NEWS
DIGEST, Afternoon
07 Jan. 2019: 30 Rabiul-II 1440:
Vol: 11, No:95
INDIA
Eyes on polls, Cabinet approves 10% quota for
‘economically weaker’ General category
Ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Modi
government Monday decided to amend the Constitution to provide for 10 per cent
reservation for ‘economically backward’ upper castes in direct recruitment in
government services and admission to higher educational institutions, highly
placed sources confirmed. In fact, the government is aiming to introduce the
legislation Tuesday on the last day of the current leg of the winter session of
Parliament.Though similar suggestions have been made by political leaders like
Mayawati and Ramdas Athavale in the past, this is the first substantial move to
take legislative route to provide for this change. An attempt to provide for 10
per cent reservation to poor or economically backward among other sections
during the Narasimha Rao government’s tenure to offset political backlash
against the implementation of Mandal Commission recommendations was nullified
by the Supreme Court in the early 90s. “Narasimha Rao government’s attempt was
thrown out as it violated the basic structure of 50 per cent ceiling,” confided
a highly placed source revealing that “this time this basic structure is
changed to provide for reservation up to 60 per cent”.“Additionally, a new
criterion of economically weaker section as eligible for reservation will be
provided for through the Constitution Amendment,” confided the source to stress
how the Government move is conscious of keeping its legislative move immune
from legal challenges. The move will require amending Article 16 of the
Constitution to provide for reservation for economically weaker sections.Unlike
the reservation for SC/ST/OBCs, caste is not going to be a criterion for
eligibility to the reservation under this new provision. In fact, sources
revealed that the government’s move plan to delineate the economically weaker
section (EWS) for avoiding confusion.Sources, in this backdrop, revealed that
EWS category will be defined as families with income (includes agricultural
income as well as from profession) below Rs 8 lakh per annum, possessing
agricultural land below 5 acre and residential house below 1,000 square feet.
As for urban areas, those with residential plot below 100 yards in notified
municipality or residential plot below 200 yards in the non-notified municipal
area.The move comes in the backdrop of upper caste backlash against Modi
government’s move against the Supreme Court’s attempt at ring-fencing
apprehensions of misuse of SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act. The Supreme
Court move had sparked nation-wide protests from Dalit groups across the country
after which Modi government brought legislation and nullified the SC measure
through Parliament in the last monsoon session.indianexpress
Cabinet approves 10% quota for economically
backward, beyond the 50% limit
General quota:Centre has woken up to woes of
poor 100 days before elections, says Congress
Reacting to the news, Congress spokesperson
Randeep Singh Surjewala said, “We will continue to support every such step
which provides opportunities as also employment to the economically weaker
sections of society. The truth, however, is that after 4 years and 8 months,
Modi govt has suddenly woken up to the woes of the economically poor, facing
imminent defeat in the 2019 elections with only 100 days to go for polls. That
itself raises questions over the intent and the bonafide of the Modi govt
altogether.”Union Minister of State Dr Mahesh Sharma welcomed the government's
decision to give 10% reservation to the economically poor upper castes.Kerala
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan Monday welcomed the Union cabinet decision on
10 per cent reservation in jobs and educational institutions for economically
backward sections in the general category. "The central government has
taken the decision keeping in mind the Lok Sabha elections", he told PTI.
"CPI(M) has earlier itself wanted reservation for the economically weaker
people among higher castes," he added. AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi said:
"Reservations are meant to correct historical injustice to Dalits. For
poverty alleviation, one may run various schemes but reservations are meant for
justice."indianexpress
Parliament Winter Session: Personal Laws
(Amendment) Bill passed by Lok Sabha
Lok Sabha session adjourned till Tuesday after
passing the Personal Laws (Amendment) Bill. The Bill amends the Divorce Act for
Christians, Dissolution of Muslim Marriages Act, the Hindu Marriage Act, the
Special Marriage Act and the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act and strikes
out leprosy as a ground for seeking a divorce. Even as most of the MPs were in
favour of the Bill to be passed, AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi opposed The
Personal Laws (Amendment) Bill 2018,
saying that if anyone conceals a disease like leprosy, this in itself is
a fraud in a contract of marriage. So it should remain a ground for divorce.
