NEWS
DIGEST, Afternoon
10 Feb. 2019: 04 Jamadiul-II 1440:Vol:11,
No:124
INDIA
Congress accuses CAG Mehrishi of conflict of
interest, demands he recuses himself from Rafale deal report;
Accusing Comptroller and Auditor General
(C&AG) Rajiv Mehrishi of conflict of interest, senior Congress leader Kapil
Sibal on Sunday questioned how could Mehrishi “investigate himself,” since he
had been Union Finance (Economic Affairs) Secretary when PM Narendra Modi
announced the Rafale deal in April 2015.“The same CAG was involved as finance
secretary in harming the national security when the deal was struck in 2015.
The same CAG would present the report,” noted the former union minister. After
serving as finance secretary, Mehrishi was appointed as the Union Home
Secretary in August 2015, before he took charge as C&AG in Sept. last year.“It
is a major issue of conflict of interest,” said Sibal, demanding that Mehrishi
recuses himself from presenting CAG report into the Rafale deal. “He must
recuse himself from presenting this report. If it is tabled in the Parliament,
it will be another big scam,” warned Sibal, adding that the report might be
tabled in Parliament tomorrow itself.C&AG report to probe allegations of
financial irregularities in the Modi govt's $8.7 billion, 36-fighter jet deal
is expected to be submitted to President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday. President
Kovind has to forward it to the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and the govt. The
report could be tabled in Parliament before Wednesday, the last day of the
budget session and the last day of sitting of the Parliament before Lok Sabha polls. Nationalheraldindia
CAG Rajiv Mehrishi can’t audit Rafale, he was
part of deal, says Congress, points to conflict of interest
Much awaited CAG report on Rafale likely to be
submitted to the President tomorrow
‘I’ll
quit politics if audio clip is proven fake’: Kumaraswamy on BSY’s ‘concocted
story’ claim
Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on
Saturday said he would retire from politics if it was proven that the audio
clip released by him about BJP state unit president BS Yeddyurappa's alleged
toppling game was mimicry and concocted.Sticking to his charge that Yeddyurappa
had tried to lure a JDS MLA with bribe and other offers, Kumaraswamy hit back
at the state BJP strongman, who had said that the audio clip was 'fake' and a
'concocted story.'Kumaraswamy had Friday released audio clip in which
Yeddyurappa is purportedly trying to lure JDS MLA Naganagouda through his son."I
am stating from this place... if it is proved that it was not Yeddyurappa who
had spoken and that it is mimicry or parody by Kumaraswamy, then it is not
about his retiring, I will retire," CM said at Dharmastala, a holy place
in Dakshina Kannada district.Kumaraswamy also said that those who "played
games" with the presiding deity of Dharmastala, Lord Manjunatha, would
incur his wrath."Invoking the name of Lord Manjunatha Swamy, he could not
get protection... he (Yeddyurappa) had to resign within one month (as chief
minister)," CM said. Kumaraswamy was apparently referring to a "truth
test" faceoff between him and Yeddyurappa in 2011, when the latter was the
CM. Yeddyurappa had challenged Kumaraswamy to prove the allegations of
corruption and nepotism against him by taking the truth test before Manjunatha
and that he would also do the same.PTI
Audio tape controversy: BS Yeddyurappa admits
meeting JD(S) MLA's son
On Day 2 Of Kolkata Top Cop's Questioning, CBI
Does A Face-Off: Sources
Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar,
accused for his alleged role in destroying evidence related to the Saradha chit
fund scam, arrived at the CBI office in Shillong for questioning for the second
consecutive day today. Kumar was questioned by the CBI for over eight hours
yesterday.The investigative agency may confront Kumar today with ex Trinamool MP
Kunal Ghosh who has been asked to appear at CBI office for questioning in
person in connection with the case, CBI sources told NDTV. Quoting officials, PTI
reported that 3 senior CBI officers questioned Kumar for nearly 9 hours about
his alleged role in the tampering of crucial evidence in the scam. CBI has not
released details of the interrogation yet. The police official's counsel,
however, said that he is "cooperating and complying" with the CBI.
