NEWS
DIGEST, EVENING
18 April 2019: 12 Shaban 1440:Vol: 11, No:179
INDIA:ELECTIONS
Election Commission suspends IAS officer Mohsin
for checking PM's chopper; questions raised
New Delhi:An IAS officer was suspended by the Election Commission last
night for checking PM Narendra Modi's helicopter in Odisha's Sambalpur on
Tuesday. Mohammed Mohsin "had not acted in conformity" with
instructions on Special Protection Group (SPG) protectees, said the election
body's order. But there is no rule that exempts anyone from such checks during
polls, a fact that opposition parties like Congress flagged in tweets
condemning move.Mohammed Mohsin, a 1996 batch Karnataka cadre IAS officer, has
been accused of "insubordination and dereliction of duty". Reports
say as a general observer of Sambalpur constituency, the officer had carried
out a sudden check of PM Modi's helicopter, which delayed PM by 15 minutes. Asked
to specify the rule that had been violated, an EC spokesperson said:"As
cited in the order...instruction dated 10.4.14 states that SPG protectees are
excluded from checking."NDTV has accessed the instructions cited in the
suspension order but no such exception is listed.The EC's March 22 instructions
echo an earlier order dated April 10, 2014.The instructions read: "There
shall be a total and absolute ban on use of official vehicles for campaigning,
electioneering or election-related travel."This is the EC's 2014 direction
calling for "total and absolute ban on the use of official vehicles for
campaigning, electioneering or election-related travel". On SPG
protectees, it says: "The only exception from the above said prohibition
will be PM and other political personalities, who might,in view of extremist
and terrorist activities and threat to their lives, require security of a high
order and whose security requirements are governed by any statutory provisions
made by the Parliament or the State Legislature in this behalf."But the EC
adds a caveat that "...if it has any reason to doubt that the assessment
of security requirements made by authorities under SPG Act or any other special
instruction...have been manifestly or unduly excessive with the intention of
promoting indirectly the electoral interests of a particular party or
candidate, the commission will bring the matter to the notice of the concerned
Govt for immediate and appropriate corrective steps."NDTV also accessed
the poll panel's instruction dated 14 July 1999 on the "use of Govt
Aircrafts/Helicopters"; that too does not does not exclude anyone from
searches.The instruction by the EC in 1999 does not does not provide any
exclusion from searches. So EC has apparently cited a non-existent provision to
punish Mohsin.NDTV tried to contact the officer several times but he has
refused to comment. EC is yet to respond to our query. Official's suspension
has provoked outraged tweets from Congress and AAP.NDTV
Election Phase 2 live: Sporadic violence, EVM glitches mar LS polls;
61.12% votes cast at 5 pm
Voting picked up by Thursday afternoon in 95 seats across 11 States
and Union Territory of Puducherry in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections
which were marred by an IED blast by Naxals in Chhattisgarh, police firing in
West Bengal on stone pelters and EVM glitches. Voting was also under way in 35
Assembly constituencies in Odisha and in 18 Assembly seats in Tamil Nadu.In the
second phase of general elections, 95 constituencies are going to polls. Over
15 crore voters will decide the fate of 1,629 candidates on April 18.Elections
to Vellore constituency in Tamil Nadu and East Tripura seat were rescinded
recently. thehindu
Till 5 pm, Manipur registers 69.05% polling,
Assam 62.95%, Odisha records 46.69% turnout
From Assam to Kanyakumari, reports of
large-scale EVM and VVPAT malfunctioning cast shadow on second phase polling
Reports of a largescale EVM and VVPAT
malfunctioning have once again cast the shadow on the second phase of Lok Sabha
elections. EVMs malfunctioning were first reported from Mathura in UP, where
BJP’s Hema Malini is contesting from.Similar complaints were received from
Bolangir Lok Sabha seat in Odisha and Uttar Dinajpur in Raiganj Parliamentary
constituency in West Bengal. In Bolangir, voting had to be halted at booths 261
and 263 due to EVM malfunctioning.The District Magistrate of Beed in
