21
OCT. 2019: 21 Safar 1441: Vol: 12, No: 42
INDIA: ASSEMBLY POLLS
Assembly polls in Haryana, Maharashtra show lower
voter turnout compared to 2014;
New
Delhi: The voter turnout in both Maharashtra and Haryana showed a slump in
today's assembly polls as compared to 2014, indicating that the BJP could hold
on to power in both the states.While Maharashtra registered a provisional voter
turnout of 60.05% until 6 pm, down from 63.08% in 2014, Haryana scored 65%,
down from 76.54% in the previous election. Traditional logic dictates that the
incumbent Govt is likely to continue in power if fewer people turn out to vote.
Election Commission released these figures even as exit polls showed BJP-led
alliances returning to power in both the states, in some instances registering
wide-margin victories over their electoral rivals. In Maharashtra, an aggregate
of various exit polls gave BJP-Shiv Sena alliance 211 of the state's 288 seats
and Congress-NCP just 64 constituencies. In Haryana, it predicted that the BJP
is likely to win 66 of 90 seats while the Congress scores 14.Haryana's
Gurugram, which figures in the national capital region, registered a voter
turnout of just 51.20% as compared to 64.11% in 2014 assembly elections.
Mumbai, which has traditionally scrimped on voting, performed even worse at
44.78%. Mumbai's voter turnout remained below 50% in elections held between
1999 and 2009, but improved its tally slightly in 2014 to cross the halfway
mark. This year, the city registered its highest-ever turnout in the general
elections with 55 % people coming out to exercise their voting rights. Today's
performance, however, belied any hope that its voters have turned a new leaf. NDTV
Moderate Voting, Sporadic Violence, EVM Glitches Mark Polling in Haryana, Maharashtra
https://thewire.in/politics/moderate-voting-sporadic-violence-evm-glitches-mark-polling-in-haryana-maharashtra
https://thewire.in/politics/moderate-voting-sporadic-violence-evm-glitches-mark-polling-in-haryana-maharashtra
Exit polls point to BJP’s return in Maharashtra,
Haryana with ‘bigger mandate’
BJP
looks set to return to power in Maharashtra and Haryana as the exit polls
forecast a thumping majority for the saffron party and its allies in both the
states while predicting a gloomy picture for the Congress. All the 5 pollsters
predicted a return to office for Devendra Fadnavis and Manohar Lal Khattar,
giving more than two-third seats for BJP-led NDA in Maharashtra and
Haryana.India Today-Axis exit poll projected 166-194 seats for the BJP-Shiv
Sena combine and 72-90 for the Congress-NCP alliance in the 288-member
Maharashtra assembly.News18-IPSOS exit poll gave the BJP-Shiv Sena 243 seats,
with the BJP getting 141 out of it on its own. The poll predicted Congress and
NCP to bag 17 and 22 seats respectively. Times Now gave BJP-Shiv Sena 230 seats
and predicted 48 seats for Congress-NCP.TV9 Marathi-Cicero poll survey
predicted 197 seats for BJP-Shiv Sena while gave Congress-NCP 75 seats. ABP-C
Voter predicted 204 seats for the BJP-Shiv Sena and 69 for the Congress-NCP.In
Haryana, the BJP is likely to achieve Mission 75 as predicted by Manohar Lal
Khattar and return to power with a bigger mandate in the 90-seat Assembly. In
Haryana, ABP-C Voter forecast 72 and 8 seats for the BJP and the Congress
respectively. CNN-IPSOS projected 75 seats for BJP and 10 seats for Congress. The
poll of polls gave the BJP and Congress 66 and 14 seats respectively in
Haryana. In Maharashtra, it gave 211 and 64 to the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance and Congress-NCP
respectively.indianexpress
BJP set to retain power in Maharashtra, Haryana,
show most exit polls
Congress claims several EVMs malfunctioning across
Maharashtra
Mumbai:
Maharashtra Congress on Monday claimed that EVMs were malfunctioning in several
booths across the state. “We have been sitting here in Congress war room since
6 am and have received many complaints of EVMs not functioning properly in
various polling booths, some of which were even changed after the complaint,”
Avinash Pandey Congress general secretary and the party’s war room in-charge in
Mumbai told ANI.Pandey gave the example of a polling booth in the Ramtek
assembly constituency.“For example, in booth number 337 in Ramtek assembly
seat, a complaint came that while the button against one party’s symbol was
being pressed VVPAT showed the symbol of another party. This is a serious
fault,” Pandey said.ANI
Haryana: Rahul tweets video of BJP MLA claiming
EVMs are manipulated, calls him ‘most honest’
Congress
leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday tweeted a video clip of a BJP MLA declaring that
the votes will be cast in favour of the ruling party irrespective of which
button is pressed on the Electronic Voting Machine.MLA, identified as Bakshish
Singh Virk, represents Assandh constituency in the Haryana Assembly.“The most
honest man in BJP,” Gandhi said in a tweet with the video. His comments came as
voting was underway in Haryana Assembly elections.In the 39-seconds video, Virk
is heard saying that he would get to know who the people voted for, as both PM
Narendra Modi and Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar were “very intelligent”. He
also claimed that EVMs were manipulated, NDTV reported. “You may vote for
whoever you want, your vote will go to the kamal [lotus, BJP’s poll symbol]
only,” he told the audience. “Press any button, the vote will go to BJP. We
have fixed a purja [part] in EVM machines.”On Sunday, Election Commission
issued a notice to Virk for his comments, and also appointed a special observer
to the constituency to take “corrective action”, PTI reported. Virk, however,
claimed that it was fake video and alleged conspiracy by his rivals to defame
him and BJP.scroll.in
“Modi ji’s eyes are very sharp.. You press any
button, votes will go to BJP because we have fixed ‘purza’ in EVMs: BJP MLA in
video
BSP leader throws ink at EVMs in polling booth in
Maharashtra, shouts ‘EVM machine murdabad’
A
video of a BSP leader throwing ink at EVMs inside a polling booth in Maharashtra
has gone viral on social media platforms. The video was believed to have been
shot during today’s assembly polls in the western Indian state.In the viral
video, BSP’s Sunil Khambe is seen throwing ink at the voting machines while
raising EVM machine murdabad and EVM machine nahi chalega slogans. Khambe,
according to ANI, was later taken into custody by police.jantakareporter
Bypoll Battle for 51 Assembly, 2 Lok Sabha Seats: A
Test of BJP's Popularity?
New
Delhi: 51 assembly seats and 2 Lok Sabha constituencies across 18 states went
to the polls on Monday. While the outcome is expected to be determined by
regional factors, BJP has tried hard to project it as a referendum on its
campaign around national security and the Modi Govt’s decision to dilute
Article 370 and bifurcate the state of J&K into union territories. The
saffron party is seeking re-election in 30 of 51 seats, while the Congress is
fighting to retain 12. The remaining seats were held by different regional
parties. thewire
Assembly bypolls: Muslim, Dalit voters, ‘outsider’
tag make Gangoh a tough fight for BJP
Dehradun:
Bypoll for Gangoh Assembly segment in UP on Monday is a tough contest for BJP
as the electorate comprises Muslims and Jatav Dalits in large numbers. Also,
BJP candidate, who is not from Gangoh, is up against local heavyweights.Out of
the nearly 3.69 lakh voters in Gangoh 1.20 lakh are Muslims and 80,000 Dalits.