"He (Kumar) has come here on the orders of the Supreme Court. He has
complied earlier and he is complying now as per the orders," Kumar's
counsel Biswajit Deb, who is also the Trinamool Congress coordinator for
Meghalaya, was quoted by news agency as saying. CBI is relying on a 91-page
letter from Ghosh, who was expelled by Trinamool, to the ED, detailing the role
of Rajeev Kumar in handling the investigations in the chit fund scam. Kumar
began investigations after the main accused, Sudipta Sen and Debjani Mukherjee,
both promoters of Saradha Group of companies, had fled to Kashmir, officials
said in Kolkata. They were arrested in 2013 from Kashmir. Ghosh has named BJP
leader Mukul Roy and 12 others in the
Saradha scam.NDTV
Amid Escalating Protests in Assam, PM Modi
Calls Citizenship Bill 'National Responsibility'
Guwahati:While protests against Citizenship
(Amendment) Bill, 2016, continue across the state, Prime Minister Narendra Modi
once again announced his commitment to give shelter to non-Muslim minorities,
terming it ‘a responsibility’ to be fulfilled by his govt. Addressing a massive
gathering at Changsari in Kamrup district on Saturday, PM Modi said that one
should differentiate between ‘intruders’ who want to capture India’s resources
and the helpless lot who were forced to flee persecution in their
country.CNN-News18
NPP will quit NDA if Rajya Sabha passes
Citizenship Bill: Meghalaya CM
Shillong:Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s
assurance on Saturday that the people of north-eastern states would not be
disadvantaged by the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill failed to cut ice with
Meghalaya chief minister Conrad Sangma who threatened to pull his National
People’s Party out of BJP-led NDA if the Rajya Sabha passes the Bill which aims
to grant citizenship to non-Muslims from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan. “Party
has adopted a resolution to oppose the CAB which will be submitted to the
Government of India. The party has also decided that if this bill is passed in
Rajya Sabha NPP will break away from NDA,” said Sangma who is also the
president of NPP. BJP which has two seats the Meghalaya assembly is the junior
partner in the govt.The decision was taken at the national general body meeting
of the party where the Bill was discussed at length. Protests have roiled much
of the Northeast since December when the Centre made its intentions clear of
going ahead with the Bill.HT
Kulgam encounter: 5 militants killed; 8
civilians, 4 CRPF officers injured in clashes
New Delhi: 5 militants were killed on Sunday
after an encounter broke out in J&K’s Kulgam district. At least 8 civilians
and 4 CRPF personnel were injured due to stone pelting after clashes broke out
in the area.The gunfight began in the early hours of Sunday morning after a
joint team of security forces launched cordon and search operation in Kulgam’s
Kellam Devsar area following information about the presence of militants in the
area. As the forces zeroed in on the suspected place, the militants opened
fire, triggering the encounter. The operation is now over, army officials said.
Weapons and war-like stores have been recovered from the encounter site, the
official added. Indian express
5 militants killed in encounter in Kulgam
district
Day after Ladakh division, demand grows for
same status for Pir Panjal, Chenab Valley
Jammu :A day after Jammu and Kashmir
administration under Governor Satya Pal Malik carved out Ladakh as a separate
division in the state, demand for a similar status to Pir Panjal and Chenab
Valley regions emerged in various parts of Jammu division on Saturday. Leaders
of the 3 big regional parties – PDP, National Conference and People’s
Conference – had on Friday welcomed the decision to make Ladakh the state’s
third division – after Kashmir and Jammu – and sought similar autonomy for Pir
Panjal and Chenab Valley. The demands grew more intense on Saturday, along with
stray agitations at some places.Pir Panjal comprises Rajouri and Poonch
districts. Doda, Ramban and Kishtwar districts form the Chenab Valley
region.indianexpress
Imran Khan’s remarks on minorities ‘egregious
insult’ to India: MEA
New Delhi:Ministry of External Affairs has
responded sharply to the remarks made by Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan
about minorities in India, calling Khan’s remarks as an “egregious insult to
all citizens of India.”“Pakistan Prime Minister’s remarks are an egregious
insult to all citizens of India. Pakistan prime minister has demonstrated his
lack of understanding about India’s secular polity and ethos,”MEA said in a
strongly-worded statement.“India has leaders of all faiths who occupy its
highest Constitutional and official positions. Pakistani citizens of
non-Islamic faith are barred from occupying high Constitutional offices.
