23
OCT. 2019: 23 Safar 1441: Vol: 12, No: 44
INDIA
On TN govt radar, 2 Hindutva groups that track
‘love jihad’ in schools
Chennai
:Tamil Nadu government has directed schools and colleges across the state to
prevent communal polarisation in education institutions following reports of
Hindutva indoctrination among students and the activities of Hindu Ilaignar
Munnani (Hindu Youth Front) and Hindu Manavar Munnani (Hindu Student Front) in
campuses to counter allege ‘love jihad’.In a directive issued last month, the
School Education Department warned schools and colleges against patronising
such activities. The directive came into the public domain on Wednesday.“It has
been brought to the notice of the Government about Hindu Ilaignar Munnani and
Hindu Manavar Munnai function at schools and colleges to integrate students of
secondary and higher secondary level by promoting moral education, devotion,
mythology, epics and the history of Hindu leaders. Hindu Ilaignar Munnani would
integrate college students (Hindus) by forming units comprising 10 students in
every college. Unit would watch the activities of Hindu girl students in the
colleges with an aim to prevent any ‘love jihad’ activities,” the circular
read.The directive warned educational campuses that condoning such activities
and supporting them would be a violation of the rules and guidelines governing
such institutions. It asked educational institutions to keep a watch on them
and prevent communal polarisation on the lines of religion, creed, and
community.The educational institutions were asked to take necessary action in this
regard and send an action taken report to the government immediately without
any delay.Those reports would be taken up at meeting to review law and order,
the circular added.HT
Ayodhya: SC allows 'Nirvani Akahara' to file
written note on moulding of relief
New
Delhi: The Supreme Court has allowed 'Nirvani Akahara', one of Hindu parties in
the decades-old case of Babri Masjid land dispute in Ayodhya, to file a written
note seeking the "right to manage worship of the deity" as 'shebait'
(devotee) at the site.A counsel for 'Nirvani Akahara' mentioned the matter
before a bench headed by CJI Ranjan Gogoi and said his client
"miscalculated" the 3-day time granted by the court for filing the
written note on moulding of relief -- narrowing down the issues raised during
the hearing -- and was now seeking the nod for filing it with the apex court's
registry."You file it now," the bench, which also comprised Justices
S A Bobde and SA Nazeer, told senior advocate Jaideep Gupta who was
representing 'Nirvani Akhara'.Both 'Nirmohi Akahara' and its rival 'Nirvani
Akahara' are seeking right to manage and offer 'puja' at the birthplace of
deity 'Ram Lalla Virajman' at the site.PTI
Bombay HC: Phone Tapping Permitted Only in Interest of Public Safety
Bombay
high court has granted relief to a 54-year-old Mumbai based businessman and
quashed three separate orders passed by Union Ministry of Home Affairs allowing
CBI to intercept phone calls of the petitioner businessman in a case of bribery
involving an official of a public sector bank.A division bench of Justice
Ranjit More and Justice N.J. Jamadar directed the CBI to destroy the copies of
said call recordings.According to CBI, the petitioner gave a bribe of Rs 10
lakh to the said bank official for credit-related favour. In three separate
orders dated October 29, 2009, December 18, 2009, and Feb.24, 2010, interception
of telephone calls of the petitioner was allowed. CBI registered an FIR against
the petitioner on April 11, 2011.thewire
Hajela’s transfer turns NRC ‘radarless’: Ex CM
Gogoi
Former
Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi feels Prateek Hajela’s transfer will render NRC
update process “radarless”.NRC state coordinator Prateek Hajela has been
recently transferred to MP on deputation.“Hajela’s transfer will turn the
ongoing NRC update process radarless and headless,” Gogoi told mediapersons at
his residence on Tuesday.3-time ex Assam CM said the apex court should have
issued the transfer order only after making an alternative arrangement.“I will
also blame the Supreme Court. An alternative arrangement should have been
made,” said Gogoi.nenow.in
No evidence of Chandrayaan-2’s Vikram lander in
latest fly-by, says NASA
US’
National Aeronautics and Space Administration said that it found no evidence of
Chandrayaan-2’s Vikram lander in the images taken during the latest fly-by of