Maharashtra, Alok Kumar Pandey said that at least five places had reported EVM
and VVPAT malfunctioning since morning in Beed constituency. “Those are Georai,Mazalgaon,
Kej,Ashti,Parali. However all those machines have been replaced immediately and
polling is going smoothly at all locations,” Pandey was quoted by ANI.Many
social media users took to Twitter to allege that EVM was not working in Mysore
too as voters had to wait for nearly an hour to cast their votes. Firstpost
reported that polling agents temporarily suspended voting at Rudrakshipura near
Maddur in Mandya of Kaernataka after EVMs developed technical snags. Voters had
to wait for a long time in a long queue to cast their votes as polling
officials made arrangements for replacement machines.The website also reported
that voting had to be stopped at 15 polling booths in Trichy as EVMs were
facing technical problems. In Erode, polling was stopped at three polling
booths as EVMs had to be repaired and new machines were not kept in stock,
thereby delaying voting. In Nagercoil in Kanyakumari seat, voting was stopped
at 33 polling booths for EVM repairs. Reports of VVPAT not working came from
Assam, where polling station number 200 reported malfunctioning of VVPAT. Jantakareporter
Phase 2 Records 66% Turnout Even as IED Blast,
Police Firings, Mob Attacks and EVM Glitches Mar Voting
Elections 2019: Faulty EVMs Reported In Many
States, Big Stakes In Tamil Nadu
Sangh Parivar urges sadhus to mobilise support
for BJP, invokes Babri Masjid demolition: report
BJP is sending out messages to sadhus seeking
to whip up a saffron tide for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. The outreach is
being conducted on a massive scale in UP and NP, with support from RSS, and its
affiliate the VHP. Sangh Parivar leaders are using direct messaging and appeals
to placate sadhus, a large number of whom are upset over BJP govt’s failure to
fulfil its 2014 Lok Sabha election promise regarding the construction of a Ram
temple in Ayodhya before the end of its term. According to Rameshji Maharaj, a
sadhu based in Mauganj town of MP’s Rewa district, the union home minister
Rajnath Singh has sent a text message to religious leaders assuring them that
BJP would fulfil its temple promise, irrespective of the pending Supreme Court
judgment on the disputed Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi site. “Rajnath Singh’s
message has been sent to all prominent sadhus who are associated with the Sangh
Parivar,”Maharaj, who is a member of the VHP’s Kendriya Margdarshak Mandal—its
central governing council, which is a body of sadhus—said.Rameshji has been
associated with VHP since 1992, and works mainly in the tribal areas of MP.
“The assurance was reiterated in the meeting of the local heads of RSS and its
affiliates at Mauganj on 15 April,” he said. He added that the meeting was
called by Surendra, an RSS pracharak—full-time worker—who is in-charge of the
vibhag, or division, which covers the districts of Rewa, Sidhi and Singrauli in
MP.“A good number of local sadhus were also invited,” Rameshji continued. “They
supported me when I raised the temple issue. Surendraji then referred to the
message of Rajnath Singh and said that the next BJP government would not be
found lacking on this front and that it would bring legislation for the
construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya if the Supreme Court judgment goes
against it.”Rameshji added that RSS office-bearers were conducting similar
meetings in other parts of the country as well. CARAVAN MAGAZINE
Tehseen Poonawalla writes to EC, asks it to
debar Pragya Singh Thakur from elections
Tehseen Poonawalla today wrote to the Election
Commission against BJP’s decision to name Malegoan blasts accused Pragya Singh
Thakur as the candidate for its Bhopal Lok Sabha constituency. Poonawalla’s
social media profiles describe him as a political trendwatcher and a life
coach. He is related to Robert Vadra, who is married to Congress General
Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.Poonawalla said that the Maharashtra ATS has
pronounced Thakur as one of the “principal conspirators” in the Malegaon blasts.scroll
‘How can Pragya Thakur contest polls if she is
on bail on health grounds?’ asks Omar Abdullah
Ex-J&K CM Omar Abdullah demanded the cancellation of