Minorities are often turned away from government bodies like their PMEAC, even
in naya Pakistan,” the ministry added.MEA’s reaction comes after PTV News
quoted Khan as saying: “We will ensure minorities in Pakistan are treated as
equal citizens with all rights and privileges unlike how Muslims are being
treated in India as second-class citizens.”indianexpress
House panel points out ‘divergent’ view of
Centre, Assam on AFSPA
New Delhi:A Parliamentary panel on Home Affairs,
headed by senior Congress leader P Chidambaram expressed dismay over the
“divergent” view taken by the Centre and the Assam government over the
continuance of AFSPA in the state.Assam has been under AFSPA since 1990. While
Union Home Ministry claims that the security situation in Assam has improved, Sarbananda
Sonowal govt has declared the entire state as a disturbed area.“ Committee is
unable to comprehend the divergent perceptions of the situation in Assam. On
the one hand, the ministry has asserted that there has been an improvement in
the security situation in Assam and, on the other hand, the area declared as
disturbed under AFSPA , has been increased,” the report stated.It added, “govt
of Assam has notified the whole State as disturbed area on the plea that it is
not the appropriate time to reduce the area under AFSPA.This is a paradoxical
situation that needs to be resolved.”indianexpress
2 held for cow slaughter in Meerut after crowd
thrashes one of them
Meerut :Police arrested two persons on charges
of cow slaughter in Meerut on Friday, after one of them was assaulted by a
group of villagers for the alleged act.2 arrested persons are identified as
Mohammed Asif (25) and Danish alias Pappu (26).Police sources said residents of
Tatina village allegedly became suspicious of four youths. They said all 4
tried to escape, but they overpowered Asif.Locals claimed the other 3 fled the
spot, leaving the cow carcasses behind in an auto rickshaw.Later in the night,
Danish was arrested. “Raids are on to nab the other two. The carcass has been
dumped in the ground at Tatina village,” Neeraj Malik, in-charge of Partapur
police station, said.indianexpress
Congress MP balancing act: NSA cases stay,
Home to clear in future
Bhopal:With the invocation of NSA against
persons arrested for slaughter and illegal transport of cows in Madhya Pradesh
in two recent cases coming under criticism, including from a state Congress
MLA, the Congress government in the state has decided to exercise caution from
now on while invoking the stringent legislation.Every 3 months, the government
issues a notification authorising district magistrates to exercise powers
conferred under Section 3 (3) of NSA to detain persons if they threaten
communal harmony or commit acts prejudicial to the maintenance of public order
and the security of the state. A top bureaucrat said that now the state Home
Ministry will review such decisions and decide if there has been an error of
judgment by district authorities in issuing such detention orders. Every
collector has to also send a report to Home Ministry about such
detentions.Despite repeated attempts, Law Minister P C Sharma and DGP V K Singh
did not return calls.indian express
Congress appeasing communal forces by invoking
NSA for cow slaughter: Yechury
New Delhi: CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram
Yechury accused the Kamal Nath-led MP government of appeasing communal forces
by invoking NSA against persons accused of cow slaughter.“We express dismay
that the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh invoked NSA and arrested 5
people for cow-slaughter. NSA is grossly misused by the Congress government in
Madhya Pradesh and we want that it should be revoked in this case,” Yechury
said here. ANI
'We are Muslims by choice, nobody forced our
ancestors': Owaisi responds to Ramdev
Hyderabad: AIMIM leader Asassuddin Owaisi came
down heavily on Patanjali founder and Yoga guru Baba Ramdev after the latter
said Ram is the ancestor of not just Hindus but Muslims too. Owaisi said Ramdev
should keep his beliefs to himself and imposing them on others is
wrong."RSS and Sangh Parivar make such statements every time.We are Muslims