its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter on Oct.14, PTI reported on Wednesday. The
Vikram lander had attempted a soft landing on September 7, but lost
communication with the Indian Space Research Organisation minutes before
touchdown.“Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter imaged the area of targeted Chandrayaan-2
Vikram landing site on Oct.14 but did not observe any evidence of the lander,”
said Project Scientist for the lunar orbiter mission Noah Edward Petro in an
exclusive conversation with the news agency. The scientist said that the camera
team had carefully gone over the pictures and made use of the change detection
technique [using a ratio of a picture from before and after Vikram’s landing
attempt].scroll
J&K ISSUE
MEA asked Teen Murti Library not to release Kashmir
documents of India’s 2nd Army chief:activist
Answers
to a RTI query have revealed that the Ministry of External Affairs has closed
public access to files on Kashmir put together by India’s second Army chief Sir
Roy Bucher. The papers are in the possession of Nehru Memorial Museum and
Library in Delhi, which is popularly known as Teen Murti Library.RTI query was
filed by Venkatesh Nayak, who is the programme head of Access to Information
Programme of non-profit organisation Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative. The
content of the papers, dating from 1947 till Army officer’s retirement in
October 1949, may prove to be crucial to understand Prime Minister Jawaharlal
Nehru’s role in the 1947-’48 Kashmir crisis. Nehru is often accused of not
showing courage to force Pakistani invaders to retreat from Jammu and Kashmir
in Sept 1947, Nayak wrote in an article today. In an interview to biographer BR
Nanda a few decades after his retirement, Bucher noted that he had two letters
from Nehru in which the prime minister requested him to do whatever possible to
counter the shelling of Akhnoor and the Beripattan Bridge by Pakistan heavy
artillery from within Pakistan, Nayak pointed out. Nehru reportedly suggested
that he was prepared to “advance into Pakistan”. In his RTI plea, human rights
activist sought a clear copy of list of records, documents, papers, and other
material available with Teen Murti Library that were closed to public access on
instructions from Centre, or any state or Union. He asked for names of the
agencies that had barred the material from public viewing, the date of the
instruction, and the duration for every such material to be remain closed to
public access.scroll.in
Delhi Court takes cognisance of charge sheet
against JKLF chief Yasin Malik
A
Delhi court on Wednesday took cognisance of a supplementary charge sheet filed
by NIA against JKLF chief Yasin Malik and others in the 2017 terror funding
case.Additional Sessions Judge Rakesh Syal took cognisance of the final report
which also names separatist leaders Asiya Andrabi, Shabir Shah and Masarat Alam
Bhat as accused.In an in-camera proceeding, the court also extended the
judicial custody of some of the accused till November 7 after they appeared
before it through video-conference due to security issues, the court sources
said.PTI
Satya Pal Malik may be Lt Guv of Jammu and Kashmir,
Ladakh Union territories
The
union govt is looking for candidates to take over as L-Gs of Union Territories
(UTs) of J&K and Ladakh, carved out following J&K’s reorganisation that
will come into effect on Oct 31, according to people aware of the
developments.There has been speculation that J&K governor Satya Pal Malik,
73, could preside over both UTs--J&K andLadakh--even as J&K Reorganisation
Act provides for separate L-Gs for both UTs.HT
Court orders FIR against Kathua rape investigators:
DGP says no torture in probe, court order against team will be followed
Srinagar
: Defending the team that probed the Kathua rape and murder case last year, J&K
police chief Dilbag Singh on Wednesday said no witnesses were tortured and the
court’s directive of an FIR against the investigating police officials would be
followed.The police chief’s comments came a day after a Jammu court directed
police to register an FIR against 6 members of SIT, which probed the case of
the rape and murder of an eight-year-old in Kathua, for allegedly torturing and
coercing witnesses to give false statements.The court order is being examined
and all necessary action will be taken, Singh told reporters during a briefing
about an encounter in which three terrorists were killed in Tral, south
Kashmir.He also made it clear that every FIR is not necessarily based on facts.