"Do not interfere in Muslim personal law. Marriage is a contract in Muslim
law. So any kind of concealment is a ground for disease in any Muslim or
Islamic country," he said.The political furore over the Rafale deal
continued in Lok Sabha on Monday with Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman
terming the doubts raised by the Congress over her statement on HAL contracts
as “incorrect and misleading”. “I would like to set all doubts to rest… the
doubts raised in this regard are incorrect and misleading,” she told the House.
The minister’s remarks came after the Congress on Sunday alleged accused her of
“lying” in Parliament that government orders worth Rs one lakh crore were
provided to HAL.indianexpress
Union Cabinet clears Citizenship Amendment
Bill, to be introduced in Lok Sabha Tuesday
New Delhi: Union Cabinet Monday cleared the
redrafted Citizenship Amendment Bill, which seeks to provide Indian citizenship
to non-Muslims from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan, officials said.A
meeting of the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, cleared
the bill and it is expected to be tabled in Lok Sabha Tuesday, an official
privy to the development said.The move came within hours of the presentation in
Lok Sabha of a report of the Joint Parliamentary Committee examining the bill
that was first introduced in Parliament in 2016.Large sections of people in
Assam and other northeastern states have been protesting against the bill,
saying it would nullify the 1985 Assam Accord under which any foreign national,
irrespective of religion, who had entered the state after 1971 should be
deported.The fresh bill seeks to amend the Citizenship Act 1955 to grant Indian
nationality to people from minority communities — Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists,
Jains, Parsis and Christians — from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan after
six years of residence in India instead of 12 even if they don’t possess any
proper document. This was an election promise of the BJP in 2014.Eight
influential students’ bodies of the Northeast, besides more than 40
socio-cultural organisations of Assam, have called an 11-hour ‘bandh’ Tuesday
in protest against the central government’s move to amend the Citizenship
Act.JPC report was prepared with a majority vote as opposition members have
opposed the move to grant citizenship on the basis of religion saying it is
against the Constitution.PTI
BJP Loses Another Ally. Asom Gana Parishad
Exits Over Citizenship Bill
Guwahati: Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), a regional ally of the BJP, has
exited the BJP-led coalition in Assam over the centre's stand on the
Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016, just a few months before the national
election. While the break-up will have little impact on Chief Minister
Sarbananda Sonowal's government, it adds to the perception of the ruling party
losing allies on the verge of a challenging bid for re-election."We have
made our best efforts to convince the BJP leadership about the negative impact
of the bill and the stand of the people of Assam. But the BJP has decided to go
ahead with the bill leaving us with no option but to quit the alliance,"
AGP president Atul Bora said after meeting Home Minister Rajnath Singh.The bill
is likely to be debated in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.Former Chief Minister
Prafulla Kumar Mahanta and leader of the AGP had been threatening to part ways
with the BJP if the government went ahead with an amendment aimed at allowing
Hindu illegal immigrants from neighbouring countries to stay. The AGP is
against illegal immigrants regardless of religion."Our alliance with the
BJP is a pre-poll alliance, so the BJP should have the morality to face the
verdict of the people," Mr Mahanta said.The two parties formed an alliance
before the 2016 state election, in which the BJP won 61 of the 126 assembly
seats and the AGP got 14. Along with the Bodo People's Front's 12, the BJP-led
alliance's tally went up to 87, well above the half-way mark. The AGP's exit
will make no difference to the ruling alliance's majority."Assam had voted
for AGP and BJP combine. However, the BJP failed to keep the promises of the
alliance partner. Being a regional party, we have to respect the wishes and
sentiments of the people of Assam," Mr Bora added.ndtv
Asom Gana Parishad severs ties with BJP as row
over Citizenship Bill intensifies
After ‘Jinnah’ comment, Himanta says Hindus