by choice, nobody forced our ancestors,"he was quoted by ANI as saying. On
Friday, Ramdev, who is known to make controversial statements, said not only
Hindus, Ram is the ancestor of Muslims too'. In Nadiad town of Kheda district,
Ramdev said the Ram Temple issue is not linked to vote bank politics but a
matter of people's sentiments."I believe that Ram mandir must be built in
Ayodhya at all costs. If not in Ayodhya, where would you build it? It is
obvious that it will not come up at Mecca, Madina or Vatican City," Ramdev
said. Times Now
Democracy does not suit India: Katju
Kozhikode: Parliamentary democracy is not
suited to India as it relies on caste and communal vote banks, said former
judge of Supreme Court Markandey Katju. Delivering the keynote address at Renaissance
Conference organized by Kerala Nadvathul Mujahideen (Markazudawa) here on
Saturday,he said casteism and communalism are feudal forces.Katju said instead
of destroying these forces, parliamentary democracy entrenches them.“China has
no parliamentary democracy and they are 5 or 6 times ahead of us. They don’t
have to bother about Ram Mandir or protection of cow. In fact, parliamentary
democracy is blocking the development of the country,” he said.Katju said that
while BJP is dividing people on communal lines, other parties are doing it on
the basis of caste. India is a heterogenous country and to hold it together all
religions, regional and ethnic, should equally be respected. “Otherwise, the
country cannot survive; it would break into pieces,”he said. The basic concept of India is under the
attack of BJP in the past four-and-a-half years. “That is why I call BJP an
anti-national party. Any party that wants break up the country and spread
hatred against a different religion is an enemy of the nation,”he said.TOI
Togadia launches party with Ram temple promise
New Delhi:Alleging BJP’s “Congressikaran”
(transformation into Congress), Pravin Togadia, once a firebrand Hindutva
leader, on Saturday launched his political party — Hindusthan Nirman Dal (HND)
— in New Delhi with a promise to start construction of the Ram temple in
Ayodhya “within a week of coming to power”.Togadia had quit VHP last year after
his confidant Raghav Reddy lost to retired Justice V S Kokje in the election to
the post of VHP international president. Since then he has been heading an
outfit called the Antar-Rashtriya Hindu Parishad (AHP).indianexpress
Focus on minorities: Amit Shah tells partymen
Panaji:BJP president Amit Shah told his party
office-bearers and MLAs to focus on minorities and asked them to “visit each
and every house of the minorities” in the state and ask them to vote for the
saffron party. “Whether they vote or not is not an issue, but you should reach
out to them,”Shah told them in a closed-door 30-minute meeting, after
addressing booth-level party workers at GMC athletic stadium here on Saturday,
sources said. Shah said there are around 30% minority votes in the state and
the party should make all efforts to get them. One of the MLAs explained to
Shah that chief minister Manohar Parrikar trusted the minorities and whenever
he gave them tickets for the assembly polls, they have won the election. In the
current assembly, seven of 14 BJP MLAs are Catholics. He told them that since
Parrikar was unwell and he would not be able to campaign, the onus was on them
to win both the seats from the state for the party. timesofindia
2,340 Muslim women from India to go on Haj
pilgrimage in 2019: Naqvi
This
year, 2,340 Muslim women from India will go on Haj pilgrimage without
"Mehram",announced Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas
Naqvi.UNI
Upper-caste quota: Centre refuses to share
details on decision-making process, shows RTI plea
Govt has refused to disclose details of the
decision-making process in allowing 10% reservation in jobs and educational
institutions to economically weak sections in the general category, PTI
reported on Sunday.A RTI plea had sought details like copy of the Cabinet note
on the matter as well as correspondence from PMO. It was filed by Venkatesh
Nayak, coordinator of Access to Information Programme with NGO Commonwealth