Most of these Dalits are Jatavs, considered traditional voters of BSP. Gujjars
too make a large share, but among them are 57,000 Muslims. BJP is pinning hopes
on Hindu Gujjars and other upper castes to retain the seat it won in 2017 when
BJP’s Pradeep Kumar defeated Congress’s Nauman Masood. Pradeep’s election to
Lok Sabha necessitated the bypoll. Nauman, twin brother of ex Congress MLA
Imran Masood, is once again the party candidate. He is also the chairman of
Gangoh Nagar Palika.SP candidate Indrasen is son of former minister Chaudhary
Yashpal Singh and BSP nominee Mohammad Irshad is an ex Zila Panchayat chairman
and a Gujjar.BJP’s district general secretary Kirat Singh is contesting his
first election. “Another drawback is that Kirat is from Rampur Maniharan
outside Gangoh. Other prominent candidates are from Gangoh,” said a BJP
leader.BJP leader added, “If Muslims unite in support of any candidate to
defeat BJP, election will become tough for us. Another concern is that BJP’s
traditional voters do not take much interest in bypolls. BJP has lost bypolls
in the past due to low turnout.”SP, BSP and Congress are focusing on police
encounters and hiked fines after changes to Motor Vehicles Act.indianexpress
Bypolls: Despite 84 FIRs, Azam Khan factor strong
in Rampur
Rampur:This
high-profile constituency is synonymous with one name for nearly 2 decades-
Azam Khan, who has won it 9 times in the past. Now campaigning for his wife,
who is ready to step into his shoes, he gets emotional about BJP's all-out
effort to stop this formidable Muslim leader in his bastion.No less than 84
FIRs have been lodged against him ever since he became an MP in May this year
and the seat fell vacant. The charges range from land-grabbing to theft. While
Azam accused the administration and police of targeting his family, BJP terms
it all a 'nautanki'. Holding campaign in minority-dominated localities for the
first time, BJP candidate Bharat Bhushan reminds people how Azam "harassed
them when he was a powerful minister". Rampur constituency has never sent
non-Muslim or BJP candidate to assembly since 1952. In this four-cornered
fight, BSP has fielded Zubair Masood Khan while Arshad Ali Khan is Congress
candidate but locals believe that the main poll issue is Azam and 84 FIRs. TOI
J&K ISSUE & SOUTH asia
J&K: Modi govt forcing detainees to sign a bond
ensuring their silence on ‘recent events’
J&K
Govt has been asking its detainees to sign a bond that prohibits them from
speaking against the “present times” in the state; thus asking them not to
speak against Article 370’s abrogation or the communication clampdown.This
bond, that the State is compelling detainees, including top politicians to sign
is mandatory for their release. As per the bond, they cannot speak against “the
recent events” in J&K, which seems like an obvious reference to the recent
abrogation of Article 370.Senior lawyers and activists allege that the bond is
a modified version of the document that potential troublemakers are asked to
sign normally, under Section 107 of CRPC. The Kashmiri detainees will have to
undertake that they will “not make any comment(s) or issue statement(s) or make
public speech(s) hold or participate in public assembly(s) related to recent
events in the state of J&K, at the present time, since it has the potential
of endangering the peace and tranquillity and law and order in the state or any
part thereof for a period of one year”.The bond asks them to then pay ₹10,000
as surety and then, ₹40,000 in case of a breach. Potential troublemakers
normally sign a Section 107 bond, which is called the “Bond to keep peace” but
this new version asks the signatories not to “comment, or issue statements or
make public speeches or participate in public assemblies, related to recent
events in state of J&K.”Rights activist Khurram Parvez said there were
about 5,000 to 6,000 people detained during 75-day-old media clampdown, a
number of whom have been released under this bond.The Govt has refused to
reveal number of detentions during the period but claims it is far less.
Khurram said the Govt was also forcing 5 to 20 people to sign a community bond.
Telegraph recently spoke to the family of a 9-year-old boy, the youngest victim
of the clampdown, who was allegedly detained for two days. The family was
forced to bring around 20 people — relatives and acquaintances — to give it in
writing that the boy would not commit any offence in future.General Bashir denies
having any information about this bond, as per the report in Telegraph.High
Court lawyer Altaf Khan, who is the counsel for two women who were released
after being forced to sign the bond recently, called it illegal and a
contradiction of the Constitution. Khan added that 2 women were also asked to
sign an affidavit apologising for protesting and to promise that they would not
repeat the action.Iltija Mufti, daughter of Mehbooba, claimed, also tweeted
from Mehbooba’s account that “the authorities are also blackmailing them
[political detainees] to sign ‘bonds’ under which a gag order will be imposed
& political activities will be banned”.nationalheraldindia
In Kashmir, Freedom at a Price: Go Back to Jail if
You Speak or Comment on Article 370
Ram Madhav ‘gun’ slur on jailed Kashmir leaders
Srinagar:BJP
national general secretary Ram Madhav has accused Kashmir’s jailed mainstream
politicians of instigating people to pick up arms against the Indian state,
levelling the most damning allegations yet by any senior BJP functionary
against the so-called pro-India camp.Addressing a party convention, the first
public meeting in the Valley by any prominent BJP face since August 5, Madhav
advised the jailed leaders on how to do politics.“Do politics on (demand for)
early restoration of statehood.But don’t send secret messages from the SKICC
saying the gun needs to be picked up. This is not politics,” Madhav told his
audience of less than 300 at Srinagar’s Tagore Hall.“SKICC” at Centaur Hotel
where nearly a dozen politicians are detained, among them Ali Mohammad Sagar,
Naeem Akhtar, Sajjad Lone and Shah Faesal.Akhtar and Lone were ministers in
PDP-BJP Govt that collapsed last year. Lone and Faesal lost their fathers to
militants’ bullets.Madhav offered no evidence for his allegation. Nor did any
Valley politician come out to defend their jailed colleagues. “If keeping
200-300 leaders behind bars helps maintain peace, let them be there for some
time,”Madhav said.telegraphindia
Abdullahs don’t want to be released before others,
signal consensus among parties
Srinagar:
In an indication of the future of politics in the Valley, ex J&K CM Omar
Abdullah and his father and National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah have
asked their party men not to seek legal remedy for their release unless other
detained leaders in state are released too.NC leader and Anantnag MP Justice
(retd) Hasnain Masoodi said, “We asked them if they wanted us to find any legal
remedy for their release. They responded by saying absolutely not. Both of them
said that unless and until all political leaders are not released, they too
would prefer to remain under arrest.”Masoodi made the comments after a meeting
with the father-son duo.While there was talk within the state administration in
the second week of October about the release of NC general secretary Ali Sagar,
the latter refused to engage saying he would only agree to it if senior leaders
from PDP are released along with him, said a source who didn’t wish to be
named.NC leaders’ move, however, is not an isolated one.To not seek a legal
remedy for detention is part of a larger strategy that is being adopted by
mainstream politicians in the Valley who are likely to raise a united front
against Modi Govt’s decision to scrap Article 370, ThePrint has learnt.