“Sometimes there is an aim, motivation and the Court’s direction came and we
will see. We investigate thousands of cases. We have more than 17,000 cases
registered every year.“It does not mean that we pick up people and torture
them. So there are cases, high-profile cases, where people resort to this kind
of actions and reactions. We will certainly take action as per law and there is
nothing to worry about,” he said.The Jammu court was hearing an application
from Sachin Sharma, Neeraj Sharma and Sahil Sharma, friends of one of the
accused, Vishal Jangotra, who was subsequently acquitted.The court directed
that an FIR be registered against then SSP RK Jalla (now retired), ASP Peerzada
Naveed, Deputy SP Shetmbari Sharma and Nissar Hussain and Sub-Inspectors Urfan
Wani and Kewal Kishore. It also asked SSP (Jammu) to give a compliance report
by the next date of hearing on November 11.PTI
Silence of Kashmir is ‘not acceptance’: Yousuf
Tarigami
New
Delhi:Yousuf Tarigami, a CPM central committee member, minced no words while
replying to the question why there has been no protest in Kashmir against the
decisions to do away with the state’s special status and bifurcate it.Kashmiri
politician Yousuf Tarigami on Tuesday said the government should not mistake
the silence of Kashmir as “acceptance” of the humiliation unleashed on August
5, adding: “How many times have you seen a protest in Tihar jail?”Visiting
Delhi on what he called his “medical visa” for a check-up at AIIMS, the
“detained” CPM leader was interacting with a group of journalists at the residence
of CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury in the heart of the
capital.telegraphindia
Drones track Kashmir protesters
Srinagar:Dozens
of unmanned aerial vehicles or drones have been deployed in Kashmir to track
the movement of pro-azadi protesters and militants.Police sources said that
around 50 DJI MAVIC2 drones were keeping tabs on protesters, helping the
government strengthen its surveillance system.Officials said this was the
biggest UAV procurement for police, which had been approved by Union home
ministry before August 5. DJI MAVIC2 drones have infrared sensing systems with
a fully stabilised 3-axis camera, providing both infrared and visual images
simultaneously. They can fly at 75kmph and carry a 1.2kg payload.telegraphindia
Congresswoman Ilhan Omar slams TOI journalist
during US congressional hearing on Kashmir, terms her claims ‘dubious’
US
Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has slammed a journalist from Times of India for
making ‘dubious’ claims in favour of the Indian govt on the current situation
in Jammu and Kashmir. This evoked an angry response from Aarti Tikoo Singh, who
felt that her professional integrity was being questioned by the Congresswoman.
Responding to Singh’s opening remarks at US congressional sub-committee
hearing, Omar reminded the former that the job of a reporter was to find the
‘objective truth about what’s happening and report it to the public.’ “Ms
Singh, a reporter’s job is to find the objective truth about what is happening
and report it to the public. You have an enormous audience at TOI and you have
an enormous responsibility to get it right.I am aware of how the narrative
shaped by reporting can distort the truth. I am also very aware of how it could
be limited to sharing only the official side of the story. The press is at its
worst when it is a mouthpiece for a govt.”Questioning Singh’s ‘version of the
story’ on the current situation in Kashmir, Omar said, “In your version of the
story, only problems in Kashmir are caused by what you call militants, the only
people protesting to break away from India; and are all nefariously backed by
Pakistan. You also make the incredibly dubious claim that Indian govt’s
crackdown in Kashmir is good for human rights. If it was good for human rights,
Ms Singh, it wouldn’t be happening in secret. You make, what I might call, a feminist
case for the occupation of Kashmir and communication shutdowns, saying it will
be better for women.”jantakareporter
Al Qaeda’s offshoot wiped out from Kashmir Valley:
J&K Police chief
J&K
DGP Dilbag today announced that Al Qaeda’s offshoot in Kashmir, Ansar
Ghazwat-ul Hind (AGH), has been eliminated from the Valley with the killing of
the group’s chief and two other militants,.In a hurriedly-called presser, a day
after the three militants were killed in Tral area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama
district, the police chief said the operation was carried out following a
tip-off from the local police.Hameed Lone, alias Hamid Lelhari, was among 3
militants neutralised in Tuesday’s encounter. He was the successor of Zakir
Musa, AGH’s founder in Kashmir. Musa had vowed allegiance to Al Qaeda and was
killed in an encounter in May this year.Besides Lone, others killed in
Tuesday’s encounter are Naveed Ahmed Tak and Junaid Rashid Bhatt. The police
chief said the anti-militancy operation had dealt a severe blow to the
AGH.indianexpress
OTHERS
Kamlesh Tiwari killing: Trail littered with clues,
prime suspects held
Surat
: 4 days after Kamlesh Tiwari, was
killed at his Lucknow home, Gujarat ATS arrested the 2 prime suspects, Ashfaq
Hussain Jakir Hussain Shaikh (34) and Farid alias Moinuddin Khurshid Pathan
(27), near the temple town of Shamlaji on the Gujarat-Rajasthan border
Tuesday.Gujarat ATS DIG Himanshu Shukla said: “Both accused will be handed over
to UP Police in the coming days as the case had been registered with Lucknow
Police. They confessed to us about their involvement in the murder of Kamlesh
Tiwari last Friday.”ATS, in a press release, said preliminary questioning of
the two men revealed that they committed the crime “in retribution to purported
statements by the deceased”.With this, 5 persons have so far been arrested —
all from Gujarat — in connection with Tiwari’s killing. Rashid Pathan, Faizan
Sheikh and Maulana Mohsin Sheikh, who were arrested from Surat, were produced
before a court in Lucknow Tuesday evening. The court sent them to police
custody for four days, Lucknow Police said in a statement.indianexpress
Accused in Kamlesh Tiwari murder case believed
their action justified: Gujarat Police
Tiwari was stabbed 15 times, shot in face: Autopsy
The
post mortem report of Hindu leader Kamlesh Tiwari has revealed the gruesome
manner in which he was murdered on Oct.18. Tiwari was stabbed 15 times, shot in
the face and there was attempt to slit his throat. Under no circumstance the
killers wanted Tiwari to survive.The stabbing was centred on the upper part of
body from jaws to chest. All wounds were inflicted within 10 cm of one another
while two deep cut marks on the neck points to attempt to slit his throat, the
autopsy revealed. The assailants also shot him once to make sure that he did
not survive the attack. The bullet was fired in his face and the doctors
conducting post-mortem on his body found 0.32 bullet on the backside of the
skull.IANS/PTI
Kamlesh Tiwari murder hate posts: 32 FIRs filed, 10
held in three days
Uttar
Pradesh Police has lodged as many as 32 FIRs in last 3 days against people from
different communities across the state for sharing and posting objectionable,
hurtful and discriminatory comments on social media following the killing of
Hindu outfit leader Kamlesh Tiwari.Police have arrested 10 people in this
connection. Police have also started the process to block 178 social media
accounts.“In the 32 cases, police have arrested 10 people so far. Efforts are
being made to trace the others who have posted discriminatory comments on
social media,” said Praveeen Kumar, IG, Law and Order.In Sitapur, Tiwari’s
native place, an FIR was lodged against one Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati and his
unidentified followers for allegedly making hateful remarks against the
minority community.indianexpress
Kamlesh Tiwari murder: police grills Hubballi man
Hubballi:
Internal Security Division (ISD) police have taken into custody a technician
from Old Hubballi, Mohammad Jaffer Sadiq, for questioning in connection with
the murder of politician, Kamlesh Tiwari. Sadiq, who works as a technician at
the Hubballi railway station, was first taken into custody by the Old Hubballi
police, who handed him over to ISD, which is questioning him in Bengaluru. Police
commissioner, R Dilip, said the local
police was not involved in the investigation and had only handed over Sadiq to
ISD on its request. He also clarified that Sadiq had not been formally
arrested, but was only being questioned by the ISD.Sadiq has an ailing wife and
three children, besides three brothers and two sisters in the city. Upset by
the police picking him up for questioning, his family claims he is not involved
in any terror activity and that he has only been doing social work through a
religious organisation.deccanchronicle.