will be minority in Assam if Citizenship Bill not passed
Guwahati:A day after stoking controversy with
his “Jinnah’s legacy” comment, Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on
Monday said Hindus in the State will become minority within five years if the
Citizenship Bill is not passed.The senior BJP leader stood by his “Jinnah’s
legacy” remark and said those who are protesting against him do not know the
history of Assam and its formation during the partition of India.“I strongly
believe that if this Bill is not passed, then Hindus in Assam will become
minority in just next five years. That will be advantageous to those elements
who want Assam to be another Kashmir and a part of the uncertain phase there,”
Sarma told PTI.PTI
SC seeks Centre’s response on plea alleging
arrests under scrapped Sec 66 A of IT Act
The Supreme Court Monday came down heavily on
the Centre over alleged violation of the court’s 2015 order scrapping Section
66A of the IT Act.The court was hearing a plea by human rights body PUCL India,
alleging prosecutions even after the apex court scrapped Section 66 A of the IT
Act under which a person could be arrested for posting allegedly “offensive” content
on websites.A bench headed by Justice R F Nariman said concerned officials will
be arrested and sent to jail if the apex court order of March 24, 2015
scrapping the provision of the IT Act is violated. Appearing for PUCL, advocate
Sanjay Parikh said more than 22 people have been arrested under the provision
of the IT Act scrapped by the top court in 2015.In 2015, after hearing a batch
of petitions that alleged that the section tramples upon the Fundamental Right
to freedom of speech and expression, and asked that it be declared
unconstitutional, the Supreme Court scrapped the Section 66A. Section 66A
defined the punishment for sending “offensive” messages through a computer or
any other communication device like a mobile phone or a tablet. A conviction
can fetch a maximum of three years in jail and a fine. The vagueness about what
is “offensive” triggered opposition to its constitutional
validity.indianexpress
Plea in Supreme Court to cross-verify at least
30% EVM-VVPAT vote count
NEW DELHI:The Supreme Court on Monday directed
the Election Commission of India (ECI) to respond to a plea that Electronic
Voting Machine (EVM) count and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) paper
count should be cross-verified in at least 30% randomly chosen polling stations
in each Assembly segment or constituency, especially in the light of Lok Sabha
elections due in May 2019.A Bench led by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi
ordered the Commission to respond to the petition jointly filed by former IAS
officer M.G. Devasahayam, ex foreign services officer K.P. Fabian and retired
banker Thomas Franco Rajendra Dev, represented by advocate Prasanna S.The
petition said the Commission has chosen to conduct the cross-verification
exercise in an “inexplicably minuscule” manner in the recent State Assembly
elections.“The fraction of polling stations chosen for such random
cross-verification by the Election Commission has been inexplicably minuscule
(less than 1% of polling stations in each constituency) and the Petitioners
contend that a decision to limit the cross-verification to such a minuscule
share is manifestly arbitrary, irrational, unreasonable and in violation of
Article 14 of the Constitution,” the petition said.It said an effective
violation of democracy principles and the principle of elections not only need
to be free and fair, but also seen to be free and fair.The petition sought that
“in order to detect and deter any such mischief or bias in the EVM process, at
least 30% of all polling stations in a constituency must be chosen randomly for
EVM counts to be cross-verified with VVPAT counts.”The petitioners submitted
that the Supreme Court in its judgment Dr. Subramanian Swamy versus ECI,
reported in 2013, had held it was imperative that elections held through EVMs
ought to implement a mechanism of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails so that
the voter can satisfy himself/herself that the vote was accurately
recorded.thehindu
CBI row: SC to rule on Tuesday on Alok Verma’s
plea against Centre’s move to send him on leave
The Supreme Court will announce on Tuesday its
verdict on a petition filed by CBI Director Alok Verma challenging the
government’s move to divest him of his powers, Bar and Bench reported. The
non-governmental organisation Common Cause had also filed a similar petition.