the bail given to Malegaon blasts accused Pragya Singh Thakur after she was
named an election candidate by BJP.Abdullah said that Thakur had been given
bail on health grounds, and so, if she was fit enough to contest elections, she
must be fit enough to be in jail too. Thakur was on Wednesday named BJP’s
candidate from Bhopal Lok Sabha seat.“Since the BJP depends on the religion
card when it is left with nothing else, they have now given mandate from Bhopal
to someone who is not just a terror accused, but is on bail,” the nc leader
told reporters after casting his vote in Srinagar. “If her health is not good
enough to stay in jail, how can she be fit enough to fight polls?” scroll
Malegaon Blast victim's father asks court to bar
Pragya from contesting
Mumbai: The father of one of the victims of 2008
Malegaon blast moved the special NIA court here Thursday, urging it to bar
prime accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur from contesting Lok Sabha election. The
application was filed by Nisar Sayeed, who lost his son in the blast, a day
after the BJP fielded Thakur from the Bhopal Lok Sabha seat against Congress
veteran Digvijay Singh.Special NIA cases judge V.S. Padalkar sought replies
from both the NIA and Thakur and posted the matter for Monday.The applicant
sought that Thakur, who is out on bail, be asked to attend court proceedings in
Mumbai and be barred from contesting the election as the trial is in
progress.It further mentioned that Thakur got bail on health grounds. If she
was “healthy enough to fight elections in the crippling summers heat”, then she
has misled the court, the complainant alleged.A petition seeking cancellation
of her bail was pending before the Supreme Court, it said.PTI
Before the court: Sadhvi Pragya’s bike used
for blast that killed 6, her chats with co-accused
Her motorcycle with an IED, her phone
conversations with would-be bombers, her presence at a conspiracy meeting in
Bhopal, her inquiries on why the bomb didn’t kill more. These are some of the
allegations against Pragya Singh Thakur, described by the Maharashtra ATS as
one of the “principal conspirators” of Malegaon blast which left 6 dead and 101
injured on Sept.29, 2008.The first to be arrested in the case in Oct.2008,
Thakur currently faces charges under UAPA and also stands accused of murder,
attempt to murder, criminal conspiracy, and of promoting enmity between
different groups on ground of religion etc — the court observed that the
accused planned the conspiracy with the aim to spread terror and cause communal
rift.The bomb was set off with an improvised explosive device, fitted in a
gold-coloured LML Freedom motorcycle that was registered in the name of Pragya Thakur.ATS,
which arrested Thakur,maintained that she “provided” motorcycle for blast to
her close associate Ramji Kalsangra, still a wanted accused. NIA, which took
over the probe from ATS in 2011, filed its first supplementary chargesheet only
in 2016, and gave Thakur a clean chit.indianexpress
Elections: "Will Leave You In
Suspense": Rahul Gandhi On Priyanka Gandhi, Varanasi
Lucknow: Rahul Gandhi, in an interview to The Hindu newspaper, did not
rule out the possibility of his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, one of 2 Congress
general secretaries in charge of UP, taking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in
Varanasi. He did not confirm it either, saying: "I will leave you in
suspense."A blockbuster contest in Varanasi, starring PM Modi vs Congress's
headliner Priyanka Gandhi, has been all the buzz for weeks, ever since she
dropped a hint during a Ganga boat campaign.To a direct question on whether his
sister would be Congress candidate in Varanasi, Rahul Gandhi told The Hindu:
"I will leave you in suspense. Suspense is not always a bad thing."So
he was not denying it, the interviewer pressed. "I'm not confirming or
denying anything," said Congress president.ndtv
Not satisfied with EVM: Sam Pitroda
Ahmedabad: Sam Pitroda, a confidant of
Congress president Rahul Gandhi, on Thursday said that he is not satisfied with
the use of EVM in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.“As an engineer, a technical
expert, I am not satisfied with EVM, but I have not been able to pinpoint
because we do not have EVM. If someone gives us EVM to study for one year,