On 75th Day of Lockdown in Kashmir, A Protest in
Delhi for Peace and Freedom in Kashmir
New
Delhi;A citizens’ protest was organised here at Jantar Mantar near Parliament
House on Saturday to protest against 75 days of lockdown in J&K. Over 200
activists, academics, intellectuals, prominent citizens and students attended
the protest. Over 30 representatives of various organisations, intellectuals,
activists, artists spoke and performed at the event. Those who spoke included
Annie Raja, National Genera Secretary, NFIW, Maimoona Mollah, President, AIDWA,
Delhi, Revati Laul, independent journalist, D Raja, CPI, Tikendra Panwar,
CPI(M), Shabnam Hashmi social activist Anhad, Aliya Shah Mubarak, Shaikh
Abdulla's granddaughter.“Recognising that peoples of J&K are facing a
repressive onslaught, and that their lives and liberty are at risk, we,
concerned citizens of India on this 75th day of the abrogation of Article 370
& 35A and lockdown of Kashmir, register our protest through poetry, songs
of resistance and solidarity with the peoples of J&K,”organizers said in an
open and joint statement.The signatories included: J Vijayan, N Sai Balaji,
Annie Raja, Shabnam Hashmi, Maimoona Mollah and Nandita Narain.India Tomorrow
J&K: 125 projects cleared on forest land since
August, only 97 approved last year
Forest
Advisory Committee of the J&K administration has granted clearances to 125
projects involving diversion of forest land for other purposes between August
and October, environmental magazine Down To Earth reported on Monday.“In 117th
meeting held on Oct.17, 2019, 41 projects were cleared [by the Forest Advisory
Committee],” Manoj Kumar Dwivedi, commissioner secretary to the forest,
environment and ecology department of J&K, was quoted as saying. “In 116th
meeting, 54 projects were cleared and in the 115th meeting, 30 projects were
cleared. These clearance recommendations will be sent to the J&K cabinet
and then finalised.” These meetings were held between August and Oct.Dwivedi
did not share the full details of the projects to be implemented following
clearance for diversion of forest land. However, he said that in 117th meeting,
around 271 hectares of forest land was decided to be diverted for development
projects like laying of transmission lines and drilling of tube wells.The number
of clearances issued from August to Oct this year is higher than the total
number of clearances issued last year. In 2018, just 97 clearances were issued
in eight meetings. However, forest rights advocacy platform Community Forest
Rights-Learning and Advocacy took objection to the clearances. “Diversion of
forest land without the consent of local communities and gram sabhas cause
violation of their forest rights,” Tushar Dash, a member of the organisation said.
scroll.in
'We will enter Pakistan if it continues to...':J&K
governor Malik
J&K
Governor Satya Pal Malik today said that India won't hesitate in entering
Pakistan and destroying terror camps if the latter continues to aid and
facilitate terrorists' entry into the Indian territory. Malik's diatribe
against Pakistan comes a day after Chief of the Army Staff, General Bipin
Rawat, claimed 6 to 10 Pakistani soldiers had been killed and at least 3 terror
camps destroyed opposite Tangdhar and Keran sectors in J&K in retaliatory
action by the Indian forces. Malik said: "If we are not going act, they
(Pakistan) will continue what they have been doing all this while," adding
"they might even do it even more." "We will obliterate all
terror camps, and if they don't desist from such acts, we will go inside,"
Malik said. Earlier today, Pak military spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor
said Indian Army's assertion that it targeted terror camps in PoK was false. He
said India is welcome to take any foreign diplomat or media to the site to
prove its claim on ground. "Indian Army chief's statement claiming
destruction of 3 alleged camps is disappointing as he holds a very responsible
appointment," Ghafoor said. "There are no camps let alone targeting
those. Indian Embassy in Pakistan is welcome to take any foreign diplomat/
media to â proveâ it on the ground,"he said. Ghafoor said that
"propensity of false claims by senior Indian military leadership
especially since Pulwama incident is detrimental to peace in the region."
Such false claims by the Indian Army are being made to suit vested domestic
interests. This is against professional military ethos, Ghafoor
said.outlookindia
Pakistan stops postal mail to India, New Delhi
slams move as violative of international norms
New
Delhi : In signs of worsening of relations between the two countries, Pakistan
has stopped postal mails from and to India, a move that New Delhi slammed as a
violation of established international norms.Pakistan has not accepted any
postal consignment from India after 27 August in a move seen as a retaliation
of scrapping of special status for J&K.Communications and IT Minister Ravi
Shankar Prasad, who is also in-charge of the postal department, said Islamabad
resorted to stopping postal mail services unilaterally and without giving any
prior notice to India. "Pakistan's decision is directly in contravention
of world postal union norms. But Pakistan is Pakistan," Prasad said.With Pakistan
refusing to accept and send mails through the post, from and to India, Indian
postal authorities have been compelled to put mail addressed to the country on
hold.Reports suggest Pakistani correspondence was reaching India through
services provided by the Saudi Arabian airlines.Prasad confirmed reports that
the postal services have stopped for the last two months.Pakistan has, without
any prior notice or information, stopped sending postal department's letters to
India, prompting India to act accordingly, the minister said.PTI
Kartarpur agreement to be signed on Oct.23: MEA
Ministry
of External Affairs today said that the Govt is ready to sign Kartarpur
agreement on October so that the corridor can be opened on Nov.12. The Govt
has, however, urged Pakistan to reconsider its stand to levy service fee of $20
on pilgrims. “In view of the long pending demand of pilgrims to have visa free
access to Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib and in the interest of operationalisation
of Kartarpur Corridor in time before Nov.12, Govt conveys that we would be
ready to sign Agreement on Kartarpur Sahib Corridor on Oct.23,” MEA said.indianexpress
Manmohan would never visit on Pakistan’s invite: Congress
Congress
has said that former PM Manmohan Singh would never go to Pakistan on the
invitation of the Govt of the neighbouring country. Congress spokesman Pranav
Jha, however, said that Singh, as a pilgrim, will be a part of first jattha
(group) that will visit the Kartarpur gurdwara along with other Indian
dignitaries.He said if Singh had to go for the inauguration ceremony, the
invitation has to come from Indian Govt and not on one from Pakistan. “Remember
he [Singh] never visited Pakistan even once,” said Jha. Earlier in the day,
Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that former Indian PM
Manmohan Singh was welcome to attend Kartarpur Corridor inauguration as “a
common man”. HT
With Pan-Islamism, Turkey has Become One of Pak’s
Strongest Allies:CNN-News18
New
Delhi: Somewhere in Pakistan, a Turkish couple sat in a café. The woman spoke
on a mobile phone, her phone cover painted in the red and white hues of the
Turkish flag. Behind her on the wall hung a picture of Pakistan’s founder
Muhammad Ali Jinnah. The man asked the waiter for the bill. The waiter went up
to the manager and told him, in Urdu, that the couple who had just asked for
the bill is from Turkey. The manager quietly handed him a note, which the
waiter then handed over to the couple. “Our treat to Turkey,” the note read.