Western Uttar Pradesh is mini-Pak: Sadhvi Prachi
After
claiming to be under threat from jihadi groups, firebrand Hindu leader Sadhvi
Prachi on Wednesday said that western Uttar Pradesh has turned into a
mini-Pakistan.She said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's next aim after the
revocation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir, should be to deal firmly with
those who issue fatwas."Till now I used to fearlessly move around the
country but after the murder of Kamlesh Tiwari in Lucknow and Mukesh Sharma in
Meerut, I feel apprehensive," she told reporters.IANS
Mumbai: Only man acquitted in train blasts moves
Delhi court after finding name in list of convicted
Mumbai
:ABDUL WAHID Shaikh, the only accused to walk out a free man in 7/11 suburban
train blasts of 2005, has moved the Delhi High Court after he found his name
listed among the convicted accused in the incident which claimed 189 lives. The
name was listed in an order imposing a ban on SIMI by a tribunal of the Delhi
High Court in July 2019. Tribunal had in July upheld the ban imposed on SIMI
and validated a central government notification, issued in Feb this year,
extending the ban for another 5 years. Tribunal was appointed by the central
govt in Feb.2019 to adjudicate whether or not there is sufficient cause to
declare SIMI an unlawful association.In his petition, Shaikh said that in the
order, the Tribunal has wrongly recorded that he is one of the 10 of 12 accused
convicted of being SIMI members by a Special Judge in Mumbai. He further states
that “it is worth pointing out that the Petitioner was the only accused in the
case who was acquitted of all charges” and that no appeal was filed by the
state against the acquittal. Tribunal order had further been published by
Centre in a Gazette of India notification on Aug.27, 2019. Shaikh was arrested
in 2006 by ATS and was acquitted by the special court in Sept.2015.The
petitioner is seeking an order for the expunction of factually incorrect
observations made against him and is also calling for directions to publish
said expunction in the Gazette of India.indianexpress
‘Goons’ in Jamia thrash protesting students, one
admitted to hospital, five more injured
Protests
in Jamia Millia Islamia turned ugly yesterday when students were attacked by
goons allegedly hired by the college administration. Many students, including
women, alleged harassment at the hands of these hired goons.According to the
latest reports, one student–Shah Alam–was admitted to the emergency ward of
Holy Family Hospital while five students were taken to the local medical centre
for treatment.According to students, the goons who attacked them were hired by
the college authorities and the local security staff acted as mere spectators.
“When we asked the security people as to why they were not helping us, they
said they cannot do anything,” said a student. “The goons were carrying wooden
sticks and branches broken from nearby trees and beating everyone in sight
including women,” said another student.Jamia administration, meanwhile, denied
any wrongdoing and instead blamed the protesting students for the unrest. Ahmad
Azeem, PRO-cum-Media Coordinator, JMI said allegations that students were attacked
by hired goons were a “totally false allegation.” He blamed student groups for
fermenting trouble on campus and said that the security guards were trying to
stop the students.Protests in Jamia began when five students were issued a
show-cause notice for protesting against the visit of delegates from Isreal
during an event. twocircles
40 Lakh Living In Unauthorised Colonies In Delhi To
Get Ownership Rights
Around 40 lakh people living in unauthorised colonies in Delhi will be
given ownership rights, the government said today. Nearly 1,800 colonies have
been marked for the big move, ministers said after a cabinet meeting led by
Prime Minister Narendra Modi."Ownership rights will be conferred to people
who are living there, whether they are on private or government land,"
said Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Puri.People can now take
loans to construct homes in these colonies. Puri called it the most
"far-sighted, progressive, revolutionary step" for Delhi since
independence.The decision, described by the ministers as "historic",
comes months before Delhi votes for a new assembly and has predictably set off
a fight for credit between the centre and Delhi's ruling AAP, which accuses the
BJP of blocking most of its plans. 3 Union ministers who addressed the media
denied that the move had anything to do with politics or elections.Delhi Chief
Minister Arvind Kejriwal said his government had invested much work and funds
into these colonies. "We didn't wait for all this colonies to be legal. They
lived in inhuman conditions. We invested Rs. 6,000 crore and water, drains and
sewer work was done in these colonies," he said.ndtv
BSNL, MTNL to merge, Cabinet announces Rs
29,937-crore revival package
New
Delhi :In a bid to revamp state-owned telecom firms, Union Cabinet Wednesday
approved the merger of MNTL with BSNL.“MTNL, BSNL are neither being closed nor
divested,” Union Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said.Cabinet also
approved a revival package of Rs 29,937 crore for the two loss-making telecoms.
