in the National Liberation Front (NLF), a
Turkish-backed rebel alliance.middleeasteye
UK arms officials met with Saudi Arabia days
after Khashoggi murder: Report
Members of the Defence and Security
Organisation, a government agency within the UK’s Department of International
Trade, met with Saudi Arabian officials to promote arms exports, just days
after the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a Mirror report said late on
Monday.Citing documents obtained in a Freedom of Information request, the
Mirror report said the DSO delegation visited Riyadh on the day of Khashoggi’s
disappearance – 2 October – and made subsequent visits back to the kingdom to
promote arms sales on 14 and 22 October.The delegates reportedly included Nigel
Maddox, a retired top air force officer who now works as a senior DSO
official.The Mirror said that government officials confirmed that Department of
International Trade meetings took place in Riyadh during those
dates.middleeasteye
China building ‘most advanced’ naval warships
for Pakistan: Report
Beijing:China is building the first of four
“most advanced” naval warships for its “all-weather ally” Pakistan as part of a
major bilateral arms deal to ensure among other things “balance of power” in
the strategic Indian Ocean, state media reported.Equipped with modern detection
and weapon systems, it will be capable of anti-ship, anti-submarine and
air-defence operations, China Daily quoted state-owned defence contractor China
State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) as saying. The under-construction ship is
a version of the Chinese Navy’s most advanced guided missile frigate, it
said.The CSSC did not specify the ship’s type but said it is being constructed
at its Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard in Shanghai.China, an “all-weather ally” of
Islamabad, is the largest supplier of weapon system to Pakistan. Both the countries
also jointly manufacture JF-Thunder a single engine multi-role combat
aircraft.The ship’s class is Type 054AP, which means it is based on the Type
054A of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, the report quoted the
Pakistani Navy as saying.PTI
India may have added at least 70,000 newborns
on Jan 1: UNICEF
New Delhi:India is estimated to have welcomed
18 per cent of the total babies born globally on January 1, 2019, UNICEF said.
According to the UNICEF, 69,944 babies were expected to be born on the New Year
Day out of 3,95,072 babies likely to be born across the world. As per UNICEF,
globally over half of these births are estimated to taken place in seven
countries, along with India like China (44,940), Nigeria (25,685), Pakistan
(15,112), Indonesia (13,256), US (11,086), Democratic Republic of Congo
(10,053), and Bangladesh (8,428). Sydney was set to greet an estimated 168
babies, followed by Tokyo (310), Beijing (605), Madrid (166) and finally, New
York (317). Fiji in the Pacific was likely to deliver 2019’s first baby and the
US its last.IANS
Israel PM lobbies Honduras to open embassy in
Jerusalem
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/israel-pm-lobbies-honduras-to-open-embassy-in-jerusalem/1354033
JERUSALEM:Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu has lobbied the Honduran president to move his country’s embassy from
Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. This came during a joint meeting between Netanyahu, U.S.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez in
Brazil on the sidelines of the inauguration of new Brazilian President Jair
Bolsonaro. During the meeting, Netanyahu
discussed the relocation of the Tegucigalpa embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem,
according to official Israeli and U.S. statements. In a Wednesday statement,
Netanyahu’s office said the meeting dealt with the opening of the Honduran
Embassy in Jerusalem and an Israeli embassy in the Honduran capital
Tegucigalpa. According to the statement, the talks on moving the Honduran
Embassy to Jerusalem was first discussed during a visit by Netanyahu's wife
Sara to Guatemala last December. Anadolu Agency
312 Palestinians martyred by Israel in 2018:
NGO
RAMALLAH;Israeli army forces martyred 312
Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip last year, according to a
Palestinian NGO on Wednesday.A total of 53 children and three women were among
those killed by the Israeli army in 2018, the Palestine Liberation Organization
(PLO)’s Abdullah Hourani Center for Studies and Documentation said in a
statement.According to the NGO, 262 Palestinians were martyred in the Gaza
Strip and 50 others in Israel-occupied West Bank.“The number of Palestinian
martyrs has increased by 200 percent in 2018, compared to a year earlier,” the
Center said, adding that 31,000 Palestinians were injured in the Gaza Strip and
500 others in the West Bank by Israeli army fire.Anadolu
US forces to withdraw from Syria via northern
Iraq
BAGHDAD:U.S. troops in Syria are going to
leave the war-torn country through northern Iraq, an Iraqi military officer
said. The forces "will withdraw to Erbil, not areas controlled by Iraq's
[Baghdad] central government," Major General Yahya Rasul said. He said the
U.S. forces may return to the U.S. or other regions after arriving in Erbil.
The officer said the move will not undermine the Iraqi sovereignty as a
permanent presence of the troops is not a subject of discussion. The U.S. is
yet to announce a roadmap for the withdrawal.On Monday, President Donald Trump
signaled the U.S. was slowing its withdrawal of 2,000 troops stationed in
Syria. Anadolu Agency
flash: views & NEWS
‘Modi gave written answers, then ANI formed
questions’: Twitter users poke fun at PM’s interview
SC judgment on Rafale has raised more
questions than it has answered:Kapil Sibal
Assam is sitting on a volcano of suffering and
conflict: Harsh Mander
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Anwarulhaq (Released at: 4:53 PM)
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