The court had reserved its order on December 6.On Oct.23, the Centre had
relieved both Verma and his deputy, Rakesh Asthana, of their duties after they
traded charges of corruption and interference in several cases. They had later
moved the Supreme Court against the action.The tussle in the CBI had come to
light on October 15 after the agency named Asthana in a First Information
Report for allegedly accepting a Rs 2-crore bribe to scuttle an investigation
against businessman Moin Qureshi, who is accused in multiple corruption cases.
Asthana, in turn, accused Verma of trying to falsely implicate him and levelled
corruption charges against him.During the hearings in the Supreme Court, the
Centre had said it was “absolutely essential” for it to step in and relieve
Verma of his powers and duties to save the public image of the institution.
Verma’s counsel had told the court that the CBI director cannot be transferred
without the approval of the selection committee that had appointed
him.scroll.in/
Brahma first to discover dinosaurs, mentioned
them in Vedas: PU geologist
Phagwara :A Panjab University (PU) geologist, who has been conducting a research
on origin and existence of dinosaurs in India, for more than 25 years, Sunday
suggested that Lord Brahma, being the “greatest scientist of this universe”
knew about dinosaurs and well-documented them in Vedas.”There is nothing that
Lord Brahma, who is creator of this universe, did not know. He was completely
aware of the existence of dinosaurs and even mentioned them in Vedas. Before
anyone else in the world, it was Lord Brahma who discovered dinosaurs’
existence on earth. India was a hotspot for dinosaur evolution and breeding
before extinction. A dinosaur named Rajasaurus had originated in India,” Ashu
Khosla, associate professor in the department of geology at Panjab University,
Chandigarh said. He has presented his research paper on topic ‘Biotic
assemblages from the Deccan trap-associated sedimentary sequences of
penninsular India’ at 106th Indian Science Congress at Lovely Professional
University in Phagwara.“It is from our Vedas that Americans and Britishers took
the concept of dinosaurs and got to know about them. Even though the dinosaurs
had become extinct almost 6.5 crore years back, Lord Brahma must have got to
know about them through his unmatched spiritual powers when he might have
closed his eyes, while writing the Vedas. No one in this world will accept or
digest it, but it is a truth that origin of everything, including the dinosaurs
is mentioned in Vedas. Even the word dinosaur has its origin in Sanskrit –
‘dino’ means terrible, it translates to ‘daayan’ (witch) and ‘saur’, which
otherwise means lizard, is related to ‘asur’ (rakshas). So, everything that
exists on earth is well-mentioned in Vedas,” he claimed.Khosla claimed that he,
along with his team, had discovered the remains of the “Indian” dinosaur in
Kheda district of Gujarat and officially named it ‘Rajasaurus Narmada
ensis’.“When we found the remains of Rajasaurus in Gujarat in 2001 along the
banks of river Narmada, we named it ‘Raja’ to signify ‘lion’ as it was a
meat-eating dinosaur. It was believed that Rajasaurus was linked to
Tyranosaurus, which had origin in North America, but we proved that Rajasaurus
was a new dinosaur and originated in India,” he claimed.indianexpress
Indian Science Congress: Principal Scientific
Adviser wants complaint lodged against VC's pseudoscience talk
New Delhi:Principal Scientific Adviser to the
Government of India K. VijayRaghavan, in response to a pseudoscientific
discourse at the ongoing Indian Science Congress at Phagwara in Punjab, has
said in a blog post that a formal complaint should be lodged against the
speaker, and the country's science academies must voice their objection to
it.“It is unfortunate that sitting vice chancellor of a great State university
— and a biologist to boot — says something that is scientifically completely
untenable. His Chancellor should receive a formal complaint from those who were
present in the audience, and he will also surely hear from individual
scientists and our vocal science academies,” he said.In a speech last Friday,
Andhra University Vice Chancellor G. Nageshwar Rao said that the Kauravas of
the Mahabharata were born due to stem cell and test tube technologies and that
India possessed knowledge about guided missiles thousands of years
ago.VijayRaghavan said, “When lay people, including politicians, make random
and erroneous statements linking religion, culture, history etc, to science,
the problem must be addressed by collegial communication. When scientists make
such links, they should be addressed more squarely. If there’s a chance that