Human Rights Initiative.Replying to Nayak’s query, Ministry of Social Justice
and Empowerment said it would be unable to provide the information as it was
exempted under Section 8 (1) (i) of RTI act. The section prohibits disclosure
of “Cabinet papers including records of deliberations of the council of
ministers, secretaries and other officers”.However, same section adds: “Provided
that the decisions of council of ministers, the reasons thereof, and the
material on the basis of which the decisions were taken shall be made public after
the decision has been taken, and the matter is complete, or over.”Nayak said
the govt has not made available any press release about this subject on the
website of either PIB or Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.scroll
AP assembly passes resolution to grant SC
status to Dalit Christians
AP state assembly passed a resolution on
Wednesday to grant scheduled caste status to Dalit Christians.The resolution
was submitted to the centre appealing the government to provide the benefits to
Dalit Christians that are accorded under the SC status. CM Chandra Babu Naidu
said that Dalit Christians have been fighting for the status of SC from a very
long time and deserve the status of SC just as Sikhs and Buddhists.Welcoming
this move by state govt Federation of Telugu
Churches (FTC), which is a registered body of Bishop and Heads of
Churches of major Churches in Telugu States have been time and again demanding
the SC status have now wholeheartedly thanked CM for getting the resolution
passed unanimously in the assembly and for forwarding the same for further
action from the PM.TCN
Maharashtra ATS claims 10 held with ‘IS links’
planned big attack to seem ‘credible recruits’; lawyers deny allegations
Mumbai : Maharashtra ATS, which had picked up
10 youths for alleged links with the banned Islamic State (IS), has said that
the accused, including a 17-year-old, had allegedly planned to cause “mass
casualties” in India before travelling to Syria in order to be received as
credible recruits by the terror organisation.Lawyers of the accused denied
their clients were involved in any such plans. In an indication that the
accused were greenhorns, ATS officers probing the case have alleged that they
explored harebrained ideas to carry out attacks, such as “burning a mixture of
hydrogen peroxide and black pepper”, hoping it would cause an explosion. According
to the statements of the accused recorded by ATS, 9 men and one minor would
reportedly hold meetings in Mumbra, on Mumbai’s suburbs, every night around 9
for the past few months. Khizer Patel, lawyer of 6 of the 10 accused, denied
the charge. “ATS is making several claims… Recently in court, it claimed that
one accused had preserved a dead lizard in a bottle of oil because it becomes
poisonous…”TOI
Death toll in UP-Uttarakhand hooch tragedies
reaches 97
Lucknow:Death toll in the twin hooch tragedies
in Uttar Pradesh and neighbouring Uttarakhand has increased to 97,with over 200
people arrested in a police crackdown, officials said on Sunday.A total of 64
deaths were reported in Uttar Pradesh -- 54 in Saharanpur district and 11 in
Kushinagar.Saharanpur DM Alok Kumar Pandey told IANS that of 46 post-mortems
conducted so far, 36 were confirmed to have died due to the consumption of
spurious liquor.IANS
Thousands of Shia pilgrims accuse Oman Air of
“hurting religious sentiments,” ask Modi to intervene
Thousands of Shia pilgrims from across the
country, bound for the shrine of Imam Reza in Iran, have written to PM Narendra
Modi after allegedly being duped by Oman Air of millions of rupees in disputed
transactions. The pilgrims have accused Oman Air, the country's state-owned
airline, of going back on its commitment after selling tickets at discounted
prices over Jan 24, 25 and 26 to approximately 5 thousand Indian nationals.In a
letter written to the PM, Ministry of External Affairs and the Embassy of Oman
in New Delhi on Feb 3 , aggrieved passengers claim they bought thousands of
return tickets from Delhi to Tehran (Delhi-Tehran-Delhi) under Rs 7,000 each,
during the 3 days in Jan. The date of bookings are from Feb.right through the