The confused couple looked up at the Pakistani waiter who then smiled and said,
“Paisay Erdogan sahib nay day diye (Erdogan has settled your bill).”This scene
was a part of a Turkish TV ad in 2017, a year before Turkey went to polls. The
ad also comprised of scenes from different parts of the Islamic world to
emphasise to Turks how they had come to be admired by Muslims from all over the
world ever since Tayyip Erdogan became their leader. As Turkey’s negotiations
to become part of the European Union hit a brick wall, Erdogan has turned his
attention to the Islamic world. In these efforts, Pakistan emerged as a major
strategic partner. With a clear wish to be a leader for all Muslims, Erdogan
found in Imran Khan an ally. It is in this context that Erdogan said "8
million people are under siege" in the Kashmir Valley, which prompted
India to cancel PM Narendra Modi's scheduled trip to Ankara and call off a $
2.3 billion defense deal.“It’s a relationship based on historical ties as well
as mutual understanding on practical concerns,” said Qamar Cheema, Pak-based
geopolitical strategist. In fact, Cheema said, Turkey is Pakistan’s strongest
ally in addition to China. “Pan-Islamism is the binding factor of this new
Turkey-Pakistan relationship,” ex Indian Diplomat Vishnu Prakash said. “Erdogan
has painted himself as a kind of moderate Islamist leader who has clipped the
wings of secularists in Turkey. His is a left-of-center moderate Islamist
ideology. He has dreams of being a global Islamic leader now that his dreams of
being part of EU are dashed and Turkey’s honeymoon with the West is over.”When
Pakistan’s fate hung in the balance at FATF this Friday, a crucial vote from
Turkey neutralized Indian and American efforts to have it blacklisted.
Pizza dough to lipstick to biodiesel — India needs
Malaysia’s palm oil but traders wary now
Palm
oil traders in India are treading cautiously in dealing with Malaysia following New Delhi’s threats to impose trade
restrictions on palm oil imports from the country. The threat comes in the wake
of Malaysian PM Mahathir Bin Mohamad’s statements against India’s Kashmir
policy, at UN last month.India had already levied 5 % safeguard duty on imports
of refined palm oil from Malaysia for 180 days on 5 Sept., following the
recommendation of Directorate General of Trade Remedies, the commerce
ministry’s investigation arm. DGTR had cited a probe for its decision, claiming
there was an alleged jump in imports of the product from Malaysia, after a
complaint from Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEA).It raised the
customs levy on the product to 50 % for 6 months from the existing 40 % on
crude palm oil and 45 % on refined palm oil. That, however, was before
Mahathir’s speech at UNGA on 28 Sept . That irked New Delhi and palm oil
traders now fear an impending quantitative import restriction, which they say
might slash their profits by at least 20 %.“Even the imposition of the
safeguard duty doesn’t hurt our import prospects that much because of the free
trade agreement between the two countries,” a Mumbai trader who imports palm
oil from Malaysia told ThePrint. “But it is the impending quantitative import
restriction that we fear might slash our profit by at least 20 %,” said the
trader who did not wish to be named.The trader said he has already cancelled
his previous two months of orders due to a surplus stockpile of refined edible
palm oil. “However, from next month onwards I have to find a supplier from
either Indonesia or Thailand,” he added. According to World Wide Fund for
Nature (WWF) estimate, Indonesia and Malaysia together make 87 % of the global
palm oil production. Indonesia produces 33,000,000 MT of palm oil annually
followed by Malaysia, which produces 19,500,000 MT of product in a
year.Narendra Taneja, co-chairman of Hydrocarbons Committee of the Federation
of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, told ThePrint, “Currently India
imports its palm oil primarily from Malaysia and the rest from Indonesia.”Not
only India but a large part of world depends heavily on the palm oil due to its
diverse use ranging from cooking oil to pizza dough, detergent, shampoo,
lipstick, chocolate and even biodiesel. In India, palm oil is used as the most
common cooking medium (Vanaspati).
theprint
ECONOMY
Gross tax revenue for 2019-’20 may fall short by Rs
2 lakh crore: Report
An
internal assessment by the Centre has revealed that gross tax revenue for the
2019-’20 financial year may fall short by around Rs 2 lakh crore. Union Budget
for the year had estimated the revenue to be around Rs 24.6 lakh crore. The
assessment was informally shared with 15th Finance Commission, unidentified
officials told Business Standard. The commission had asked Ministry of Finance
to give it a revised memorandum, due to the growth slowdown and present
economic situation.Gross tax revenue for 2018-’19 had also fallen short of the
target. Actual gross tax revenue had been Rs 20.8 lakh crore, as against
estimate of Rs 22.7 lakh crore.scroll.in
BSNL CMD expects revival plan to be in public
domain within a month
The
Govt’s plan to revive BSNL should be in public domain within a month, the
chairman of the troubled telecom firm said today.BSNL Chairman and MD PK Purwar
also said that the salary of all employees will be paid before Diwali.“BSNL has
inner strength on the basis of which it is adding new customers. We are a Rs
20,000 crore plus revenue generating organization. We are passing through
turbulent phase which we expect to overcome in a couple of months,” Purwar said
while responding to a query on the survival of the company in wake of delay of Govt
decision to revive PSU.He later said that “2 month is a long time, it (revival
plan) should be in public domain within a month.” PTI
MP: 40% drop in unemployment under Congress Govt,
says survey
There
is some good news amid the economic slowdown. At a time when the country is
facing an unprecedented rise in joblessness, Madhya Pradesh under the rule of
the Congress party has set a reverse trend.According to a survey conducted by
the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), unemployment has dropped
sharply in Madhya Pradesh in the last nine months, indicating rapid job
creation.Mumbai-based CMIE has stated that unemployment, which was at its peak
of 7% in Dec 2018, dropped to 4.2% by the end of September 2019. In contrast to
trends in Madhya Pradesh, unemployment climbed to 8.1% by October in the
country, claimed the report.Enthused by the findings of the survey, the CM’s
office said that in less than a year, the Govt has succeeded in reducing
unemployment by 40% in MP. “Employment has been increasing in MP. Kamal Nath
govt has trounced unemployment. In a short stint of 10 months, Govt has succeeded
in reducing unemployment rate by 40%. In 2018, joblessness was at 7%, which has
now declined to 4.2%. This is the result of able leadership of Kamal
Nath,”tweeted CMO.nationalheraldindia
PMC Bank: Money stuck for over a month, depositors
stare at uncertain future
Nearly
a month after RBI clamped down on operations of scam-hit PMC Bank, the
depositors say their woes have only worsened, with some unable to pay school
fees of their wards, while others finding it difficult to meet medical
expenses.Many fear that they might lose their lifetime earnings deposited in
savings accounts, or in the form of fixed deposits.Businessmen like MA
Chaudhary complained that they were unable to either pay salaries to their
workers, nor pay taxes or even electricity bills after the cheques issued by
PMC Bank bounced.So far, 3 depositors have lost their lives, apparently due to
the crisis. Tek Chand (71), a retired Govt servant and a resident of Janakpuri
in west Delhi, said his family has over Rs 18 lakh deposited in the Tilak Nagar
branch of the bank.His wife has to undergo dialysis which costs him Rs 10,000
per month and half his monthly pension goes into it.There are many like Chand
whose source of sustenance is the interest they get from their fixed
deposits.Anuradha Sen (61), a resident of Malviya Nagar in south Delhi, said
she deposited Rs15 lakh in bank."My livelihood is dependent on the
interest from it,"she said.PTI
Ex-CVC on Reliance Industries board ‘unfortunate’
Congress
leader Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at ex central vigilance commissioner K.V.
