23 July 2019:
19 Dhul Qadah 1440:Vol: 11, No:252
INDIA
Karnataka Govt loses floor test: Kumaraswamy's
quits; BJP likely to stake claim
tomorrow
HD Kumaraswamy-led Congress-JD(S) govt failed
to survive trust vote in Karnataka Assembly. Kumaraswamy has handed over his
resignation to the Governor. The
Governor accepted his resignation from CM's post. BJP is likely to stake claim
tomorrow. “Kumaraswamy has failed the confidence vote, with 99 voting for the
govt while 105 members have voted against govt,” Speaker KR Ramesh said. The
trust vote was necessitated after 15 MLAs resigned, plunging the govt to a
minority.Earlier in the day, Supreme Court had adjourned till tomorrow the
hearing on a plea filed by two Independent MLAs, seeking holding of floor test
“forthwith” in the state Assembly. The court’s decision was taken after the
counsel for Speaker told the court that the trust vote may “most likely happen
today or tomorrow.” MLAs who withdrew support to the ruling coalition had
sought direction to ruling JD(S)-Congress coalition govt to conduct the floor
test. The Speaker has set a fresh deadline of 6 pm today to complete the floor
test. Siddaramaiah said, "15-16 of our MLAs violated the whip by
abstaining from the House during trust vote, thereby, it is a clear violation
of Schedule 10 (of the Constitution) and attracts
disqualification."indianexpress
Karnataka: Kumaraswamy quits, Yeddyurappa
informs Modi, BJP chief about political development
SC extends Assam NRC deadline to Aug.31
New Delhi:The Supreme Court today extended the
deadline for publication of final National Register of Citizens (NRC) for Assam
from July 31 to Aug 31, 2019. A Special Bench of CJI Ranjan Gogoi and Justice
Rohinton F. Nariman, however, did not accede to the “fervent” pleas of Union
and Assam Govts to conduct a “sample reverification” of the names included in
and excluded from the draft NRC published on July 30 last. Both the Govts, in
identical but separate applications to the court, said many names have been
wrongly included and excluded from draft NRC,and a sample reverification had
become necessary to quell the “growing perception” that lakhs of illegal
immigrants may have infiltrated the list, especially in districts bordering
Bangladesh.“This is too great a matter... People's lives will be affected. We
have to be 100% right. There cannot be a speck of doubt on the entirety of NRC
exercise... The error percentage in the border districts is just over 7%, while
in other districts the average is over 12%,”Attorney General K.K. Venugopal
told the court.Solicitor General Tushar Mehta for Assam said the proposed
sample reverification would only take the extended time the court had given
till August 31. “It will not harm anybody and will give everybody
satisfaction,” he submitted. But court refused the plea, banking on a July 18
report of court-appointed NRC Coordinator, Prateek Hajela, that reverification
had been done on a district-wise basis during the adjudication of claims. "
Hajela,Centre and Assam have made vehement,fervent pleas for a sample
reverification. You tell us, as an officer of the court, if this is
necessary?"CJI Gogoi asked him. CJI said court was “more than satisfied”
from Hajela's conclusion that a reverification is not necessary.thehindu
JNU sedition case: Court grants 3 months to
police to get sanctions to prosecute Kanhaiya, Umar,others
New Delhi:A court in New Delhi today granted
two months to the Delhi Police to secure requisite sanctions to prosecute ex JNU
Students’ Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar and others in a 2016 sedition
case. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Manish Khurana passed the order after the
police sought more time on the ground that no sanction has been received from
the authorities concerned.The court also sought a status report from the DCP on
the issue of sanction and posted the matter for further proceedings on Sept.
18.During a brief hearing, the police told the court that it has not received
any information from Delhi Govt’s Home Department regarding the sanction.On Jan.14,
police had filed a charge sheet in the court against Kumar and others,
including former JNU students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, saying they
were leading a procession and supported seditious slogans raised in the JNU
campus during an event on Feb.9, 2016.PTI
Modi asked me to mediate between India, Pak on
Kashmir, says Trump
US President Donald Trump has offered to
mediate the decades-long Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan, saying PM
Narendra Modi had asked him to. "I was with PM Modi two weeks ago and we
talked about this subject and he actually said 'Would you like to be a mediator
or arbitrator', I said 'Where', He said 'Kashmir'. Because this has been going
on for many, many years," Trump said at the White House, where he was
hosting Pakistan's PM Imran Khan."If I can help, I would love to be a
mediator. If I can do anything to help, let me know," he added.His
statement signalled a shift in long-standing policy that issue must be solved
bilaterally.“I think they (Indians) would like to see it resolved. I think you
(Khan) would like to see it resolved. And if I can help,I would love to be a
mediator.It should be....we have two incredible countries that are very, very
smart with very smart leadership,(and they) can’t solve a problem like that.