we'll be able to tell you something,” Pitroda said while addressing a press
conference here.“You will have to understand the design, its software. Every
little signal will have to be analysed. Then only you can say something. But
one thing is clear that there is some problem, what is the problem we don't
know,” he added.ANI
Congress leader Tariq Anwar condemns Sidhu's
appeal to Muslim voters
Patna: Senior Congress leader Tariq Anwar on
Wednesday disapproved of Navjot Singh Sidhu's appeal to Muslim voters to defeat
BJP and said he would have stopped the Punjab minister from doing so had he
been present at the rally held in his Lok Sabha constituency of Katihar."I
have always held the view that votes must never be sought in the name of
religion and caste. This has also been the policy of the Congress party. I do
not approve of what Sidhu has uttered. I would request the party leadership to
take note for suitable action," Tariq Anwar said in a statement.Navjot
Singh Sidhu, against whom an FIR has been lodged at Katihar in Bihar for
violating the model code of conduct, made the controversial statement at a
rally in Barsoi police station area of the district on Monday.PTI
Retired IAS who converted to Islam is Hindu
again in Lok Sabha nomination
A retired IAS officer, who adopted Islam three
years back while serving as Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) in the Rajasthan
government, has again introduced himself as a Hindu while filing his nomination
papers as the BSP candidate for the Jaipur Parliamentary seat.On December 31,
2015, then IAS officer Umrav Salodiya triggered a controversy by converting to
Islam in protest against not being promoted as Chief Secretary of the state. He
also took a new name - Umraav Khan.Alleging bias against him on caste grounds
since he belongs to Dalit community, the officer also quit government service
six months before he was due to retire.However, this retired officer has again
introduced himself as a Hindu when he filed his nomination papers here on
Tuesday. BSP candidate explained this contradiction, saying "I could not
get permission from the Central government to issue the gazette notification
for a name change and hence have to submit my earlier name.""I have
written to the concerned officials but could not get any answer from
them," he added.He also asserted that he remains firm on his conversion
and considers himself a follower of Islam.IANS
OTHERS
Govt suspends LoC trade with PoK, says routes
were being misused by terror elements
New Delhi:“This action has been taken as the
Government of India has been receiving reports that the Cross LoC trade routes
are being misused by the Pakistan based elements for funnelling illegal
weapons, narcotics and fake currency etc,” said MHA in a release. The Ministry
of Home Affairs on Thursday issued orders to suspend LoC trade between Jammu
& Kashmir and PoK. The government said that the step has been taken in view
of the trade routes being misused by Pakistan based elements.“This action has
been taken as the Government of India has been receiving reports that the Cross
LoC trade routes are being misused by the Pakistan based elements for
funnelling illegal weapons, narcotics and fake currency etc,” said the MHA in a
release.The release added, “It may be recalled that LoC trade is meant to
facilitate the exchange of goods of common use between local populations across
LoC in Jammu & Kashmir.”Highlighting on banned terror outfits fuelling
separatism in the valley, MHA release said, “During ongoing probe of certain
cases by NIA, it has been brought out that a significant number of trading
concerns engaged in LoC trade are operated by persons closely associated with
banned terror organisations involved in fueling terrorism/separatism.”indianexpress
No Pakistan soldier or citizen died in Balakot
air strike: Sushma Swaraj
Ahmedabad: External affairs minister and BJP
leader Sushma Swaraj on Thursday said no Pakistani soldier or citizen died in air
strike carried out by Indian Air Force across the border in response to Pulwama
attack in Feb. Swaraj said the air strike was carried out in self- defence.
"When we carried out air strike across the border after Pulwama attack,we
had told international community that we took that step in self-defence only.