Chowdary joining the board of Reliance Industries, saying it was “unfortunate”
and there should be something called conscience.“Actions of people who have
been appointed to be custodians of integrity in public life have not only to be
proper but seen to be proper. This is undesirable and unfortunate,” Ramesh said
in a tweet. “Certainly there should be something called conscience,” he
said.PTI
Over 75% of Indians have personal wealth below
$10,000: Report
Although
India ranks fifth globally in terms of ultra-rich population — those with
wealth in excess of $50 million — 78 % of the adult population have personal
wealth less than $10,000 or about Rs 7,30,000, according to the latest Credit
Suisse report on global wealth. The numbers look better as compared to last
year, where about 91% were at the bottom of the pyramid with personal wealth of
less than $10,000. Interestingly, only a small fraction of the population —
1.8% of adults or 15.6 million people — enjoy a net worth of $1,00,000 and
continue to own a lion’s share of India’s total wealth that increased 4-fold
between 2000 and 2019, reaching $12.6 trillion this year.This shows that
India’s rich are becoming wealthier, adding 10.8 million people in the bracket,
as in 2018 only 0.6 % of adults or 4.8 million people had a net worth of
$1,00,000. This also portrays the rising income inequality in the country, with
only 4,460 adults having wealth over $50 million and 1,790 cornering more than
$100 million. Credit Suisse report has also estimated that millionaires in
India could number 1.2 million in 2024, increasing by 56 % over the next five
years. “India is expected to grow its wealth very rapidly and add USD 4.4
trillion in just five years, an increase of 43 %,” the report further said. indianexpress
OTHERS
Muslim Personal Law Board moves SC challenging
criminalisation of Triple Talaq
New
Delhi: All India Muslim Personal Law Board on Monday moved the Supreme Court
challenging the criminalisation of Triple Talaq.The petition was filed by
advocate M R Shamshad on the behalf of the law board.The Act makes instant
triple talaq a cognizable offense and attracts up to three years of
imprisonment and a fine.Under the act, an accused can be arrested without a warrant.
ANI/ news 18
SC Allows Muslim Parties to Bring on its Record
Written Note in Babri Masjid Land Case
New
Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday allowed Muslim parties, including UP Sunni
Wakf Board, to file their written note in the decades-old Babri Masjid land
dispute case, in which they have submitted that the verdict will have
"consequences" for the future polity of the country.A lawyer for the
Muslim parties in the case said that various parties and the apex court
registry had raised objection to the filing of the written note in sealed
cover."We have now served our written note to all the parties on
Sunday," the lawyer said and asked the bench to direct its registry to
take their note on record.The bench which also comprise justices S A Bobde and
S A Nazeer, however, pointed out that the contents of the written note, filed
in the sealed cover have already been reported in some sections of media.PTI
Assam: Cattle rearer killed, one injured after
allegedly refusing to donate money to tribal group
The
police in Assam’s Dibrugarh district have launched a search operation to arrest
those responsible for killing a cattle rearer last week, Indian Express
reported. The accused allegedly belong to the students’ body of a tribal
community.District police officials said the cattle-rearing community in a
remote sandbar in Dibrugarh was attacked for refusing to pay donation for the
foundation day celebrations of Takam Mising Porin Kebang, the students’ body of
the Mising tribe.“A hunt is on to nab the accused, most of whom have fled to
other districts,” said SP Gautam Borah.“Group had submitted a letter,
requesting donation. Villagers here claimed to have detained two boys of the
group which had come to serve the letter.”The members of the students’ group
allegedly attacked the villagers in large numbers of Oct.19, and burnt their
homes. “One person, Murali Yadav, aged around 55, succumbed to injuries,” Borah
said. “Another person was also injured in the attack and is undergoing
treatment.”Dibrugarh DCP Pallav Gopal Jha said area was calm at present. He
added that the police were hopeful of making arrests soon, and were planning to
compensate the victim’s kin.“We have placed a demand of Rs 10 lakh compensation
and a job for kin of the deceased,”said All Assam Bhojpuri Parishad head
Kailash Gupta. “Also, there should be a police outpost near village – it is
very remote.”scroll.in/ Indian Express
Transfer of school headmaster over poem: Will write
to authorities to bring him back, say parents
Lucknow
:“Main bhi wahi admission loonga (I will also take admission there), says a
class V student of the Govt primary school II in Bisalpur block of Pilibhit
district after he is told that the headmaster — Furqan Ali — has been
transferred to another school.“He is the best teacher. Everyone loves him at
school because he is kind and has never hit us,” the students added.Parents of
children at the schoolare also batting for the headmaster.Kavita (35), whose
two children go to the school — a boy in class II and a girl in class I — says,
“My children have told me that master sahab used to get vegetables for school
from his own money. After his suspension, every morning, the children wake up
and start crying saying they don’t want to go to school. I don’t know what I am
going to do.”Another parent, Poonam (33), whose son is in class II, says they
are planning to submit a written application to the Block Education Officer.
“We are not literate, but we will do what we can to get him back at the
school,” she says.On October 14, Pilibhit administration had suspended Ali
after local VHP members complained that he made students recite a religious
prayer during the morning assembly. They had alleged that particular prayer is
recited in madrasas.On Oct.19, Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA) of Pilibhit
district temporarily revoked Ali’s suspension on “humanitarian grounds” and
transferred him to another school.Pilibhit DM Vaibhav Srivastava had said,
“Headmaster Ali was suspended because a video went viral on social media in
which he is seen and heard saying that because most of the students of the
primary school belong to a particular community and following their request, he
used to get the Iqbal’s poem recited during the morning assembly.” His father,
Irfan, says Ali was the first person in the family to get a Govt job. His right
leg afflicted with polio since childhood, Ali was always a “quiet child who
kept to his books”, says Irfan. “Now, Ali is the person who pays for my
medicines. He did not get married because he says he will do it after all his
sisters get married,” he added. Ali is the eldest among seven siblings. Prem
Narayan, a fourth-class employee at BEO office on the primary school premises
says that Furqan has a “good rapport” with the students. “If he would ask the
students to stand in line once, they would. It was not due to fear but because
out of respect. I am not surprised that the attendance has dipped since he was
removed. One teacher controlling 150-200 students is a big thing,” said
Narayan.After Ali’s suspension, the attendance at the school has dipped
substantially. A day after he was suspended, only 5 students showed up at the
school according to the attendance register.Kavita, whose children refuse to go
to school since the suspension, added, “The administration is playing with the
future of our children. They don’t care about our children because we are
poor.”indianexpress
Supreme Court allows Ravidas temple construction 2
months after it ordered its demolition
New
Delhi: The Supreme Court today accepted Centre’s proposal for the
reconstruction of Guru Ravidas temple at the same site where it was demolished
and directed it to form a committee to oversee its construction. Modifying its
earlier proposal, the Centre told the apex court that it is willing to increase
the area for the construction of the temple from 200 to 400 square metres. DDA
had, in August, demolished the shrine in Delhi’s Tughlakabad area, complying
with an order of the top court. It had led to widespread protests across the
country.The court said that if any person, who was arrested because of any kind
of demonstration against the demolition of Ravidas temple, be released
forthwith on a personal bond. It also directed that a committee be set up for
building the temple.ANI
Social media regulations to be ready by Jan 2020:
Centre to SC
Centre on Monday informed the Supreme Court
that the entire process of finalising the laws on regulating social media will
be completed by Jan.2020, while seeking 3 months more time for notifying the
final revised rules in accordance with law.The Govt told the top court that
after collating and analysing all the details that have emerged from
stakeholders participation and inter-ministerial consultations, the Govt has
bonafide belief that a further period of three months would be required for
finalising and notifying the final revised rules in accordance with law.In an
affidavit, the Govt submitted that the Electronics and IT Ministry has drafted
IT Intermediaries Guidelines (Amendment) Rules 2018, and published the entire
draft for public comments on its website on Dec.24, 2018, requesting
suggestions and objections from concerned stakeholders and the public.The Govt
also said that various rounds of industry consultations and discussions
involving various chambers of commerce, associations and social media companies
have already taken place.The updated draft rules are under discussion and as it
has to be vetted by the Law and Justice Ministry, the entire process will be
completed by January 2020.IANS
With No Muslim Residents, People Of Bihar Village
Named 'Pakistan' Desperately Want A Name Change
Pakistan
wants to change its name. No, not the country. There is a village in Bihar that
is named Pakistan and the residents there are tired of facing the problems they
do, because of that. Miffed villagers have filed a petition with Govt officials
to have the name of their village changed, as they feel ashamed to be addressed
as ‘Pakistanis’, according to Gulf News. The village of Pakistan is located in
Purnia district which is more than 300 km from the main city of Bihar.