But if you would want me to mediate or arbitrate, I would be willing to do
that,”Trump said.“We have a very good relationship with India. I know that your
relationship (with India) is strained a little bit, maybe a lot. But we will be
talking about India (it’s) a big part of our conversation today and I think
maybe we can help intercede and do whatever we have to do. It’s something that
can be brought back together. We will be talking about India and Afghanistan
both,”he told Khan.thehindu
Kashmir won’t be resolved bilaterally, says
Imran Khan; welcomes Trump’s offer of mediation
Hours after US President Donald Trump offered
to “mediate” between New Delhi and Islamabad over Kashmir, Pakistan PM welcomed
the move, saying the contentious issue between 2 neighbours could never be
resolved “bilaterally.”In an interview, Khan after meeting Trump said, “There
was one point when there was General Musharraf and PM Vajpayee of India when we
did get close to the resolution of the Kashmiri issue. But since then we are
poles apart and I really feel that India should come on the table; US could
play a big part. President Trump certainly can play a big part.”“We are talking
about 1.3 billion people on this earth. Imagine the dividends of peace if
somehow that issue could be resolved. Bilaterally there will never be (a
resolution of the Kashmir dispute),” Khan said.indianexpress
Kashmir mediation: India denies Trump’s
remark, says no such request made
In a sharp rebuttal to Donald Trump's
comments, Govt denied that PM Narendra Modi had requested Trump to mediate
between India and Pakistan."We have seen [Trump's] remarks to the press
that he is ready to mediate, if requested by India & Pakistan, on Kashmir
issue. No such request has been made by PM Modi to US President," said MEA
spokesperson. thehindu
MEA’s denial ‘weak’: Rahul Gandhi demands
Modi’s response to Trump’s Kashmir claim
New Delhi:Minutes after External Affair’s
Minister S Jaishankar denied Donald Trump’s claim that Narendra Modi asked him
to resolve the Kashmir issue in Parliament, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi
Tuesday demanded answers from the PM saying a “weak foreign ministry denial
won’t do”.Gandhi tweeted, “A weak Foreign Ministry denial won’t do. PM must
tell the nation what transpired in meeting between him & US President.” He
also added that if Trump’s claims are found to be true, Modi has “betrayed
India’s interests & 1972 Simla Agreement.”indianexpress
PM didn’t make any request on Kashmir
mediation to Trump, Jaishankar tells Parliament
Hurriyat leaders Mirwaiz, Geelani welcome US
push for dialogue on Kashmir
Srinagar:Senior Hurriyat leaders Syed Ali
Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Tuesday welcomed Donald Trump’s offer of
mediation and his Govt’s stress on the India-Pakistan dialogue on the Kashmir
issue.“Being the most affected party, the people of Kashmir want an early
resolution to the lingering Kashmir conflict. I have been urging for dialogue
at all levels. Every effort, pushing India and Pakistan in that direction, is
welcomed by the people of J&K,”said Mirwaiz.He said Trump’s statement was
reiteration of the fact that the world powers “were alive to the Kashmir issue
and desired a dialogue-based solution.”Geelani said, “US has to play its role
for the freedom of Kashmir. We are thankful to Pakistan for raising the issue
of Kashmir. It’s a long-pending dispute and has consumed more than 3
generations. It continues to threaten existence of yet another generation in
J&K,” said Geelani.thehindu
HC dismisses J&K Jamaat Prez’s plea against
PSA detention
The High Court on Monday dismissed 3 separate
petitions against detention orders of three persons under Public Safety Act
which included the detention of a Jamaat-e-Islami J&& Ameer (chief) Dr
Hameed Ganai popularly known as Hameed Fayaz.A bench of Justice Ali Muhammad
Magrey dismissed the petition of Dr Ganai after hearing his counsel Salih
Pirzada and the state Govt through its senior additional advocate general,
Javed Iqbal.“It is sometimes said in an uncivilized manner that law cannot bind
individual actions which are perceived as flaws by the large body of people,
but, the truth is and has to be that when the law withstands the test of the
constitutional scrutiny in a democracy, the individual notions are to be
ignored,” the court said, while dismissing the petition.greaterkashmir
Decide in 6 weeks plea seeking ban on use of
pellet guns, SC tells J&K HC
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has asked J&K
High Court to decide within six weeks the plea seeking ban on the use of pellet
guns for controlling street protests in the state. A bench headed by CJI Ranjan