"We had told the international community that the armed forces were
instructed not to harm any Pakistani citizen or its soldier during the
strike," she said. PTI
Home Ministry Orders Probe Into Assam Editors
Critical of BJP's Citizenship Bill
New Delhi: The home ministry has sought a
probe into four Assamese editors and a news channel based on a complaint by a
Hindu right-wing outfit with links to RSS. Assam director general of police,
Kuladhar Saikia and the commissioner and secretary (home and political)
Ashutosh Agnihotri have been asked to carry out the investigation.Those named
in the complaint letter to the ministry by Vinay Joshi of Legal Rights
Observatory (LRO) are Nitumoni Saikia, editor-in-chief of the popular Assamese
news channel Pratidin Time; Manjit Mahanta, ex editor of Axomiya Pratidin; Ajit
Kumar Bhuyan, the editor of Assamese news channel Prag News and Afrida Hussain,
the editor of the web news portal InsideNE. Assamese chapter of the TV18
channel has also been named.Saikia, Bhuyan, Hussain and Mahanta have all been
quite vocal about their support to the widespread protest in the Brahmaputra
Valley against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill brought by the Narendra Modi
govt.Saikia, Bhuyan and Mahanta have also been vocal critics of the BJP-led
state government’s policies for a while now and have particularly taken on the
party’s Northeast strategist Himanta Biswa Sarma’s attempt to polarise the
Assamese society on religious lines.thewire
Bombay HC Quashes FIR Against Journalist For
Suicide Of Jawan After Sting Video
In a relief to journalist Poonam Agarwal,
Associate Editor of "The Quint", the Bombay High Court today quashed FIR
registered against her for abetment of suicide of a jawan who was interviewed
by her in a sting video.She had conducted a sting operation with the assistance
of an ex-military man and Kargil war veteran Deepchand Singh to show that
'sahayak system' of engaging subordinate officers for menial work for seniors
was being followed in army camps, despite its ban by Army as per Circular dated
19th Jan.2017.In the sting video published during Feb.2017,several officers,
who were made to do menial work in a military camp at Deolali, Nashik, accused
their seniors of harassment.Identities of the officers in sting video were
concealed by blurring their faces.After video went viral online, Lance Naik Roy
Mathew, who was interviewed in the video, committed suicide by hanging on March
7,2017.Following this, an FIR was registered for abetment of suicide against
Poonam Agarwal and Deepchand for offences punishable under Sections 306,451,
500 read with 34 of IPC. Offences punishable under Sections 3 and 7 of Official
Secrets Act were also included in the FIR.livelaw.in
Sohrabuddin Sheikh killing: brother Rubabuddin
challenges acquittal of all 22 accused
Mumbai:Sohrabuddin Sheikh’s brother Rubabuddin
on Thursday filed an appeal at the Bombay High Court challenging the acquittal
of 22 accused in the killing of his brother, his sister-in-law Kauser Bi and
his aide Tulsiram Prajapti in 2005. On Dec.21, 2018, special CBI court
acquitted all of them by saying, “the way in which the evidence was brought
before me I could not help. The prosecution could not prove a conspiracy, it
could not prove it beyond reasonable doubt despite investigations being
conducted by various agencies.” While delivering his last judgment before
retiring, Judge SJ Sharma said, “the alleged offence was committed by the
accused persons in discharge of their official duty and under the colour of
office, even if it is assumed that the accused persons acted in excess of their
official duty, then also they are entitled to claim protection of section 197
(prosecution of judges and public servants) of CrPC.”thehindu
Right to travel abroad is a basic human right:
SC
New Delhi:The right to travel abroad is a
genuine and basic human right like marriage and family, the Supreme Court has
observed in a recent order.“The right to travel abroad is an important basic
human right for it nourishes independent and self-determining creative
character of the individual, not only by extending his freedoms of action, but
also by extending the scope of his experience,” a Bench led by Justice L.