such views may enter policy, the amount of engagement needs to go up.”thehindu
Sabarimala: Alleged RSS worker held for
hurling crude bomb outside Nedumangad police station
New Delhi :Two persons were arrested in
connection with the January 3 mass violence that broke out during the
state-wide hartal called by the Sabarimala Karma Samithi in Kerala. N Nishant,
allegedly a RSS worker, was arrested for hurling a crude bomb near the
Nedumangad police station while BJP worker P Pratheesh was held for surrounding
and later attacking a police jeep during the protest.Praveen, another RSS
worker and the main accused, is still absconding, police said.During the
protests, two police stations were attacked and scores of CPI(M) offices were
vandalised by agitators. In many places, the protest turned into a street fight
between the BJP and CPI(M). Police were forced to use teargas shells to
disperse the protesters, and 31 policemen were injured and around 100 buses of
the state-owned transport corporation KSRTC were damaged.indianexpress
Kerala mosque stoning: DYFI, CPI (M) activists
booked
Perambra :Perambra Police registered a case
against DYFI/ CPIM activists for allegedly promoting enmity between two
groups.Cases were registered against Akhildas and 20 others under section 153A
for promoting enmity between two groups and attempting to cause a riot, in
connection with the pelting of stones at a mosque in Perambra last week.This
comes at a time when the state is witnessing spurts of violence owing to the
entry of two women into the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa shrine earlier this
month.On Thursday, violent protests broke out across Kerala- a day after two
women of menstruating age-Bindu and Kanakadurga climbed the Ayyappa Temple in
Sabarimala.The Kerala police have arrested 1369 and detained 717 under
preventive measures till Friday morning in connection with the hartal-related
violence in the state after the entry of the women into the hilltop shrine.ANI
AMU Jinnah portrait row: Magisterial probe
blames police, intelligence
A
magisterial probe into the violence at AMU on May 2 last year over the removal
of Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s portrait from AMU Students’ Union hall has revealed
lapses on the part of the police and local intelligence unit. The report has
also given a clean chit to right wing Hindu organisations, which were accused
of planning an attack on former VC Hamid Ansari on the campus. Additional
district magistrate, finance, Uday Singh -- who conducted a detailed inquiry
into the clash between students and police that led to injuries to about 24
people -- had submitted his report to the home department last month.Confirming
the move, Aligarh district magistrate CB Singh said further action would be
taken by the home department. DM said that, in the 22-page report, the ADM has
indicated lapses on the part of then incharge of civil lines police station,
who could not stop the second attempt by Hindu activists trying to force their
way inside the campus. The report also blames the local intelligence unit for
not assessing the gravity of the incident that led to the violence. The report, however, states no evidence was
found while probing the allegations that activists of Hindu Jagran Manch, Hindu
Yuva Vahini and other right-wing outfits had planned to attack former
vice-president of India, Hamid Ansari, who was at the AMU guesthouse near the
Baba-e-Syed gate, where the violence started. TOI
Don’t allow Mehbooba Mufti to visit: Hizb
chief to militants’ kin
Srinagar:3 days after former CM Mehbooba Mufti
visited the family of a slain Hizbul Mujahideen militant in south Kashmir, the
outfit’s operational chief Riyaz Naikoo termed it “drama” and asked the
families of militants not to allow her into their homes.“The shameless Mehbooba
Mufti is unconcerned —- how can she go into the houses of people despite her hands
being soaked in their blood?” he is heard saying in an audio message released
on Sunday. “I have requested the families of militants not allow her to enter
their home…”On Jan. 3, Mufti visited the family of Idrees Sultan in Safnagri
village of south Kashmir’s Shopian. She also demanded immediate release of his
brother Javeed Sultan, who is in police custody for over a month. Mufti had
also visited the family of another Hizbul militant at Patipora village of
Pulwama. The family was allegedly tortured by the police.Naikoo said they were
aware of who facilitated these visits of Mufti. “They are PDP agents and very
soon, we will teach them a lesson.”“Today the late Mehbooba Mufti has started a
new drama. Don’t get puzzled why I called her late. There is not much