The revival package includes raising of Rs 15,000 crore sovereign bonds and
monetising Rs 38,000 crore of assets in next four years. indianexpress
DK Shivakumar gets bail in money laundering case
Delhi
High Court today granted bail to Karnataka Congress leader D.K. Shivakumar,
arrested in connection with a money laundering case being probed by ED.Justice
Suresh Kumar Kait, while granting bail, remarked that Shivakumar had been extensively interrogated
by the probe agency since his arrest.The judge, however, instructed Shivakumar
to cooperate with the investigation and not to leave the country without
court's approval. It also directed him to pay a personal bail bond of Rs. 25
lakh with 2 sureties of the like amount.thehindu
Saudi Arabia visa fee increases by 6 times, Haj
pilgrimage is now costlier
Saudi
Arabia has effected a nearly 6-fold increase in visa fee, an order which can
make Haj pilgrimage very costly, according to a media report, which said many
Muslim countries were angry over this move. The report said that a single entry
visa will now cost $533, up from $93, a multiple entry, 6-month visa would cost
$800 and a one-year visa would cost $1,333.The revised visa fees affect all
tourists, religious or business visitors, but exempts those travelling for the
first time to perform the annual Haj pilgrimage or the lesser, non-mandatory
pilgrimage known as Umrah, said the report in Quartz Africa.The pilgrimage
involves considerable costs for visitors, especially for transportation and
lodging.IANS
WORLD
Russia urges Kurdish fighters to withdraw from
Syria's border after deal between Moscow, Ankara
Russia
has warned Kurdish forces to quickly withdraw from Turkey-Syria border - after
a deal between Moscow and Ankara - or be crushed by the Turkish army, adding
that US had "betrayed and abandoned" Syrian fighters. Wednesday's
comments by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov followed a deal agreed on Tuesday
between Turkey and Russia that will see Syrian and Russian forces deploy to northeast
Syria to remove Kurdish fighters and their weapons from the border.Peskov,
reportedly reacting to comments by US President Donald Trump's special envoy
for Syria James Jeffrey, complained that it appeared the Americans were
encouraging the Kurds to stay close to the Syrian border to fight the Turkish
army."US has been the Kurds' closest ally in recent years.[But] in the
end, it abandoned the Kurds and, in essence, betrayed them," Peskov was
quoted as saying. "Now they [US] prefer to leave the Kurds at the border [Turkey]
and almost force them to fight the Turks."If Kurds did not withdraw as per
the deal, Peskov said Syrian border guards and Russian military police would
have to withdraw, leaving the Kurds to deal with the Turkish army.The Kurdish
fighters would be "steamrolled" by the Turks, he said.A column of
Russian military police arrived in the city of Kobane in northern Syria,
Russia's defence ministry said on Wednesday, according to TASS.The military
police will help facilitate the withdrawal of Kurdish forces. Turkey's
President Tayyip Erdogan today said that Russian President Vladimir Putin
assured him that Kurdish fighters will not be allowed to remain in Syria along
the Turkish border wearing "regime clothes". aljazeera
‘Exercise utmost caution’: Govt advisory for
Indians travelling to Turkey
New
Delhi :In the wake of Turkey’s offensive in Syria, the Indian government
Wednesday issued a travel advisory asking its citizens to “exercise utmost
caution” while traveling to the country. With several people reaching out to
the government with queries on the situation, the Minister of External Affairs
has put out helpline numbers of the Indian Mission in Ankara and Istanbul for
travelers requiring assistance.“Although there have been no reports of the
untoward incident in the country so far, involving Indian nationals, travelers
are required to exercise utmost caution while traveling to Turkey,” the
advisory read.indianexpress
Kurdish YPG seeks Israel’s help against Turkey
Turkey’s
operation in northeastern Syria – Operation Peace Spring – to clear the area
and to ensure the safe return of millions of refugees, has evoked strong
reactions in Israel, says Anadolu Agency.Israeli newspaper The Times of Israel
reported that a YPG commander spoke to an Israeli radio station last Thursday,
asking help from the Jewish state.Ankara sees YPG as an arm of the PKK and