last week of July.Even after getting confirmations from Oman Air's office at
the time of booking, the Indian pilgrims were sent a circular on Jan 28 from
Oman Air's Sales Officer Nitesh Kumar, who informed them that the discounted
fares advertised on the website over the three days were nothing but a
"technical glitch.""On Jan 31, a new circular was issued by Oman
Air asking passengers to pay the extra amount or cancel the tickets before Feb
4 or it would be automatically cancelled by Oman Air,"the letter states.nationalheraldindia
TMC MLA Biswas Shot Dead in West Bengal
Krishnagar:Trinamool Congress MLA Satyajit
Biswas was shot dead by unidentified assailants inside a Saraswati puja marquee
on Saturday evening in Nadia district, police said.The ruling TMC alleged that
it was a planned attack by BJP, while the saffron party claimed that it was the
result of the ruling party’s infighting.The incident occurred around 8pm when
41-year-old Biswas, representing Krishnaganj constituency in the assembly,
along with his party workers, were at the Saraswati puja marquee at Phoolbari
in the Hanskhali police station area.TMC leader was shot from point blank range
when he was coming down from the dais, the police said. MLA was immediately
taken to a local hospital where doctors announced him “brought dead”.A
high-level inquiry has been ordered into the killing, police said.TMC secretary
general Partha Chatterjee said the party was shocked at the killing of “popular
youth leader”. Claiming that the attack was a conspiracy by BJP, Chatterjee
said those involved in it would be punished after a full-fledged inquiry. He
said the saffron party was trying to create disturbances ahead of the Lok Sabha
polls and resorted to politics of murder by singling out leaders having mass
bases.“It was a pre-planned murder by BJP,”party’s in-charge of Nadia district
Anubrata Mondal alleged.PTI
'Cannot Disclose' if BJP's Mukul Roy Is Named
in FIR on TMC MLA's Killing: Police
Rajasthan: Gujjars’ dharna for quota turns
violent, police vehicles torched; shots fired
New Delhi :Gujjar community agitation
demanding five per cent quota in jobs and educational institutes turned violent
in Dholpur district Sunday as shots were fired and three police vehicles
torched.Unidentified miscreants fired 8-10 rounds in the air while the blockade
on the Agra-Morena Highway was in place, Dholpur SP Ajay Singh told PTI. 3
police vehicles, including 2 jeeps and a bus were set afire by agitators, Singh
added.indianexpress
Release from jail after pronouncing “Triple
Talaq” where is ordinaice, what about support to Muslim women?
In an incident which occurred in a family
court at Kadkaddoma in New Delhi, a man was not sent to jail but released from
it when he pronounced “Talaq” three times. It is a slap on the face of BJP
which was harping that by introducing the “Triple Talaq” bill by saying that it
is helping the Muslim women.According to the details of the case, a woman had
got married to a man an 11th October 2004 and had two children. After a few
days, the couple developed differences and started quarrelling. They started
living separately after 2010. In 2012, the woman approached the court for
directing her husband to give her maintenance. The court ordered her husband to
pay Rs.3750 per month to his wife as a maintenance allowance.Instead of paying
maintenance allowance, the husband absconded. On 24th July 2018, Police
arrested him and sent to jail.Since there was no source of income for her
husband for paying maintenance allowance, she filed a new petition in the court
that if her husband pronounces “Triple talaq”, she will forfeit her maintenance
allowance. The court took refuge under the nullified “Triple Talaq” and asked
him to pronounce Talaq thrice. The husband wrote Talaq 3 times and submitted it
in the court.siasat
Congress leader defends remark on scrapping of
triple talaq bill
New Delhi:Congress MP Sushmita Dev has said
she stands by her statement that the Congress would scrap triple talaq bill if
it comes to power and instead go for an alternative that emerges out of
discussions within Muslim community."What I said in that day's meeting is what I have said inside Parliament.