difference between a dead person and a living person whose conscience is dead,”
he said.indianexpress
RBI expected to pay government up to $5.8
billion interim dividend: Report
New Delhi: RBI, having changed management last
month following a clash with the government, is likely to transfer an interim
dividend of 300-400 billion rupees ($4.32 billion-$5.8 billion) to the
government by March, according to three sources with direct knowledge of the
matter.The dividend could help Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration bridge
a widening budget deficit following a drop in tax collections, and would come
after the government pushed the RBI for the additional funds ahead of a
national election due by May.Former finance ministry official Shaktikanta Das
was appointed as the new governor of the RBI, following resignation of Urjit
Patel last month amid tensions over the dividend payout and other issues.Govnt and
RBI have now appointed a panel to look into the issue around the sharing of the
RBI’s reserves.“We are absolutely sure that an interim dividend of more than
300 billion rupees would be paid before March end,” one of the sources told
Reuters.The RBI did not respond to an email seeking comment, while the Finance
Ministry declined to comment.Reuters
Amartya Sen supports Naseeruddin Shah, says
losing ability to tolerate others is cause for concern
Nobel laureate Amartya Sen on Sunday came out
in support of actor Naseeruddin Shah and said that attempts were being made to
“disturb” him, PTI reported. Last week, Shah appeared in an Amnesty India video
and expressed concern about “walls of hate in the name of religion” and an
increasing “crackdown” on freedom of expression in the country.Speaking about
Shah’s earlier remarks, Sen said there must be “protests against such attempts
to disturb the actor”. “What is happening [in the country] is objectionable,”
said the 85-year-old economist. “It should stop.”scroll.in
WORLD
US NSA heads to Turkey to hammer out a deal
for Syria's Kurds
Ankara-US National Security Adviser John
Bolton arrives in Turkey on Monday to try to hammer out a deal for Syria's
Kurds as the United States prepares a military withdrawal from the country.Bolton
will touch down in the Turkish capital, Ankara, where he will be joined by US
Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford, having stated the US pullout is
conditional on defeating the ISIL, as well as Turkish assurances on the
security of the US's Kurdish militia allies.President Donald Trump's December
19 announcement of the withdrawal of 2,000 troops from Syria has heightened
expectations that Turkey could launch a military operation targeting the
People's Protection Units (YPG), which has spearheaded the US-allied Syrian
Democratic Forces (SDF) in the fight against ISIL."We don't think the
Turks ought to undertake military action that's not fully coordinated with and
agreed to by the United States," Bolton told reporters in Jerusalem on
Sunday.He added Turkey must "meet the president's requirement that the
Syrian opposition forces that have fought with us are not
endangered."Responding to Bolton's remarks, Turkish Presidential Spokesman
Ibrahim Kalin maintained Turkey's opposition to the YPG, which he described as
oppressing Syrian Kurds.aljazeera
US will 'assure' Israel's security before
Syria pullout
The withdrawal of US troops from northeastern
Syria would take place in a manner that "absolutely assured" the
security of Israel and other US allies in the Middle East, a top adviser to
President Donald Trump has said.John Bolton made the pledge on Sunday, hours
after laying out the conditions for the US troop pullout from Syria on the
defeat of the ISIL, as well as assurances from Turkey over the safety of
Kurdish fighters allied with US.Speaking to reporters leading up to talks with
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Bolton said the pullout would be
done in a way that guaranteed the ISIL "is defeated and is not able to
revive itself and become a threat again".aljazeera
Israel carries out overnight air strikes on
Gaza
Israeli military carried out air raids on the
Gaza Strip overnight on Monday, causing damage to property, Palestinian media
reported.According to Wafa, the official Palestinian news agency, Israeli
warplanes fired two missiles at a site in Beit Lahiya in the northern strip. No
casualties were reported.In a statement, the Israeli army said it had carried
out air strikes against Hamas positions in response to a rocket being fired
into Ashkelon in southern Israel. Fighter jets and helicopter gunships then
raided "terrorist targets at Hamas military camps" on the Gaza Strip,
the statement said."Earlier today, an explosive device attached to