considers both to be terrorist organisations, also listed as a terrorist group
by the US, and the European Union.The Army Radio, which broadcasts the message,
did not give his full name but mentioned him as “Alef”. The commander said if Tel Aviv does not
intervene, the entire Middle East will be “adversely affected”.Israeli
officials and commentators have been outraged by US President Donald Trump’s
decision to withdraw US forces from Syria. They believed the decision does not
serve the long-term Israeli goals in the region. Israeli columnists have
described the act as “stabbing Israel in the back”. Quoting an Israeli
official, Israeli media claimed that a YPG/PKK commander called on Tel Aviv on
Monday and sought help against the Turkish operation. The official, who spoke
on condition of anonymity, expressed confidence that the Jewish people would
not “neglect the plight of Kurds” in northern Syria.Anadolu
US troops will leave Iraq in 4 weeks: Iraqi govt
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/10/pentagon-chief-visits-iraq-pullout-syria-191023062531650.html
After
meeting US military leader, Iraq's defence minister said on Wednesday American
forces withdrawing from Syria into Iraq will depart the country within 4 weeks.
Defence Minister Najah al-Shammari made the remarks to AP following a meeting
with Mark Esper, who arrived in Baghdad to discuss the status of the US
troops.He said the American troops are "transiting" in Iraq and will
then head either to Kuwait, Qatar, or back to US. Iraq's military said Tuesday
that US forces leaving northeastern Syria don't have permission to stay in Iraq
in a statement that appeared to contradict Esper, who had said American forces
would continue operations against ISIL to prevent its resurgence in the region.
Esper said on Tuesday that Washington plans to eventually bring US troops
withdrawing from Syria back to the United States. He did not provide any
timelines. "The aim isn't to stay in Iraq interminably.The aim is to pull
our soldiers out and eventually get them back home," Esper said. aljazeera
China invites Taliban, Afghan officials for 2-day
talks
China
has invited Taliban representatives to participate in a 2-day intra-Afghan
conference in Beijing after negotiations between the group and the United
States to end years of war in Afghanistan collapsed last month. Suhail Shaheen,
a Taliban political spokesman, said on Wednesday that Mullah Abdul Ghani
Baradar, the Taliban's co-founder, met with Chinese diplomats in Doha, where
the group has a political office."China has invited a delegation ... to
participate in the intra-Afghan dialogue," Shaheen said. The conference
will take place on October 29 and 30.It would be separate from talks between US
and the Taliban, which spent the past year negotiating a deal that would have
seen US pull thousands of troops from Afghanistan in return for various
security guarantees."All participants will be attending the meeting in
their personal capacity and they will share their personal opinions for solving
the Afghan issue," Shaheen said.There was no immediate reaction from the
administration of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, and Shaheen told AFP "it
is not yet clear" whether government officials would attend, noting only
lower-level officials should be included in the guest list.A spokesman for
former Afghan president Hamid Karzai, who attended intra-Afghan talks in Russia
in February, said Karzai's office was aware of China's plan for talks and
Karzai would attend if invited.aljazeera
UN calls for release of ex-aide to Egypt's Mursi,
son jailed since 2013
Genev:
An Egyptian Islamist father and his son have been detained unlawfully since
2013 part of the political persecution of ex-aides to deposed president Mohamed
Mursi, and should be freed immediately and compensated, UN human rights experts
said.UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention posted its findings last week
after examining the cases of former Mursi adviser Essam al-Haddad and his son
Gihad. The panel said that Egyptian authorities had not responded to its
inquiries. A Cairo court overturned life sentences for espionage against Essam
and Gihad in 2016.After retrials this year, both were acquitted in September,
but Essam was sentenced to 10 years for membership in an illegal group, while
Gihad was immediately charged with the same crime and remains in custody,