Any law that criminalises triple talaq will not be tolerated by Congress,"
Dev told IANS."And I followed it up by saying any law that is for women
empowerment, we will support that law.But we will not support criminalisation
(of divorce),"she said."Our stand inside Parliament and outside is
the same. We are opposing criminalisation of triple talaq and will continue to
do it. And there are solid legal reasons behind it. The common man understands
it," she said.Asked if BJP may play up her statement in a different
context, she said: "BJP twists nine out of ten things that the opposition
says. Narendra Modi has emerged as the king of misrepresentation. Even a small
child knows that."On alternative, she said this is a "subject that
needs to be discussed with the community"."You cannot dole out a
solution acting as a messiah for that community. You have to consult them,
which this government has not done," she said. A number of Muslim
organisations including the Muslim Personal Law Board and the Jamat-e-Islami
Hind have appealed to Rajya Sabha members of non-NDA parties to not support the
triple talaq bill in its present form.IANS
Abu Dhabi includes Hindi as 3rd
official court language
Dubai: In a landmark decision, Abu Dhabi has
included Hindi as the third official language used in its courts, alongside
Arabic and English, as part of a move designed to improve access to justice.Abu
Dhabi Judicial Department on Saturday said it has extended the adoption of
interactive forms of statement of claims filed before courts by including the
Hindi language alongside Arabic and English in labour cases.This is aimed at
helping Hindi speakers to learn about litigation procedures, their rights and
duties without a language barrier, in addition to facilitating registration
procedures via unified forms available through the ADJD website, the judicial
body said.According to official figures, UAE population is estimated to be
around five million of which 2/3rd are immigrants from foreign countries. The
Indian community in UAE, numbering 2.6 million, constitutes 30% of the total
population and is the largest expatriate community in the country.PTI
WORLD
Top Republican blasts White House over
Khashoggi update failure
A senior Republican representative has lashed
out at the administration of US President Donald Trump over its failure to
provide an update on the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.Citing a letter
received from the Trump administration, House Foreign Affairs Lead Republican
Michael McCaul said on Saturday he was "deeply
troubled"."Everyone involved in this gruesome crime must be
identified and held accountable," McCaul said on Saturday."I call on
the administration to immediately comply with the requirements of the law, and
to provide Congress with the information required."White House was
mandated under a congressional deadline to provide a report by Friday on the
killing of Khashoggi. Congresspeople are seeking to determine whether Saudi
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) was behind the murder.The administration
did not meet the deadline, but Secretary of State Mike Pompeo did provide an
update to Congress on Saturday, a State Department spokesperson said.aljazeera
Israel PM to 'retire' if indicted over graft:
Lieberman
Jerusalem:Former Defense Minister Avigdor
Lieberman does not rule out that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will
retire from politics if he is indicted over corruption charges before the
general election in April. "Although it's fair to say that the decision is
taken to bring charges against Benjamin Netanyahu before the election, his
chances of forming a government will be zero," Israeli daily Yedioth
Aharonoth quoted Lieberman as saying.
"Therefore, I am not ruling out the possibility that Netanyahu will
strike a plea deal before the elections," he said. "I am not ruling out the possibility
that Netanyahu will ultimately go with a plea deal similar to the one struck by
former President Ezer Weizman,” Lieberman said.