Nageswara Rao said in its order.The court was hearing an appeal filed by an IPS
officer who was refused permission to take a private trip abroad to visit
relatives as he had a departmental enquiry pending against him.Satish Chandra
Verma, Inspector General of Police/Principal, Central Training College, Central
Reserve Police Force at Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu said he was denied permission
despite the fact that he had no criminal case against him.thehindu
Two Punjab men beheaded by Saudi authorities,
confirms MEA
Chandigarh :2 men from Punjab have been
executed by beheading in Saudi Arabia, the ministry of external affairs (MEA)
has confirmed. Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia, however, was not informed before
Satwinder Kumar of Hoshiarpur and Harjeet Singh of Ludhiana were executed on
Feb.28, it said.Expressing shock over the “barbaric and inhuman”, Punjab chief
minister flayed the MEA for failing to prevent, and then not disclosing the
execution of the two men, till it was forced to do so by a petition filed by
Satwinder’s wife. As per the Saudi system, the families of the two deceased
will only get death certificates and not the mortal remains, the MEA informed
Satwinder’s wife Seema Rani.Seema Rani received a letter from the MEA on
Tuesday.Signed by Prakash Chand, director (consular), the letter reads, “Our
embassy in Riyadh received a note verbale dated Feb.28, from Saudi Ministry of
Foreign Affairs by fax in the evening the same day stating implementation of
execution order of late Satwinder Singh and Harjit Singh on Feb.28. The embassy
had not been informed about execution beforehand”.indianexpress
WORLD
Israel bans Gaza Christians from going to
Jerusalem, Bethlehem for Easter
Israeli occupation authorities refused to
issue travel permits for hundreds of Palestinian Christians from Gaza who
planned to visit holy sites in Jerusalem and Bethlehem during Passover, Safa
news agency reported. Reporting Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Safa said that
Israel allowed only 200 Christians from Gaza, who are over 55 years old, to
travel to Jordan only and did not issue permits for those wishing to visit the
Church of Nativity in occupied Bethlehem or the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in
occupied Jerusalem.Israeli rights group Gisha reported complaints against the
Israeli occupation regarding the restrictions imposed on people who want to
travel during the Jewish Passover holiday which coincides with Easter.“This is
a flagrant violation of the freedom of movement, freedom of worship and freedom
of enjoying family life for the Christians in Gaza,” Gisha said, noting that
Gaza is an example of a “wider Israeli racist policy”. middleeastmonitor
Israeli president tasks Netanyahu with forming
new govt
Israel’s president has nominated Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to head the next government, after he won the
backing of a majority of members of parliament following an April 9 election,
Reuters reports. In office for the past decade, Netanyahu won a fifth term
despite an announcement by Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit in February that
he intends to charge the prime minister in three corruption cases. Netanyahu
has denied any wrongdoing.“At a time of great turmoil in our region, we have
managed not only to maintain the state’s security and stability, we have even
managed to turn Israel into a rising world power,” Netanyahu said at the
nomination ceremony after President Reuven Rivlin gave him the mandate to form
a new government. Netanyahu has 28 days, with a two-week extension if needed,
to complete the task. If, as seems likely, he succeeds, he will become in July
Israel’s longest-serving prime minister.middleeastmonitor
Libya death toll rises to 205 as Tripoli
fighting continues: WHO
At least 205 people have been killed in the
battle for control of Libyan capital Tripoli, the World Health Organisation
(WHO) said on Thursday, as the UN-recognised government said it would seek the
prosecution of renegade military leader Khalifa Haftar in the International
Criminal Court.UN-affiliated WHO said in a post on Twitter it had deployed
medical specialists to support frontline hospitals as the recent fighting had
also left more than 900 wounded.aljazeera
Gunmen kill 14 bus passengers in Pakistan's
Balochistan
At least 14 people have been shot dead by
attackers after several buses were ambushed in the remote Ormara area of
Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province, officials say.The travellers were