multiple balloons was launched on a model plane from the Gaza Strip into
Israeli territory," the statement said.A Hamas security source said one
attack occurred east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip and hit an
observation point for Hamas's armed wing, while the second was east of Gaza
City.The security source said no injuries had been reported.Gaza frontier has
been relatively calm in recent weeks after a deal in which Israel allowed Qatar
to provide millions of dollars in aid for fuel and salaries in the blockaded
enclave.aljazeera
Palestinians vow hunger strikes if Israel
worsens jail conditions
Hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli
jails, detention facilities, and interrogation centres are preparing to launch
a mass hunger strike once Israel implements new measures that will worsen
conditions for prisoners.In a joint statement, prisoners, including
administrative detainees who are held without charge, said their decision was
in response to a "new level of oppression"."These measures are a
declaration of war that marks a new phase of our struggle," the statement
read.They also called on Palestinian factions and activists to stand in
solidarity with them and demanded nationwide rallies.Israel holds 5,500
Palestinian prisoners, including nearly 500 administrative detainees, according
to the Jerusalem-based Palestinian prisoners' rights group, Addameer.The call
to action is in response to Israel's plans to worsen what are already poor
conditions for Palestinians held in its jails. Public Security Minister Gilad
Erdan announced the measures last week and the Israeli government is expected
to enforce the measures in the coming weeks.aljazeera
Israeli ex-SC judge compares Netanyahu to
Mafia boss
A former vice president of Israel's Supreme
Court has accused PM Benjamin Netanyahu of acting like a Mafia boss in his
recent efforts to influence public sentiment against a possible decision to
indict him for corruption crimes."I cannot recall any time in my entire
career such statements against law enforcement by anyone other than heads of
crime organizations," Eliyahu Matza said. Matza's stinging criticism came
in response to Netanyahu uploading a video to his Facebook account on Saturday
urging Israeli citizens to consider an indictment against him to be
illegitimate if it occurs before the upcoming national elections.middleeasteye
Turkey orders detention of 100 soldiers over
alleged Gulen links
Turkish prosecutors have ordered the detention
of about 100 soldiers over suspected links to the network of a US-based Muslim
religious leader and businessman, Fethullah Gulen, who has been accused of
orchestrating a failed coup in 2016,. The detentions are the result of
investigations into pay phone communications between alleged members of Gulen's
network, Anadolu agency said, adding that they were in the process of being
carried out.Police have conducted a steady stream of raids against Gulen's
alleged supporters since 2016 coup attempt, in which hundreds of people were
killed. Gulen denies involvement in attempt.More than 77,000 people have been jailed,
pending trial, while 150000 civil servants,military personnel and others have
been sacked or suspended from their jobs as part of the post-coup purges. Aljazeera
Gabon says coup attempt foiled
Gabon has foiled an attempted military coup
arresting several plotters just hours after they took over state radio in a bid
to end 50 years of rule by President Ali Bongo's family. Five army officers who
took over state radio in the coup attempt on Monday have been arrested,
government spokesman Guy-Betrand Mapangou, told Radio France
International.Authorities have regained control of the state broadcasting
offices and a major thoroughfare in the capital, Libreville, which were the
only areas taken over by the officers, according to the spokesman. Earlier on
Monday a soldier who identified himself as Liuetenant Obiang Ondo Kelly,
commander of the Republican Guard, read out a statement saying the military had
seized control of the government of this West African country.He was flanked by
two other soldiers holding weapons and all were dressed in camouflage uniforms
and green berets.He had said they were taking over to "restore
democracy". A curfew has been imposed over the capital, Libreville, and
the internet has been cut. The city on the Atlantic Ocean coast is being
patrolled by military tanks and armed vehicles. Mapangou told France 24 that
the situation was under control after the arrests."The government is in
place. The institutions are in place," he said. Antoine Lawson, a Gabonese
journalist, told Al Jazeera the coup attempt had caused panic in Libreville.