Reportedly, there are around 1,200 people in the village and none of them are
Muslim. The village was named so in the memory of Muslims who migrated in
1947.“We are caught in an awkward situation. No one wants to marry their
daughters with youths from our village. We too feel ashamed of being called
Pakistanis while we have nothing to do with Pakistan,” Gulf News quoted a
local, Anup Lal Tuddu as saying. indiatimes
Sadhvi Pragya calls Mahatma Gandhi ‘son of soil’,
says she follows his footsteps
In
a stark contrast to her previous statements, BJP MP Sadhvi Pragya Thakur today
called Mahatma Gandhi “son of the nation” who needs to be loved and remembered
by the nation at all times, India Today reported. Thakur had earlier heaped
praises on Gandhi’s killer, Godse, calling him a dekhbhakt (patriot). Bhopal MP
made the remark at an event in her constituency where she was asked over her
absence from Gandhi Sankalp Yatra organised by her party across the state.
“Gandhi is the son of the nation, I admire him and do not need to give any
explanation,” India Today quoted her as saying. “Whoever has worked for the
nation is admirable to me. I will forever walk the path charted by Mahatma
Gandhi. People who have given guidance to us, we will certainly praise them.
Follow their footsteps, we pave the way for people,” she added.Earlier in May,
when the Lok Sabha elections were underway, Thakur had created controversy by
calling Godse a patriot, a remark which was immediately condemned by the BJP
and PM Narendra Modi himself.indianexpress
Burkha never an impediment to progress, education:
GIO
Nampally:Breaking
stereotypes, thousands of burqa clad young women, who attended the city’s first
conference of GIO (Girls Islamic Organisation) entitled ‘Your Impetuous Zeal
Keeps the World Alive’ held at Exhibition Grounds at Nampally, threw emphasis
that their attire was never an impediment to education and progress.
Representing different streams of education from medical, engineering, arts and
research, some 10,000 girls converged at Exhibition Grounds. Speakers while
referring to increased number of cases of atrocities against women across the
country, tried to break the notion and pigeonholing that women under burkha
were oppressed, as Old City's women proved that in academics they have been
producing better results than boys, year after year by remaining secure under
the veil. Speakers threw light on subjects covering educational, religious,
moral and cultural aspects and felt that all can be balanced with proper focus
and dedication, under present scenario. Important topics like harassment of
women and solutions, girls facing problems at educational institutions and
workplace and problem resolution were discussed. Syeda Falak, Karate Champion,
who was one of the guests, gave away awards to students who topped in Telangana
Talento'19, festival held earlier this year, where girl students from 550
campuses took part and best students from different colleges were also
felicitated. Speaking on the occasion, Khansa Fathima, state head of GIO while
expressing concern over women's security in the country, she blamed the
prevailing confusion on moral values of the youth, who are caught between the
idea of progress by western and traditional standards. the hansindia
SC stays trial against Chhattisgarh CM in ‘sex CD
case’
New
Delhi :The Supreme Court Monday stayed trial proceedings against Chhattisgarh CM
Bhupesh Baghel in the sex CD case and issued notice on a plea filed by CBI for
transferring the case out of the state.On being asked why the probe agency
wanted to transfer case, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appearing for CBI, said
2 witnesses in the matter have lodged complaints that they have been threatened
for giving statement against the CM.Baghel, along with 4 others, is accused of
allegedly circulating a fake pornographic CD of ex state PWD Minister Rajesh
Munat.indianexpress
Sunni waqf board chairman denies any influence
behind stand in Supreme Court
Lucknow:Denying
any kind of influence on him in relation to the Ayodhya case, the chairman of UP
Sunni Waqf Board Zufar Faruqui has said that the two cases lodged against him
in Rampur recently have no connection with his stand in the Supreme Court.
These cases relate to alleged irregularities in transfer of Waqf
properties.Faruqui said, “The cases have nothing to do with the issue. The
mediation process has been on since March 8. I have been the most active
participant. The Rampur cases were lodged in August and March. I cannot
disclose what I submitted to the mediation panel because it is confidential.
Whatever has been submitted has been done after consultations with eminent
personalities and people belonging to the Muslim community.”2 cases have been
lodged against Faruqui along with others, including SP MP from Rampur Azam
Khan, at Azim Nagar and Kotwali police station in Rampur.A statement by the
state Govt Saturday said it has recommended a CBI probe in two cases — one
lodged in Prayagraj and the other in Lucknow in 2016 and 2017, respectively.