according to a support group’s statement.Haddad cases “appear to fit the
pattern of systematic, widespread and grave violations of fundamental human
rights directed against the senior figures of the ousted govnt of Mursi and
their real or perceived fellow supporters,” UN panel said in an opinion.Their
“deprivation of liberty is arbitrary,” it said, calling on Egyptian authorities
to report back in six months on compliance with its findings, and adding: “Their
trials should never have taken place.”Reuters
Egypt arrests 22 for incitement during martyr of
chivalry trial
Egypt’s
interior ministry has arrested 22 people for allegedly inciting others against
the state following the murder of Mahmoud El-Banna.El-Banna was killed earlier
this month in a revenge attack after he intervened to help a student who was
being sexually harassed in the street.Later that evening he posted on Facebook
“it’s not manly to beat a girl in the street” and in retaliation three boys
ambushed him and stabbed him in the neck and stomach.After he died in hospital,
El-Banna was dubbed “the martyr of chivalry” and thousands marched in the
streets beside his body.His death became the centre of a debate about sexual
harassment in Egypt where the government is accused of inaction, despite the
alarming rate at which it occurs.middleeastmonitor
'Shock and sadness': 39 bodies found inside lorry
in England
Police
in southeast England say emergency services have recovered 39 bodies from a
container truck believed to have been driven from Bulgaria.Chief Superintendent
Andrew Mariner said on Wednesday that authorities were in the process of trying
to identify the deceased; 38 adults and one teenager. Police were alerted by
the ambulance service shortly before 1:40am local time following the discovery
of a truck container with people inside at Waterglade Industrial Park, which
houses mostly courier and logistics companies. Mariner said the truck entered
the country on Oct 19 and that police were "working closely with our
partners to investigate".25-year-old driver,from Northern Ireland, was
arrested on suspicion of murder,police said.aljazeera
UK protestors face jail for campaigning against
Israel owned arms factory
7
people are facing the prospect of three months in prison for protesting against
an Israeli-owned arms factory based in UK.The case against the seven activists
will be heard in a Folkestone Magistrates Court Kent today. They are expected
to plead not guilty of the charge of Aggravated Trespass, an offence which
carries a maximum sentence of three months in prison.A number of the activists
are locally connected to Kent. The activists were arrested in Aug following a 2-day
occupation at Elbit-Instro arms factory, which is newly situated in Discovery
Park business park in Sandwich, Kent. Its parent company Elbit Systems supplies
military equipment to Israel and activists claim that its products are “backbone”
of Israel’s drone fleet.middleeastmonitor
Canada: 18 Sikh leaders elected to Parliament, 5
more than India
As
many as 18 Sikhs were voted to Canadian Parliament in the recently-concluded
federal elections. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday won a
second term after his Liberal Party secured 157 of 338 seats. However, Trudeau
will lead a minority government as his party failed to secure the majority of
170. The main opposition, the conservatives, secured 121 seats.The number of
Sikhs in the Canadian Parliament’s lower house, the House of Commons, is higher
than those in India’s Lok Sabha even though Sikhs make up about 2% of the
population in both countries, The Times of India reported on Wednesday. India
has 13 MPs in the Lower House.scroll
Flash:
NEWS, views, Articles
Hanged at 27, Ashfaqulla Khan was a revolutionary
with fire in his belly:Pia Krishnankutty
What do we learn from Gandhi in these times of
majoritarianism?Asaduddin Owaisi
Boycotting Muslims: Who’d You Rather Listen to,
Gods or Bigots? Abhirup Dam
RTI Act Amended Without Public Consultation, But
Rules Yet to Be Framed 3 Months on
Value of Fake Notes Seized Doubled in 2017, But
What About Demonetisation’s Effect?Anuj Srivas
MEA Doesn't Want 1947-49 Kashmir Files of Then
Indian Army Chief to Be Public:Venkatesh Nayak
In Call to Fight for 'Identity', Seeds of a
Counter-Narrative Among Kashmiri Pandits:Badri Raina
How Govt Stats on Bangladeshi Jail Population in
Bengal May Help BJP's NRC Poll Plank
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