removed from the buses and taken to a second location, where they were shot
dead, early on Thursday morning, provincial information minister Zahoor Buledi
told Al Jazeera."They identified non-Baloch by checking their identity
cards and employee cards," said Buledi. "They took them to the nearby
mountains and shot them dead after tying their hands."Muhammad Musa, a
local health official who examined the bodies, told Al Jazeera that most had
been shot in the head.aljazeera
Asad Umar steps down as Pak Finance Minister
amid IMF bailout talks
Islamabad: Pakistan Finance Minister Asad Umar
on Thursday stepped down from the position after Prime Minister Imran Khan
asked him to take the Energy portfolio.Umar wrote on his official twitter
handle, "As part of a cabinet reshuffle PM desired that I take the energy
minister portfolio instead of finance. However, I have obtained his consent to
not take any cabinet position. I strongly believe @ImranKhanPTI is the best
hope for Pakistan and inshallah will make a naya pakistan."In a press
conference held hours after his announcement, Umar said that he hopes his
successor will be supported in the efforts to take difficult decisions for the "sake
of the nation"."What I want is that whoever comes in is supported
when they make difficult decisions for the sake of the nation," Dawn
quoted Umar as saying."I need to thank the PTI’s youth for their
enthusiasm. I need to say that when we came in, the economy was in a dangerous
and sorry state, we were standing near a ditch, one move and we would have been
in the ditch. The state of the economy is still not great [and] the next
finance minister that comes in will still have a hard time," he added.Notably,
Pakistan on Tuesday reached on an agreement with the International Monetary
Fund (IMF) for the multi-billion aid to the debt-ridden country.The exact size
of the package is yet to be decided, however, Umar had apprised that it would
be between USD 6 billion and USD 8 billion. (ANI)
Pakistan finance minister to step down amid
IMF bailout talks
Protesters keep up pressure on Sudan's
military
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/04/sudan-army-removes-bashir-latest-updates-190411125048555.html
Thousands of protesters staged rallies across
cities in Sudan to mark one week since the military's removal of Omar
al-Bashir.Engineers marched in Blue Nile state while lawyers rallied in North
Kordofan state, demanding the military hand over power to a civilian administration,
while thousands converged on the square outside the army headquarters in
Khartoum. "We are happy with what we have achieved so far," said Amir
Abdul Rahman, an engineer in Khartoum. "When the SPA says we should stay
in the square, that's what we are going to do," he added, referring to the
Sudanese Professionals Association, which has spearheaded the months-long
anti-government protests. A spokesman for Sudan's military council said two
brothers of al-Bashir have been arrested as part of a continuing campaign of
arrests against "symbols of previous regime".
Iraqi prime minister makes first visit to
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia's King Salman welcomed the Iraqi
prime minister on his first official visit to the kingdom, as the two
oil-producing giants move towards closer diplomatic and economic ties after
nearly three decades of uneasy relations.Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul
Mahdi's visit on Wednesday came two weeks after Saudi Arabia reopened its
consulate in Baghdad for the first time in nearly 30 years. The opening was
accompanied with the announcement of a one billion dollar aid package for
Iraq.Abdul Mahdi went to Riyadh with a large delegation, including officials
and businessmen, with trade billed as a prime focus of the discussions between
OPEC's two largest oil producers.aljazeera
'We're broken': Rohingya on hunger strike in
Saudi detention
Scores of Rohingya detainees inside a Saudi
detention centre have gone on a hunger strike for the third time in recent
months, activists told Al Jazeera.Almost 650 men, most of whom have been kept
at the Shumaisi detention centre in Jeddah since 2012 for not having valid
documentation, started the strike on Saturday, Ro Nay San Lwin, campaign
coordinator for the Free Rohingya Coalition, said.By Tuesday night, at least
seven had been taken to hospital, he said, as the strike continued in 10 rooms
at the detention camp. Footage secretly filmed by a detainee and sent to Lwin
that was shared with Al Jazeera showed the Rohingya men lying on the
floor.aljazeera