indianexpress
Parliament’s winter session to begin from Nov 18
New
Delhi:The winter session of Parliament will commence from Nov.18 and continue
till Dec.13. Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs has communicated this to the
secretariats of both Houses of Parliament.Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary
Affairs (CCPA) had met last week at defence minister Rajnath Singh’s residence
to discuss the possible schedule for Parliament’s winter session. The winter
session is beginning as India stares at an economic slowdown. The opposition
and the Govt are also expected to lock horns over the situation in J&K in
the aftermath of the revocation of the region’s special status.HT
Kamlesh Tiwari murder: Killer had fake FB account;
Reward of 2.50 lakh each declared on his killers
A
key suspect in the murder case of former Hindu Mahasabha President Kamlesh
Tiwari had befriended him through a fake account on Facebook.According to
sources of UP STF, their counterparts in Gujarat have found that one of the
assailants identified as Ashfaq Hussain had created the account under the name
of 'Rohit Solanki' and befriended Tiwari.Tiwari had agreed to meet 'Solanki' on
October 18, the day he was killed. Hussain and Moinuddin Pathan have been
identified as the main assailants. Their identities was confirmed through the
CCTV footage of the hotel they stayed in and also after the police recovered
blood stained clothes and a towel from their room.UP DGP O.P. Singh had earlier
stated that the accused knew Tiwari as they spent around 30 minutes with him on
the pretext of gifting him sweets.Maulana Mohsin Sheikh, Khurshid Ahmed Pathan
and Faizan, the three co-accused, have been arrested from Surat by a joint team
of the Gujarat Police and the UP Police.This was the fourth murder of a
right-wing leader this month in UP.IANS
Why were Kamlesh Tiwari’s killers so keen to get caught?Faraz
Ahmad
#ProphetofCompassion Trends on Internet to Counter
Islamophobes
New
Delhi:Following the murder of Kamlesh Tiwari, a leader of a little-known
rightwing outfit Bharat Hindu Army, in Lucknow, the capital of UP, on Friday,
people with Islamophobic bent of mind took to Internet and started making
derogatory comments about the holy Prophet (PBUH).Tiwari had made defamatory
remarks against Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in 2015 and authorities say that they
don’t rule out that being the reason for his murder as revenge. In fact, the
police have arrested six Muslim men in this connection from different cities of
the country.However, Muslim activists and liberal voices among non-Muslims, saw
this as an opportunity to dispel misconceptions and fallacies being peddled
about the prophet.On Saturday, a hashtag #prophetofcompassion became a trend on
twitter in India.Social media users on twitter brought up stories of the
Prophet (PBUH) which highlight compassion, love, equality and justice. The
hashtag saw thousands of tweets put out under it to educate people about
Prophet (PBUH) in particular and Islam in general.Caravan News
Hashtag inciting hatred trends on Twitter, handles
followed by PM, BJP leaders
On
Sunday, #मुस्लिमोकासंपूर्ण_बहिष्कार (‘Total Boycott of Muslims’) was one of the top
trends on Twitter. This was not the only one hashtag but there were many more
trending on Twitter posting abusive and discriminatory posts against the
minority community.The messages posted with these hashtags were asking people
to boycott buying goods and services from Muslims and demanding ban on the
religious teachings. According to a report in The Wire, police are reluctant to
act against the individuals currently promoting this hashtag with the intent of
malice against Muslims since many of them are followed by prominent politicians
– including PM Narendra Modi and various cabinet ministers.Twitter handle
‘@GovindHindu’ used the hashtag to show an inflammatory picture. This twitter
account is currently followed by four members of the BJP, with the PM
included.Twitter account ‘ExSecular’ put out a tweet promoting a similar
sentiment. It has used a photoshopped image of actor Bollywood actor Swara
Bhasker to prove that she was calling for hanging of the people accused of
Kamalesh Tiwari’s murder. The post didn’t use the hashtag. This account is also
followed by PM Modi, along with Kapil Mishra and the office of commerce and
industry minister Piyush Goyal, reported The Wire.These two Twitter accounts
are followed by a range of ministers, the Office of Piyush Goyal happens to
have been following a significant number of more such handles. ‘Office of
Piyush Goyal’ Twitter handle had drawn a lot of flak in the past too for
following unverified accounts, most recent case was that of the instigator of
the Zomato episode.Journalist Abhijit Majumder, a verified account shared the
same video in a sardonic thread about how Muslim children are being
radicalized.However, Abhijit used the hashtag #MuhammadForAll, which was
trending in response to the hate-filled hashtag that had flooded Twitter the
entire day.This hashtag began an hour after the original hashtag emerged.In a
positive turn of events hashtag celebrating the religion had 42,000 tweets –
over 14,000 times more than the hate-filled one vilifying it.
nationalheraldindia
Aadhaar failure: 35% people in
three districts in Odisha denied ration for two months
After Jharkhand, now several hundreds of ration cardholders
from three districts in Odisha have been denied their Public Distribution
System (PDS) food grains for at least 60 days mostly on the basis of the
failure of Aadhaar system.According to a survey conducted in 3
districts—Nabarangpur, Nuapada and Malkangiri— more than 35 % of people in
these districts have not received their food grains. Among the 1,626 people
that the survey covered, Aadhaar was not seeded with ration cards of 574
members. Most of these families live hand-to-mouth. nationalheraldindia
WORLD
Withdrawing US troops enter Iraq from Syria
Dozens
of US armoured vehicles carrying American soldiers crossed into the
semi-autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq from Syria today.The
withdrawing convoy crossed the Tigris River at the Fishkhabur border post near
the Turkish frontier, en route to Erbil, the capital of the semi-autonomous
region, which is home to a US base. US forces also moved into Iraq from Syria
through the Sahela border crossing in northern province of Dohuk, witnesses
said.A Reuters cameraman saw over 100 vehicles crossing. Residents of a
Kurdish-dominated Syrian city pelted US troops with potatoes and shouted
expletives at them as they drove through. A video posted on Monday by the
Kurdish news agency showed a convoy of armoured vehicles driving through
Qamishli.Angry residents hurled potatoes and shouted "no America" and
"America liar". One vehicle backed up over the pavement, in an
attempt to get away from the people."Just like rats, America, run away.
Long live the resistance and long live the YPG," a man holding a photo
shouted, referring to Kurdish People's Protection Units militia.US defence
chief Mark Esper today said some American troops will remain in parts of
northeast Syria near oilfields alongside YPG-led SDF to ensure the oil does not
fall into the hands of ISIL group."We presently have troops in a couple of
cities located right near that area. The purpose is to deny access -
specifically revenue to ISIS and any other groups that may want to seek that
revenue to enable their own malign activities," Esper told reporters in
Afghanistan.US military presence at several bases across Iraq is controversial
with numerous political groups and pro-Iran Shia militia demanding their
expulsion.aljazeera
US troops bombed own airbase before withdrawing
from Syria: Report
US
armed forces demolished their own airbase in Al-Hasakah province in northeast
Syria before abandoning it and withdrawing troops, Syrian media reported.US
bombed its military base with landing facilities for transport aircraft in the
Tal Baydar settlement close to town of Tal Tamr, where fighting between
US-backed Kurdish forces and the Turkish army is underway.ANI
Prz:Turkey's military operation in Syria not land
grab
Turkish
President Tayyip Erdogan has denied any territorial ambition in military
operation in Syria, calling the accusation an "insult" to
him.Speaking at a forum on Monday, Erdogan also criticised Ankara's allies for
not supporting what he calls a fight against "terrorists". "Turkey
does not have an eye on any country's territory ... We consider such an
accusation as the biggest insult directed to us," he said in Istanbul.Today,
Erdogan responded angrily to widespread criticism in the West of Turkey's
operation in northeast Syria."The whole of the West, sided with the
terrorists and have attacked us - including NATO and European countries,"