Gogoi took note of a letter dated July 4 by Registrar General of the High Court
that the matter is listed for hearing on Tuesday before a division bench.PIL on
the issue was filed before the HC in 2016 by J&K High Court Bar Association
seeking stay on use of pellet guns as a large number of people had been killed
or injured due to its use. PTI
NIA raids 7 places in Kashmir in connection
with illegal money transfer through cross-LoC trade
Srinagar:NIA carried out searches at 7
locations in Pulwama and Srinagar against some businessmen in connection with
the cross-LoC trade, which is allegedly used by terror groups to send money for
spreading trouble in J&K, officials said.Among those raided were Tanveer
Wani, president of cross-LoC traders’ association at Pulwama in south Kashmir, they
said.PTI
Rajasthan HC acquits 6 Muslim men in 1996
Samleti blast case after spending 23 yrs in jail
23 years after 14 persons were killed and 37
injured in a bomb blast in a roadways bus near Samleti village in Dausa
district, the Rajasthan High Court on Monday acquitted 6 persons, including 5
residents of J&K, who were sentenced to life imprisonment by a lower court
in the case. The court upheld death penalty and life sentence pronounced to 2
convicts in 2014.The blast took place in a Rajasthan Roadways bus headed from
Agra to Bikaner on the Agra-Jaipur national highway on May 22, 1996, a day
after Delhi's Lajpat Nagar bomb blast which had led to the death of 13 persons.
A sessions court in Dausa district's Bandikui town had convicted 6 of the 8
accused of murder, conspiracy, damage to public property and violation of
Explosives Act and one of them only of conspiracy, while accepting the claim
made in the chargesheet that the J&K residents were associated with
JKLF.Abdul Hamid, a medical doctor and native of Firozabad in UP, was sentenced
to death as the prime accused.A Division Bench comprising Justice Sabina and
Justice Goverdhan Bardhar ruled that the prosecution had failed to prove any
connection of 6 persons with the conspiracy to carry out the Samleti blast.
Those acquitted were Javed Khan, Abdul Ghani, Latif Ahmed, Mohammed Ali Bhat,
Mirza Nisar Hussain (all from J&K) and Raees Baig, a resident of Agra.All
of them spent the last 23 years in jail without getting bail or parole.The
court maintained death sentence awarded to Hamid and life imprisonment awarded
to Salim alias Pappu, while giving credence to the evidence of the bus driver
and two policemen, travelling in the same bus, who had identified the prime
accused.Syed Shahid Hasan, counsel for J&K residents who had filed an appeal
against the Sept.29, 2014 judgment of the sessions court, said he had contended
that there was no evidence to link his clients with the incident and no
explosive material was recovered from them.“Despite their innocence, they were
branded Kashmiri militants and they spent 23 years behind bars, a period longer
than life imprisonment,” he said. thehindu
‘SIMI meeting’: SC notice on NIA plea
challenging acquittal of 5 accused
New Delhi:The Supreme Court has issued notice
on a plea by NIA challenging the acquittal of 5 men accused of organising a
meeting of the SIMI in Kerala’s Panayikkulam in Aug.2006.A bench headed by the CJI
issued the notice on the petition challenging the HC verdict of April 12 this
year. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appeared for the NIA.indianexpress
I want to start my life anew: freed Rais
Ahmed picked up by NIA on terror charges
New Delhi:I don't want to say anything. I am
satisfied after coming home. I hope my brother comes soon," said Rais
Ahmed, a native of Saidpur village in western UP. Ahmed was arrested on terror
charges by NIA.Earlier this month Rais was released from Tihar Jail as the
investigating agency was not able to prove the terror charges.Rais was arrested
in Dec. 2018 after NIA conducted raids in UP and Delhi and arrested 14 suspects
of Harkat-ul-Harb-e-Islam.Later on June 21 NIA filed chargesheets against 10
suspects. But the investigating agency did not file chargesheets under terror
charges against four accused -- Mohammad Irshad, Rais Ahmed, Jaid Malik and
Mohammad Azam. After spending six months in jail the four finally got bail in
early July. indiatoday
8 convicted in Haren Pandya murder case
surrender in Ahmedabad court
Ahmedabad :8 of the 12 convicted for the
murder of Haren Pandya, former BJP minister in the state, surrendered before a
special POTA court in Ahmedabad Monday. The court had issued an application of
warrant for nine convicted in the case.On July 5, the Supreme Court overturned
the acquittal of the accused persons by the Gujarat High Court in 2011.