Netanyahu is currently under investigation in three separate corruption
cases, in which he has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. Anadolu
Fatah slams Israeli settler calls for Abbas'
death
Ramallah:Palestinian group Fatah on Sunday
decried calls by Israeli settlers for the assassination of President Mahmoud
Abbas."Israeli incitement is the result of the policy of hatred practiced
by Israeli government against the Palestinians," Fatah spokesman Osama
al-Qawasmi said in a statement.He accused Israel of fomenting terrorism by
"pursuing its occupation, building an Apartheid barrier, preventing the
freedom of movement, [carrying out] field executions and home demolitions and
killing and arresting children"."It is not President Abbas, who is
defending the rights of our people in accordance with international
legitimacy," the spokesman said.There was no comment from the Israeli
government on the Fatah's statement.Anadolu Agency
New Muslim lawmakers' criticism of Israel
pressures US Democrats: AFP
Washington:The support for a boycott of Israel
by the first 2 Muslim women in US Congress has opened a breach in Democratic
Party and threatens to create a fissure in the ironclad US-Israeli
alliance.Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib made their debut in House of
Representatives in Jan.openly declaring their support for Palestinian-led
Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement, or BDS.The movement, launched more
than a decade ago and modeled on the 1960s movement to pressure South Africa
over apartheid, calls for people and groups to sever economic, cultural and
academic ties to Israel, and to support sanctions against Jewish state.But for
Israel partisans-- including many Democrats and Republicans in Congress -- BDS
smacks of anti-Semitism and poses a threat to Israel.Tlaib, 42, has Palestinian
roots and represents a district of suburban Detroit, Michigan that is home to
thousands of Muslims.
'Heavy clashes' in Syria as SDF launches final
push against ISIL
US-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian forces were
locked in fierce fighting on Sunday in their final push to defeat the ISIL
group in the last pocket it holds in eastern Syria.The group overran large
parts of the country and neighbouring Iraq in 2014, but various military
offensives have since reduced that territory to a patch on the Iraqi border.
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), supported by a US-led coalition, announced a
final push to retake the pocket in the village of Baghouz late on Saturday.The
announcement came after a pause of more than a week to allow some 20,000
civilians to flee, according to SDF spokesman Mustafa Bali.An SDF field
commander said the fighting was ongoing on Sunday morning.aljazeera
IS attacks US-backed force near Syrian oil field
Turkey calls on China to close internment
camps for Muslims
Turkey called on China to close its internment
camps for Muslims, saying the camps which reportedly hold a million ethnic
Uighur people are a “great shame for humanity”.Last week, rights activists
urged European and Muslim nations to take the lead in establishing a U.N.
investigation into China’s detention and “forced indoctrination” of up to one
million Uighurs, who speak a Turkic-language, and other Muslims in Xinjiang
province.“The policy of systematic assimilation against the Uighur Turks
carried out by the authorities of China is a great shame for humanity,” Turkish
foreign ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said in a statement late on Saturday.“It
is no longer a secret that more than one million Uighur Turks incurring
arbitrary arrests are subjected to torture and political brainwashing in
internment camps and prisons,” Aksoy said.Reuters
US, Russia present rival UN draft resolutions
on Venezuela
US has presented a draft resolution on
Venezuela to the UN Security Council, triggering a Russian counterproposal.US
draft resolution calls for international aid deliveries and presidential
elections in Venezuela while stressing "deep concern with the violence and
excessive use of force by Venezuelan security forces against unarmed, peaceful
protesters". US expresses "full support for the National Assembly as
the only democratically elected institution in Venezuela", said a copy of
the text obtained by AFP.In response, Moscow came up with an alternative
resolution, expressing its concern for Venezuela's territorial integrity and
political independence. The Russian draft criticises any "attempts to
intervene in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of
Venezuela".aljazeera
Pope to visit Moroccan imam school to boost
'moderate Islam'
Vatican City :Pope Francis will meet with
migrants in Morocco and visit a training institute for imams that seeks to be a
bulwark against Islamic extremism during his March 30-31 visit to the North
African country.e Vatican on Saturday released the schedule for the pope's trip
to Rabat.It comes on the heels of Francis' recent visit to UAE, where he signed
a landmark "fraternity" document with a leading Sunni imam and sought
to encourage moderate Islam and interfaith ties.Francis will also meet with
Morocco's king, the country's priests and religious sisters and celebrate Mass
for the Catholic community.AP
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