he said."I thought you were against terrorism and terrorists. What
happened? Since when have you started to move in line with terror?"He is
to meet Vladimir Putin on Tuesday in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. aljazeera
'We've been neutral for years': Dilemma of Syrian
Kurds in Turkey
Pelosi, congressional delegation make unannounced
trip to Afghan in outreach to allies after Trump’s decision on Syria
House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) led an unannounced congressional visit to
Afghanistan and Jordan over weekend, highlighting her sharp disagreement with
President Trump over his abrupt removal of US troops from northern Syria and
Turkey’s subsequent attacks on Kurdish enclaves.In Afghanistan, the delegation
met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, chief executive Abdullah Abdullah,
Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper, top US military commanders and diplomats,
senior Afghan Govt officials and civil society leaders. The delegation also
traveled to Camp Morehead to meet with Resolute Support Mission troops. “Our delegation received briefings from
Ambassador John Bass and other top diplomats on reconciliation efforts with the
Taliban, which has been responsible for violent attacks in Afghanistan. We also
heard more about the still-pending status of results from the Afghanistan
presidential election in September, which we all hope will be available soon,”
Pelosi said in a statement. She added: “Meeting with and hearing directly from
our troops and diplomats on the ground is essential for Congress to conduct
effective oversight of our mission in Afghanistan. We will return to Washington
strengthened with the facts and the first-hand knowledge we have gathered at
this critical time for our nation’s Afghan policy and inspired by the courage
of our service members and diplomats on front lines.”washingtonpost
Hamas decries Israel's participation in Bahrain
summit
Palestinian
group Hamas that rules besieged Gaza Strip has decried Israel's participation
in a US-led maritime security meeting in Bahrain.Israel's Channel 13 reported
that an Israeli delegation would attend the event, due to open in Manama on
Sunday.Israel and Bahrain do not have diplomatic relations.In a statement,
Hamas spokesman Hazim Qasim said attempts to "integrate the Israeli
occupation into the region are doomed to fail".He blamed the parties that
"normalise relations with Israel for Israeli assaults on Palestinian
people and their holy sites". Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait and Oman are also
expected to participate in 2-day summit, main agenda of which will be
"Iranian threat in Persian Gulf".aljazeera
Christian population in Palestine declining due to
Israel occupation
Number
of Christians in Israel and occupied Palestinian territories is declining as a
result of the suppressive political and economic conditions due to the conflict
with Israel. According to Afro-Palestine Newswire, indigenous Christian
Palestinians once constituted over 19 % of the population of historic
Palestine, but number less than 2 % today, as Arab-Israeli conflict has caused
majority of Palestinian Christians to leave their homeland. During a conference
held in Johannesburg last week hosted by Evangelical Alliance of South Africa
(TEASA), Palestinian Christian theologians and activists addressed Israeli
restrictions preventing Christians from practicing their faith and being denied
the right to worship at their most sacred sites in occupied Jerusalem. Israel
also denies Palestinians access to healthcare and employment opportunities,
delegates heard, leading to a drastic decline in Palestinian population,
including that of Christians.MEMO
4 Sinai civilians killed after Egypt bombs house
At
least 4 civilians have been killed and 12 injured after a bomb was dropped on a
house in Abu Al-Araj, Sheikh Zuweid, on Saturday.Ten-year-old Mohammed Masoud,
90-year-old Farha Ibrahim, 24-year-old Aya Juma Eid and 28 year-old Rania Juma
Eid all died in the drone attack in Egypt’s northern Sinai Peninsula.For years
now the Egyptian Govt has waged a war on Sinai it says is against terrorism,
but which locals say is a war on civilians aimed at systematically displacing
them from their land.In the last seven years 14 villages in Sheikh Zuweid have
been razed by the Egyptian military. According to a Facebook post written by
Sinai researcher Ahmed Salem:middleeastmonitor
Lebanon's cabinet approves reforms after protests
Lebanon
approved reforms and 2020 budget following five days of protests, PM Hariri
announced on Monday. But the raft of reforms announced by PM Hariri did not go
far enough for some protesters on Monday. Lebanon's cabinet is expected to
halve ministers' wages among other reforms.The package of moves includes a 50 %
cut in the salaries of current and former presidents, ministers and
politicians, and benefit cuts for state institutions and officials, officials
told Reuters news agency.It further provides for the central bank and private
banks to contribute $3.3bn to achieve a "near-zero deficit" for 2020
budget. Protesters have said this would not be enough to send them home,
demanding the politicians they accuse of rampant corruption to step
down.aljazeera
Hong Kong leader apologises for mosque water cannon
incident after day of violence
Hong
Kong leader Carrie Lam apologised today after police hit a major mosque with
water canon as they battled protesters during another day of political unrest
in the Asian financial hub.Lam visited the mosque before she was due to head to
Japan to attend Emperor Naruhito's enthronement ceremony in Tokyo, and as the
city cleaned up the mess from violent protests the night before, latest in 5
months of political turmoil.In Sunday's clashes, police used water cannon
trucks to disperse protesters, spraying jets of blue dye into the crowds.In one
instance, a cannon drenched the front gate and steps of the Kowloon mosque,
Hong Kong's most important Islamic place of worship where a few people had
gathered including journalists. Blue stains remained on the road in front as
worshippers gathered for prayers on Monday.Lam visited the mosque today dressed
in a shawl, and apologised to Islamic leaders, according to a spokesman.Chief
Imam Muhammad Arshad said the apology was "accepted" and that the
Islamic community hoped to continue living in Hong Kong in peace. Reuters
UK PM braces for rough ride over Brexit deal
UK
PM Boris Johnson is preparing a second attempt to ram his European Union
divorce deal through Parliament of UK and avoid the political damage of
delaying Brexit.Another momentous week in the tortuous saga could end with
Johnson finally engineering a divorce from Brussels that breaks many of the
island nation's economic relations with Europe built over the past 46
years.Alternatively, by the end of this week, he may have been forced to
concede and to push for a general election to break impasse in
Parliament.aljazeera
Canada election: Trudeau fights to retain power in
tight race
Canadians
are heading to the polls on Monday to vote in a tight race seen as a test to
the leadership of PM Justin Trudeau.Polling stations on the eastern side of the
country started. After winning a strong majority in 2015, Trudeau is hoping for
a second term but polling indicates his Liberal Party and Andrew Scheer's
Conservatives are neck-and-neck.aljazeera
Flash:
NEWS, views, Articles
'Kashi-Mathura Baaqi Hain': Why the Ayodhya Verdict
Won't Offer Any Respite From Saffron Hatred:Teesta Setalvad
Decision of a judge to recuse is about due process,
respecting people’s trust in judiciary:Faizan Mustafa
Savarkar, father of Hindu rashtravad, also
represents a tradition of social reformers:Girish Kuber, editor, Loksatta
Who was Allama Iqbal and what was his role in the
creation of Pakistan:Mehr Gill
France’s problem with the burqa: Mehr Gill
Only ones happy with 370 move are JeI, separatists:Anand
Sahay, journalist in Delhi
What the last imam of Babri Masjid told me a few
months before the demolition:SHIKHA TRIVEDY
Ayodhya verdict: Generations will feel impact, go
by values laid in Constitution, Mosque sides tells SC
Kamlesh Tiwari was 12 when he first took on Muslims
— story of his rise as a Hindu leader:Ananya Bhardwaj
Ministers Follow Hate Accounts That Made Call to
Boycott Muslims a Top Twitter Trend:Naomi Barton
Imran Khan pulls off a PR coup: Move to bring
Pakistan in from the cold:Hasan Suroor
Kashmir shutdown: Farmers struggle to make a
living: Victoria Gatenby , aljazeera
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/10/kashmir-shutdown-farmers-struggle-living-191021131415392.html
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Anwarulhaq (Released at: 9:17 PM)
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