indianexpress
Naravane next vice-chief of Army, may succeed Rawat
New Delhi: In top-level appointments in Army,
Eastern Command chief Lt-General Manoj Mukund Naravane has been named as the
next vice chief of the 13-lakh strong force, in an indication that he is likely
to succeed General Bipin Rawat when he retires on Dec. 31. The other top
appointments include Lt-Gen Anil Chauhan as the new chief of the Eastern
Command , while Lt-Gens A S Kler, I S Ghuman and R P Singh will head the
South-Western, Central and Western Commands respectively.
But it’s the posting of Lt-Gen Naravane, who
will replace Lt-Gen Devraj Anbu on August 31, which has evoked the maximum
interest. After Lt-Gen Naravane, the second in line for the Army chief’s post
is the present chief of Northern Command, Lt-Gen Ranbir Singh, who was the DG
of military operations during the “surgical strikes” in Myanmar and PoK. timesofindia
Behind Army’s WhatsApp order: Secret map,
other faux pas
New Delhi :A few months ago, a Brigadier was
in an operations room where he opened his smartphone to photograph a
fully-marked operational map. The officer, commanding a brigade, then sent it
on WhatsApp to his principal staff officer at the brigade headquarters to get a
similar map made.The staff officer in turn sent the picture to commanding
officers of battalions, and the secret operational map was soon all but
public.It was this incident — and a host of similar incidents of security
breaches over WhatsApp — which triggered last month’s order from Army HQ to all
officers to desist from indiscriminate use of any social media platform.indianexpress
Lok Sabha passes Bill amending RTI Act amidst
strong objection from Opposition
New Delhi: Lok Sabha on Monday passed the
Right to Information (Amendment) Bill, 2019 3 days after it was introduced.It
seeks to amend the landmark transparency law and bring in changes involving salaries
and tenures of Information Commissioners (ICs) at the States and Centre.As per
the amendment ICs — who currently have 5-year tenures — will have “terms as may
be prescribed by the central Govt” and salaries, instead of being on par with
that of Election Commission officials, will be decided by Central Govt.Speaker
Om Birla announced that the Bill was passed with 218 ‘yes’ votes as against 79
‘no’ votes.The Bill saw sharp opposition with allegations that the Govt was
trying to dilute the effectiveness of the law. Some MPs even called it ‘RTI
Elimination Bill.’Leader of Congress in House Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said,“The
amendments they (Centre) are trying to bring are dangerous. They are trying to
attack our democratic right to information. This Govt wants to keep a tab on
the Commission, and kill its freedom.”This Bill is removing the two greatest
armours of institutional independence and on top of that, by controlling State
Information Commissioners, by taking over the power to determine their
salaries,Central Govt is destroying it,”Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said. MP
Asaduddin Owaisi said the Bill is anti-federal.“It lacks competence. It takes
away the powers of the state.”thehindu
‘Diluting RTI Act to impact daily fight
against corruption’
House passes human rights bill amid opposition
concern
New Delhi:Protection of Human Rights
(Amendment) Bill, 2019, passed last week by Lok Sabha,was approved by Rajya
Sabha on Monday with home minister Amit Shah seeking to allay fears that the Govt
could influence appointments to human rights panels. Shah also said the
opposition should not look at every Govt decision with suspicion.While
opposition expressed concern that the bill sought to amend the term of office
of the chairperson and members of National Human Rights Commission and State
Human Rights Commissions from five years to 3 years, Shah said this was done only
to fill up vacancies. TOI
Parliament session extended by 10 working
days: Minister
https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/national/parliament-session-extended-by-10-working-days-minister
The ongoing Parliament session will be
extended by 10 more working days to complete the legislative business and the Govt's
target to pass at least 35 Bills, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi
said. "I officially announce that the Parliament session will be extended
for 10 more working days," Joshi said. Asked about the number of Bills to
be passed, the Minister said the Govt's target is to pass at least 35 Bills and
asserted that it "will pass all the Bills".With the extension of
sittings, the session will now conclude on Aug. 9.IANS
Cryptocurrency panel for ban on private
digital currencies, jail time of up to 10 years
New Delhi:The committee set up to look into
the legality of cryptocurrencies and blockchain has submitted its report to
Finance Ministry and recommended that private cryptocurrencies be banned
completely in India. It has also drafted a law, ‘Banning of Cryptocurrency
& Regulation of Official Digital Currency Bill, 2019’, which mandates a
fine and imprisonment of up to 10 years for offences.The committee, however,
said the Govt should keep an open mind on potential issuance of
cryptocurrencies by the RBI. thehindu
Maharashtra: 2 men threatened, forced to chant
‘Jai Shri Ram’, 2nd incident in 4 days in Aurangabad city
Aurangabad:2 men were allegedly threatened and
forced to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ in Aurangabad city by some unidentified persons,
the second such incident here in the last 4 days, the police said on Monday.The
incident, which took place on Sunday night at Azad Chowk, triggered tension in
the area, following which police stepped up security.A case has been registered
and search is on to nab the miscreants, an official said.Shaikh Amer (24), a
delivery boy with food ordering app Zomato, and his friend Shaikh Nasir (26)
were waiting to hire an auto-rickshaw when four to 5 men in a car allegedly
intercepted them, abused their religious identity and threatened to kill them
if they did not say ‘Jai Shri Ram’, he said. 2 men, out of fear, then chanted
‘Jai Shri Ram’, police official said, adding that later on seeing some
passersby, those in the car fled.The incident was captured on a CCTV camera and
the footage is being examined to identify the car, the official said, adding
that it was not clear if the miscreants were armed.PTI
All madrassas in country to hoist tricolour,
sing national anthem this Independence Day: RSS leader
Dehradun: RSS senior leader Indresh Kumar has
said that all madrassas in the country would "for the first time"
hoist tricolour, sing national anthem as well as Vande Mataram during the Independence
Day celebrations this year. Kumar was in Uttarakhand to participate in a series
of events organized by Rashtriya Suraksha Jagran Manch in Mussoorie on
Saturday.Kumar said, “Muslim Rashtriya Manch has been roped in to implement
this (hoisting tricolour) in all madrassas. Also, there would be events to tell
students about the contributions of our freedom fighters during Independence
movement.”TOI
Video of SP MLA communal appeal goes viral
Ghaziabad: In a video that went viral on
Monday, Nahid Hasan, SP MLA from Kairana, was heard making a communal appeal to
Muslims to not buy goods from shopkeepers close to the BJP. “Buy your grocery
from Jhijhana or Panipat [neighbouring towns]. If you take this pain for a
month, these shopkeepers would understand your value. Their homes run because
we buy goods from them. Still we have to suffer,” he was heard saying. He also
described the administration as “BJP-minded.” Later, he clarified that he was
speaking for the poor. “I was speaking for the vendors who were being forcibly
removed from the market by the administration that is biased towards the BJP
supporters,” he alleged.Shamli police have taken cognisance of the video.
thehindu
Advocate Paracha says teaching people to apply
for firearms because govts failed to protect them
New Delhi: Supreme Court lawyer Mahmood
Paracha, who had stated earlier that he would organise camps to provide help to
people from Muslims, SCs and ST communities in applying for firearm licenses on
Monday justified his comments and said Govts have failed in protecting them.He said,
"We are promoting Article 19 to 21 which is a constitutional right to
life. That is what we are asking people to do when the Govts have failed and I
don't know what the controversy is about. We are only teaching people to fill
up the form who don't know how to fill-up the form. What is worrying about
others in this?" On being asked why this call is for one particular
community only, he said, "Yes, there is a UN report from America that
there are minority communities which are being lynched and targeted in a very
organised manner. Hence these people will only get this right.These communities
deserve it as a matter of right across the country. We are not stopping anyone
but this licence cannot be given to people who don't deserve it."He
further elaborated on benefits of such camps and said, "Individuals who
today think that law enforcement agencies support them and they can kill
anybody on road, will now have the fear that their victim will be equipped to
protect themselves. This is going to reduce this kind of violence."ANI
Muzaffarnagar Acquittals: UP Govt. Should
Appeal or SC Should Take up Issue Suo Motu, Say Community Leaders, Activists
New Delhi:Aghast at the acquittals in all 40
cases related to murders,gang-rapes and rioting during Muzaffarnagar riots
2013, community leaders and human rights activists say these acquittals should
be challenged in higher court by UP Govt or the Supreme Court should take up
the issue suo motu.They also suggest that to avoid recurrence of such
acquittals in riots cases, community should create a fund to fight victims’
legal cases. Community should not sit at home after distributing relief to
victims, they say.Mohammad Salim Engineer, Vice President of Jamaat-e-Islami
Hind expressed concern on the acquittals.Dr. John Dayal talked about
shortcomings in the investigation system of the Police in the country and how
lack of protection to victims helps the accused. Delhi Minority Commission
Chairman Dr. Zafarul Islam Khan said, “these acquittals are part of a pattern.
Even in Gujarat, gradually all of the accused were acquitted and even those
police officers who were booked, walked free. It is our weakness that we don’t
fight legal battles which is as important as relief work.” Indiatomorrow
4 arrested in Jhansi for smuggling explosives
4 persons were arrested by the UP ATS and the
police in Jhansi for smuggling explosive material, the UP ATS said on
Sunday.One thousand detonators and 5,000 gelatin sticks were recovered from the
possession of the arrested, ATS said.ADG UP ATS said, "4 arrested persons
are Charan Singh (Jhansi), Deen Bandhu (Bhilwara,Rajasthan), Pushpendra Jha (Jhansi)
and Sitaram Pal (Tikamgarh, MP). Charan was earlier held in smuggling of
explosive material. He again indulged in activity after being released. ADG said,
"It seems motive (smuggling) was to use it in illegal mining. We were
worried about terror or Naxal activities."indiatoday
Petition in Kerala HC to revise Backward
Community List, grant Muslims benefits available to SC/ST
A petition has been filed in Kerala High Court
seeking revision of Kerala's backward community list and a declaration that the
Muslim community is entitled to all benefits available to SC/ST.The petition
has been filed by Minority Indians Planning and Vigilance Commission Trust
through advocate Haris Beeran. It has arraigned State of Kerala and Kerala
State Commission for Backward Classes as respondents.The petitioner contends
violations by State of Kerala in following the directions of the Supreme Court
in judgment of Indra Sawhney v. Union of India [1992 Suppl. (3) SCC 217] with
respect to representation and reservation of members of Muslim Minority
Community, SC, ST and also about 70 other backward classes in the matter of public
employment.barandbench
IMF cuts India’s growth forecast by 30 bps to 7%
IMF today revised downward India’s growth
forecast for 2019-20 by 30 basis points to 7%, as it sees weaker domestic
demand. In April, it had revised India’s growth projection by 20 basis
points.Over the last month, RBI as well as the chief economic adviser in the
finance ministry Krishnamurthy Subramanian and Asian Development Bank have also
revised downward their growth projections for India to 7%.“India’s economy is
set to grow at 7% in 2019, picking up to 7.2% in 2020.”livemint
India is facing a ‘silent fiscal crisis’ due
to shortfall in tax revenues, says adviser to PM Modi
India is facing a “silent fiscal crisis” due
to a shortfall in tax revenues, according to Rathin Roy, a member of the
Economic Advisory Council to the PM. “At the heart of the crisis is a shortfall
in tax revenues,” Bloomberg quoted Roy as saying on Monday. “It is mainly due
to a shortfall in GST revenues (but also personal income tax revenues),
compared to the numbers presented in the revised estimates.”According to Budget
documents, the Govt aims to collect $370 billion (Rs 25.53 lakh crore) in taxes
in the current financial year. “In my professional judgement, you will not able
to tax as much as has been forecast in 2019-’20 Budget,” Roy said at an event
in Delhi. “Therefore either you will have to borrow more or you will have to spend
less. If you borrow more than it has implications for overall economy, or you
spend less then it also have implications.”Roy urged the Govt to issue a white
paper on medium-term fiscal framework, saying it would be difficult to meet the
tax collection target for 2019-’20. scroll.in/PTI
Gujarat: BJP sweeps Junagadh municipal
election, Congress reduced to 1 seat
Ruling BJP scored a landslide victory in
Junagadh Municipal Corporation election today and bucked the trend to retain
power in the civic body by winning 54 out of 60 seats. The opposition Congress
which was vying to unseat BJP was decimated as it barely managed win one seat
even as NCP won 4.In the final result declared after counting of votes for 59
seats, BJP secured 54 seats. NCP got four while Congress tally was reduced to
just one. This is a significant shift in favour of the BJP as compared to 2014
JMC election when the BJP had won 41 seats, Congress 16, BSP 2 and while 1 seat
had gone to an Independent.
No.of men migrating for marriage doubles in decade
New Delhi: Migration for marriage remains
mostly a female compulsion, with women constituting almost 98% of those
migrating for this reason. But the number of men migrating for marriage more
than doubled between 2001 and 2011 censuses compared to a 33% rise in the
number of women doing so. The most number of men migrating for matrimony are in
the north-east and south India. TOI analysed the data for migration in 9 years
preceding the last two censuses. In almost all states, the proportion of men
migrating for marriage increased, with Meghalaya, TN, Mizoram, Kerala, Assam,
Manipur, Karnataka and AP recording the highest figures. TOI
WORLD
Boris Johnson vows to 'get Brexit done' as he
wins UK PM race
Boris Johnson has been elected leader of UK's
Conservative Party and, by default, country's next PM. Brexit hardliner, ex
London mayor, today won the votes of 92,153 members of the ruling party, while
his rival, Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt, won 46,656. Johnson is set to become PM
tomorrow, after Theresa May formally steps down.In his victory speech, the
55-year-old said his campaign message had been to "deliver Brexit, unite
the country and defeat [opposition Labour leader] Jeremy Corbyn - and that is
what we are going to do"."Do you look daunted? Do you feel daunted? I
don't think you look remotely daunted to me," Johnson told party members
at Queen Elizabeth ll conference centre in London. "We are going to get
Brexit done." Johnson has vowed to negotiate a new Brexit divorce deal
with EU before the scheduled Oct.31 deadline,but Brussels has insisted it will
not reopen negotiations. aljazeera
US working with Pak to find way out of Afghan
war says Trump; Imran says deal with Taliban possible
Washington:President Donald Trump voiced
optimism that Pakistani PM Imran Khan could help broker a political settlement
to end the nearly 18-year-old US war in Afghanistan and held out the
possibility of restoring aid to Islamabad.“I think Pakistan is going to help us
out to extricate ourselves,” Mr. Trump said, with Mr. Khan sitting next to him
at the start of a White House meeting. Trump spoke of possibly restoring $1.3
billion in American aid that he had cut last year, depending upon the results
of the meeting. Khan told Trump that a peace deal with the Taliban was closer
than it had ever been. “We hope that in the coming days we will be able to urge
the Taliban to speak to the Afghan Govt and come to a settlement, a political
solution,”Khan said in the Oval Office meeting.Washington wants Islamabad to
pressure Afghanistan’s Taliban into a permanent ceasefire and participation in
talks with the Afghan Govt.Reuters
US envoy to return to Afghan, Qatar for peace
talks
US peace envoy will travel to Afghanistan next
week and then Qatar to resume negotiations with Taliban and iron out a deal
that could end of military intervention,State Department said on Monday. Special
Representative to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad will leave next Monday for the
mission lasting through to Aug1 "as part of an overall effort to
facilitate a peace process that ends the conflict in Afghanistan,"State
Department said.In Kabul, he will discuss with the Afghan Govt the "next
steps in the peace process, including identifying a national negotiating team
that can participate in intra-Afghan negotiations," it added.He will then
travel to Doha, where "he will resume talks with the Taliban," it
said. aljazeera
Saudi tortures preacher after forcing to
confess
Prominent Saudi Sheikh Ali Al-Omari was again
subjected to torture in a royal prison at the end of May, Twitter account
Prisoners of Conscience revealed. The group noted that Al-Omari was subjected
to “more brutal” torture than he had before.Latest assault came as a result of
the disclosure of a secret interview conducted by Saudi TV 24 with Al-Omari in
which he said he is a “terrorist”.On 24 May 2018, the Twitter account said that
Saudi TV 24 was preparing to broadcast an interview which was conducted after a
round of torture and it included Al-Omari’s admitting that he is a “terrorist”.The
group, which Al-Omari allegedly pinpointed, included Sheikh Salman Al-Ouda,
Awad Al-Qarni, Abdel-Aziz Al-Fawzan, Jamal Khashoggi and others. The interview
was promoted in 2018, but it was not broadcasted because of Khashoggi’s
assassination. middleeastmonitor
Egypt:Denied medical care, 2 political
prisoners die
Egyptian political prisoner Omar Adel died in
Egypt’s Tora Prison at the age of 29.His family tried to visit him on Saturday
but were sent home after being told that Omar was being held in solitary
confinement as a punishment after they found him with a mobile phone. Since the
death of former President Morsi, prisoners have been subject to tightening
punitive measures, including a ban on family visits. Last week the price of
special permits to visit detainees went up by 500%.MEMO
'Lanka Muslim congress not to accept
ministerial portfolios until issues are resolved'
Colombo:Sri
Lanka Muslim Congress, an ally of the Govt said that they will not return to
the Govt and accept any portfolio until proper solutions are found for the
issues faced by the minority Muslims especially after the Easter Sunday
attacks.All Muslim ministers, including Cabinet, state and deputy ministers in Sri
Lankan Govt resigned from their ministerial portfolios on June 3 citing the Govt's
failure to ensure the safety of Muslims following the attacks.However,
parliamentarians Kabir Hashim and Abdul Haleem re-accepted their ministerial
portfolios on June 19. Muslim political parties have been raising concerns over
arrests of several Muslims.PTI
Syria: Assad,Russian strikes kill 50
people in Idlib
Idlib:The death toll from airstrikes carried
out by Russian and Syrian regime forces Monday morning in the de-escalation
zone in Idlib province rose to 50 civilians, according to White Helmets civil
defense agency. Russian jets struck a marketplace in the city of Maarat
Al-Numan in northern Idlib, killing 39 civilians, including a White Helmets
volunteer, sources from the civil defense agency said. Assad regime warplanes,
meanwhile, struck a marketplace in Saraqib in rural Idlib, local sources in the
field said. Anadolu Agency
Muslim Caucus to hold 1st meet amid
Trump's attacks
Washington:Muslim political leaders and
academics are set to gather in Washington, DC, today for what is being billed
as the first national gathering of Muslims in politics in United States
history.The historic moment comes as President Donald Trump and his supporters
ramp up attacks on Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, first 2 Muslim women in
Congress. Organised by Muslim Caucus, Muslim Collective for Equitable Democracy
2019 will feature appearances by representatives Omar, as well as a host of
other prominent Muslim American figures, including Gold Star father Khizr Khan
and Keith Ellison, first Muslim elected to Congress and current Minnesota
attorney general.But organisers are disappointed in the low turnout from major
Democratic presidential candidates.aljazeera
Ex-Israel spy admits lobbying US on behalf of
Sudan military council
A former Israeli spy has admitted to signing a
multi-million-dollar contract with Sudan’s Transitional Military Council to
lobby the US to support its rule.The deal was signed by Ari Ben-Menashe,a
67-year-old Israeli businessman based in Montreal, Canada, who heads “Dickens
& Madson” lobbying firm. Menashe is a former Israeli spy and boasts a long,
controversial career which has reportedly seen him lobby for African opposition
figures, witness US-Iranian hostage deals and execute arms deals.Dickens &
Madson recently signed a $6 million deal with Sudan’s Transitional Military
Council, which has ruled the country since former President Omar Al-Bashir was
ousted in April.middleeastmonitor
Amnesty: Israel’s mass demolition of Jerusalem
homes a ‘war crime’
Amnesty International slammed Israeli
authorities for the mass demolition of Palestinian homes in Sur Baher, and
urged the international community to take action.Israeli forces carried out a
longstanding military-issued demolition order yesterday morning, targeting a
number of buildings in the community that lies in both the occupied West Bank
and East Jerusalem. Dozens of residential apartments were destroyed.In its
statement, the global human rights organisation pulled no punches in condemning
the home demolitions. MEMO
Flash: NEWS, views, Articles
What does it mean to oppose Brahmanism?Rajeev Bhargava
6 reasons why the Economic Survey’s
presentation of MGNREGA is misleading:Rajendran Narayanan ,R. Swamy
Dainik Bhaskar, OpIndia Falsely Report Scuffle
as a Communal Incident Perpetrated by Muslims
Humans of Assam: ‘If they want to send me to
Bangladesh, so be it’:Arunabh Saikia
Arvind Subramanian’s paper, other micro data,
suggest an impending economic slowdown: K. Basu
True or False, Trump Kashmir Bombshell Raises
Questions About Modi’s Political Judgment: Siddharth Varadarajan
Bhima Koregaon: Of 230 required copies of
evidence, only 4 made in 2 months:Sukanya Shantha
Compiled and edited by
Anwarulhaq
(Released at: 6:55 PM)
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