aljazeera
Saudi to notify women of divorce by text
message
Saudi courts will notify women by text message
when they get divorced, in a new regulation that took effect on Sunday,
officials said.The measure approved by the justice ministry appears aimed at
curbing seemingly rampant cases of men secretly ending marriages without
informing their wives, AFP said."Women... will be notified of any changes
to their marital status via text message," the justice ministry said in a statement
carried by state-run Al-Ekhbariya news channel and other local
media."Women in the kingdom will be able to view documents related to the
termination of their marriage contracts through the ministry's
website.""Saudi courts have started to send such notifications ... a
step aimed at protecting the rights of female clients," the Saudi Ministry
of Justice said in a statement on their website."In most Arab countries,
men can just divorce their wives," said Suad Abu-Dayyeh from global rights
group, Equality Now."At least women will know whether they are divorced or
not. It is a tiny step, but it is a step in the right direction," she told
the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone.But Abu-Dayyeh said knowing about a
divorce does not mean a woman will get alimony or the custody of her
children.The move comes as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto
ruler, spearheads a liberalisation drive in the conservative kingdom, which has
some of the world's toughest restrictions on women. middleeasteye
Thailand stops deportation of Saudi teen
fleeing family
Thailand has halted plans to deport an
18-year-old Saudi woman back to the Gulf, the country's immigration chief said
on Monday, after she barricaded herself inside her airport hotel room and
refused to be returned to her family. Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun has been at
Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport since Saturday, when she was denied entry by
Thai immigration officials, who on Monday admitted contact with the Saudi
embassy before her arrival, after previously denying it. "Saudi embassy
contacted the immigration police ... and said that the girl had run away from
her parents and they fear for her safety," the chief of immigration police
Surachate Hakparn told reporters. "We acknowledged this and checked her
paperwork. She had a passport but no return ticket, no travel plan, and no
destination or hotel reservation in Thailand ... so per airport security
procedures, immigration denied her entry."middleeasteye
Bomb, Taliban attacks kill 27 across Afghanan
At least 27 people, including civilians and
security forces, have been killed in separate incidents in 2 provinces of
Afghanistan, officials said on Monday.6 civilians were killed and as many
others injured after a bomb they were carrying went off in southeastern Paktika
province, said the head of the provincial council, Bakhtiar Gul Hemat.The
individuals had found roadside bomb in Jani Khel district and were transporting
it inside a car when the device exploded, Hemat said. Elsewhere, Taliban
attacks in western Badghis province late on Sunday killed at least 21 security
personnel.aljazeera
flash: views & NEWS
France debates where to teach Arabic: public
school or local mosque?New York Times
Black Flags in Kashmir – Mere Shadows or the
Coming of Islamic State?Mehmood ur Rashid
J&K needs a coordinated effort from all
stakeholder organisations: Syed Ata Hasnain
On the NRC, Even the Supreme Court is
Helpless;Mohsin Alam Bhat
Compiled and edited by
Anwarulhaq (Released at: 7:42 PM)
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