North Korea conducts tests for 'tactical
guided weapon': Report
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has supervised
the test-firing of a new type of "tactical guided weapon" in a move
that could be an attempt to register the country's displeasure with currently
deadlocked nuclear talks with the United States.The country's state media, KCNA,
reported on Thursday that the "advantages" of the weapon were
"the peculiar mode of guiding flight and the load of a powerful
warhead".The report also said that the North Korean leader described its
development as one "of very weighty significance in increasing the combat
power of the People's Army".KCNA added that Wednesday's test was
"conducted in various modes of firing at different targets" and that
Kim "guided the test-fire". aljazeera
North Korea wants Pompeo removed from nuclear
talks
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/04/north-korea-removal-pompeo-nuclear-talks-190418085836661.html
North Korea wants United States Secretary of
State Mike Pompeo replaced with someone "more careful and mature" in
talks over its banned nuclear programme, a senior official told state media,
hours after the country announced a missile test.Describing Pompeo as
"reckless" the foreign ministry said a summit in Vietnam earlier this
year showed that talks could go wrong "whenever Pompeo pokes his nose
in".aljazeera
Top US Democrats call for Mueller to testify
publicly
The top Democrats in the US House of
Representatives and Senate on Thursday called on Special Counsel Robert Mueller
to testify publicly about his investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016
election and whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia.House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer criticised Attorney
General William Barr for writing what they called a "slanted" summary
letter and for planning a press conference to immediately follow the expected
release of the report detailing the probe's findings on Thursday.aljazeera
HRW: Torture continuing in Iraq jails
A Human Rights Watch statement today accused
Iraqi officials of allowing torture to continue in Mosul detention
facilities.“If the Iraqi govt ignores credible reports of torture, it’s no
wonder that the abuses persist,” said Lama Fakih, deputy Middle East director
at HRW.The statement reports the testimony of a former prisoner of a jail in
Faisaliya prison which is east of Mosul. “5 guards and an officer strapped each
detainee in turn, still naked, onto an orange gurney and tipped it backward so
that the detainee’s feet were raised above his head and covered his face with a
towel,” HRW said.“For about five minutes, they beat each one with plastic
piping while pouring water over his mouth.”Further abuse was reported,
including kickings, beatings, and prisoners being hoisted from the ceiling
using a hook and pulley. The people in custody were accused of being members of
Daesh.Ex-prisoner accused 4 interior ministry officers of actively
participating in the violations. HRW validated the reports by comparing his
recollection of the layout of the facility with other testimonies.It went on to
urge the Iraqi government to act to end the practice and condemn the use of
torture. Middleeastmonitor
Flash: views & NEWS
Sadhvi Pragya as BJP Candidate: How the SC
Missed an Opportunity to Cleanse Politics:Venu Sundaram
How Pragya Singh Thakur, Sunil Joshi and
Aseemanand planned the Samjhauta Express blast:Leena Gita Reghunath
There is No ‘Hindu Terrorism’. But There is
Something Called Sangh Parivar Terrorism:
Jyotirmaya Sharma
Tilting at the windmills...The ban on movement
of civilian traffic in Kashmir Valley is self-defeating in the extreme:Iftikhar
Gilani
BJP/RSS Wants to Kill 2 Birds by Fielding
Pragya Thakur against Digvijay Singh
In five years, India’s largest minority has
been cleaved from basic entitlements of democratic citizenship:Shah Alam Khan
Ambedkar’s ideas of social justice still haunt
country’s constitutional apparatus. How much have we achieved? Soli J. Sorabjee
Mahatma Gandhi’s wariness of RSS' ideology is
clear from his writings, historical record:
Ram Puniyani
‘Minority communalism is costly’: A polarising
debate on citizenship makes Assam’s Muslims cautious:Ipsita Chakravarty
Netanyahu and the Death of the Zionist
Dream:Israel’s founding fathers are turning in their graves: Avi Shlaim, NYT
In Indonesia's election, the winner is Widodo
- and Islam:Kanupriya Kapoor, Fanny Potkin, Reuters
Compiled and edited by
Anwarulhaq (Released at: 8:39 PM)
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment