Evening NEWS
DIGEST
INDIA
No steps taken for launching Sharia-compliant mutual funds in India: RBI
New Delhi: No steps have been taken for the introduction of
Sharia-compliant mutual funds in India, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has said.
Replying to an RTI application filed by a PTI correspondent, the central bank
said the Government of India had sought its comments on the launch of
Sharia-compliant mutual funds by State Bank of India in Dec.2014.RBI submitted
its reply the same month, it said.The Islamic or Sharia-compliant financial
system is based on the principles of not charging an interest on deposits, as
it is prohibited under Islam."Reserve Bank of India has not taken any step
for introduction of Sharia-compliant mutual funds in India," the reply
said. RBI was asked to provide details on the introduction of Sharia-compliant
mutual funds in the country. SBI had in 2014 announced the launch of the same.
However, it was deferred to make it a better and more attractive fund in the
future, according to an official communication. H Abdur Raqeeb, General
Secretary, Indian Centre for Islamic Finance -- an NGO trying to introduce
members of the Muslim community to the Sharia-compliant banking system, said
the initiation of such special mutual funds for a select group of people would
be a muchdesired and welcome step. "It is a misconception that Sharia-compliant
mutual funds are beneficial to a particular community. These funds will benefit
the economy and ensure financial inclusion of those who avoid such investment
for religious reasons," he said. Raqeeb has been coordinating with various
government and regulatory authorities for the introduction of the Sharia-
complaint banking system in India. "When the launch of Sharia mutual fund
was announced by SBI, some of the gulf countries were very enthusiastic for
investment. It is high time the RBI and the finance ministry instructed SBI to
relaunch the same," he said. SBI had rejected an RTI application seeking
details on the relaunch of Sharia-compliant mutual funds, saying the
"query is vague and not specific".PTI/ economictimes
No Steps Taken for Launching Sharia-compliant Mutual Funds in India: RBI
‘Fatwa’ issued against Muslim minister in Bihar for chanting ‘Jai Shri
Ram’; later minister apologizes
Patna: A Muslim cleric on Sunday issued a “fatwa” against newly
appointed Bihar minister and JDU leader Khurshid alias Firoz Ahmad for chanting
Jai Shri Ram, saying his marriage would be terminated for his “mistake”.An MLA
from Sikta in West Champaran, Ahmad shouted the slogan, normally associated
with BJP supporters, outside the Bihar assembly on Friday after chief minister
Nitish Kumar won the trust vote he faced after breaking ties with the
RJD-Congress alliance and joining hands with the BJP.The fatwa, or a decree,
against the only Muslim minister in Kumar’s new cabinet was issued by Mufti
Sohail Quasmi of Imarat Shariah, which describes itself as a socio-religious
organisation active in Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha.“Islam teaches respect for
all religions. If by saying Jai Shri Ram I can do some good for the Muslims,
why is there such a hue and cry,” Ahmad, who has been given charge of minority
welfare and sugarcane industries,told mediapersons. He would not be cowed down
by such threats, he said.The minister later apologised for his statement, while
talking to a TV channel.“CM told me if anybody felt hurt by my statement, I
should apologise. My intention was not to hurt anyone. I have come to serve the
people. My statement was distorted,” he told the channel after coming out of a
review meeting of the minority welfare department with chief minister Nitish
Kumar.Upset over the slogan hailing Hindu god Ram, Quasmi said Ahmad’s marriage
would be terminated and he would have to perform the nikah again after
accepting his “mistake”.Imarat Shariah general secretary Anisurrehman said the organisation
had not issued a fatwa but it could be a personal opinion of Quasmi.“I have not
talked to him. I will try to find out what made him speak like this,” he
said.HT tried to reach Quasmi for comments but his phone was switched off.“A
Muslim is honest to his conscience. What wrong have I done? I have not divorced
my wife. I don’t know how the fatwa was issued and for what,” said the
minister.HT
Imarat Sharia Issues Fatwa Against Bihar Minister Khurshid For Chanting
‘Jai Shri Ram’
Bihar Minister Khurshid Apologizes For Chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’, Says
Intention Was Not to Hurt
114 Armed Forces veterans write open letter to PM Modi: Condemn
targeting of Muslims, Dalits: indianexpress
New Delhi;Highlighting the recent attacks on Muslims and Dalits in the
country, the veterans of the Indian Armed Forces have written an open letter to
PM Narendra Modi expressing their distress and condemning the relentless
vigilantism of the self-appointed protectors of Hinduism. In the letter, the
veterans said they stand with the ‘Not in My Name’ campaign and that Armed
Forces stand for “Unity in Diversity”. They added the current situation in the
country is that of fear, intimidation, hate and suspicion.They said, “what is
happening in our country today strikes at all that the Armed Forces, and indeed
our Constitution, stand for. We are witness to unprecedented attacks on society
at large by the relentless vigilantism of self-appointed protectors of
Hinduism.We condemn the targeting of Muslims and Dalits. We condemn the
clampdowns on free speech by attacks on media outlets, civil society groups,
universities, journalists and scholars, through a campaign of branding them
anti-national and unleashing violence against them while the State looks away.”
Letter has been signed by 114 veterans of Armed Forces. Armed Forces comprise
of Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force.
Armed Forces Veterans Stand With #NotInMyName, ‘Dismayed’ at Vigilantism
and Free Speech Crackdown
Vande Mataram row: Not singing it doesn’t make one anti-national, says
Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi
New Delhi :Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Saturday said singing
‘Vande Mataram’ was a “matter of choice” and that those who do not wish to sing
the National song cannot be dubbed as anti-nationals.“Singing Vande Mataram is
absolutely an individual’s choice. Those who want to sing can sing it, those
who don’t, may not. Not singing it does not make one anti-national,” Union
Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Parliamentary Affairs and Minority
Affairs was quoted as saying by PTI in Mumbai. The minister, however, added
that in case if someone deliberately tried to oppose singing Vande Mataram, it
was in “in bad taste” and “not in the interest of the country”.His remarks came
hours after the debate surrounding the national song written by Bankim Chandra
Chattopadhyay took the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly by a storm. Citing the
recent ruling by Madras High Court, which made singing of ‘Vande Mataram’
mandatory in Tamil Nadu schools, BJP MLA Raj Purohit said Maharashtra schools
should also have similar provisions.However, Samajwadi Party’s Abu Asim Azmi
opposed the demand said he would not sing ‘Vande Mataram’ even if he was
“thrown out of the country.” AIMIM MLA Waris Pathan added he would not sing it
“even if a revolver is put to my head”. Both the leaders were heavily
criticised by the BJP MLAs for their remarks.
Stories on Amit Shah’s Assets, Smriti Irani’s ‘Degree’ Vanish From TOI,
DNA
New Delhi: A story carried by the Times of India’s Ahmedabad edition
about an apparent increase of “300%” in BJP president Amit Shah’s assets over
the past five years was removed from the the paper’s website within hours of
being published on Saturday. No explanation has been given and no editor is
willing to take responsibility for having pulled the plug on the news item.The
story, which reported how Shah’s assets had grown by 300% between 2012 – when
he last filed a declaration as part of his nomination papers for the Gujarat
assembly election – and 2017, also noted that textiles and information and
broadcasting minister Smriti Irani has clarified in her affidavit that she has
not yet completed her Bachelor of Commerce course.Excerpt from Smriti Irani's
2004 election affidavit. The full affidavit may be accessed at the ADR
website.The full affidavit may be accessed at the ADR website.In her 2014
election affidavit for the Lok Sabha seat, when she fought against Congress
leader Rahul Gandhi at Amethi, she had entered, under the education
qualifications column, ‘B. Com. Part 1, School of Correspondence, Delhi
University, 1994’.She had made the same entry in her affidavit for election to
the Rajya Sabha in 2011. Curiously, in her affidavit for the 2004 Lok Sabha
election, which she fought from Chandni Chowk in New Delhi, she wrote: ‘BA.
1996. Delhi University. School of Correspondence’. Times of India story was
also initially carried by the websites of the TOI‘s sister publications
Navbharat Times (NBT) and Economic Times (ET) before being taken down from
there too.Times of India editors whom The Wire contacted said they had no
information about the article but also requested that they not be identified. A
message to the top management of Bennet Coleman and Company Ltd, which owns the
newspapers, remained unanswered at the time of publication of this story.The
Wire
Jammu-Kashmir terror funding case: NIA conducts raid at places belonging
to Syed Geelani’s close aide
Jammu:Continuing its crackdown on separatists in connection with terror
funding case, the NIA on Sunday conducted raids at two places belonging to a
close aide of Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani in Jammu, officials said.
The NIA also issued summon to Naseem, the second son of Geelani, who heads
separatist conglomerate Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, to appear before the agency on
Wednesday. His elder son Nayeem has been summoned to the NIA headquarters
tomorrow.As part of its ongoing probe into the alleged terror funding meant to
fuel unrest in Kashmir, the NIA also raided the residence-cum-office of a local
advocate at Bakshi Nagar in Jammu.Identified as Devinder Singh Behal, the
advocate originally hailed from Nowshera in border Rajouri district and he had
settled in Jammu for the past many years. He also happened to be chairperson of
Jammu Kashmir Peace Forum and he reportedly owed allegiance to Hurriyat
Conference. Behal has been detained by NIA on Sunday, ANI reported. Indian express
Jammu and Kashmir Police prevents Syed Ali Geelani from holding press
conference following NIA raids
Srinagar: A press conference called by senior separatist leader, Syed
Ali Geelani on Sunday was not allowed to be held by the authorities, said a
spokesman of his Hurriyat faction.Geelani had called a press conference at his
uptown Hyderpora residence where the octogenarian separatist leader has been
placed under house arrest, but police did not allow any media person to enter
Geelani's residence, the spokesman said.IANS
NIA seizes secret list of most wanted militants in J-K from separatist
leader
New Delhi: NIA seized a secret list drawn up by police of most wanted
militants in Jammu and Kashmir from the house of Kashmiri separatist leader
Shahid-ul-Islam arrested recently in a case of terror funding, sources have
said.The recovery of the document that has 158 names on it has raised concerns
if Islam, a close aide of moderate Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, has a
mole in the police force.“We were in for huge surprise when we checked the
list’s veracity with the Jammu and Kashmir Police. We were told it was the copy
of a list prepared by their criminal investigation department,” a NIA official
told HTon Friday. “We are curious to know whether the list travelled to
Pakistan as well.” NIA on July 24 arrested Islam and 6 other separatist leaders
in an investigation to ascertain if funds from Pakistan were used to fuel last
year’s unrest in the Valley that left 100 people, most of them civilians,
dead.The list, which was prepared by the intelligence wing of the police around
3 months ago, was seized during one such raid in June, sources in NIA said.HT
SC agrees to hear plea of woman against J&K’s discriminatory
property laws
New Delhi,: Supreme Court has agreed to hear a plea filed by a woman
against the discriminatory laws in J&K which prevent women, married to
non-Kashmiris, from purchasing property in the state.A division bench of
Justice Dipak Misra and Justice A.M. Khanwilkar asked Additional Solicitor
General P.S. Narasimha, appearing for the Central Govt, to inform it whether
this case involved a similar issue of challenge to Article 35A of the
Constitution which was referred to a the three judge bench on July 17.The
petition filed by Charu Wali Khanna challenged Article 35A and Section 6 of the
Jammu and Kashmir Constitution which deal with permanent residents of the
state. Woman said that being a Kashmiri Pandit by origin, she desires to build
a home in Jammu and Kashmir, in order to re-discover her roots, but due to the
peculiar discriminatory laws she is unable to purchase property in the state as
she is a not a permanent resident, and further married to a non-Kashmiri. Article
35A, which was added to Constitution by a Presidential Order in 1954, accords
special rights and privileges to the residents of Jammu and Kashmir, and
empower its legislature to frame any law without attracting a challenge on
grounds of violating right to equality of people from other states or any other
right under Indian Constitution.IANS
Pulwama encounter aftermath: Clashes erupt in Tahab village, youth
injured
Clashes erupted between protesters and security forces in South
Kashmir's Pulwama following the killing of two militants in an encounter in
Tahab village on Sunday.One youth was injured in firing in the clashes that
began near the encounter site. Earlier in the day, two militants were killed
after a gunfight broke out between militants and government forces in Tahab
area.A police officer said that forces launched a cordon and search operation
in Tahab after receiving specific intelligence inputs about the presence of
militants in the area.The search operation turned into an encounter as the
search party of the security forces was fired upon by the militants. The
retaliatory fire resulted in the killing of two militants, he said.Meanwhile,
authorities have snapped internet services in the South Kashmir district. India
today
Kashmiri youth detained for Facebook post in Kolkata released
Srinagar: Valley-based youth Arshad Ali Nasir, who was detained on
Thursday by the Kolkata police for an alleged “anti-national” post on social
networking website Facebook was released on Saturday, July 29, informed his
family.“He has been released after spending 3 days in the police custody. He
has reached Srinagar and attending her mother in hospital who suffered heart
stroke and is on ventilator right now after hearing news of Arshad’s arrest,”
his sister Shazia informed TwoCircles.net over phone. 30-year-old resident of
Srinagar was handed over to Lake area police by locals after they found a
Facebook post wherein he allegedly referred to Kashmir as part of Pakistan.
Arshad has a business of selling Kashmiri Shawls in different parts of the city
and has been living in Kolkata since last 12 years and was presently putting up
in a rented accommodation at Anwar Shah road,Kolkata.TCN
‘Brothers-in-arms for peace’: CRPF shares image of jawan offering namaz
while another stands guard
New Delhi:Srinagar unit of the CRPF shared a couple of photographs on
their Twitter account that generated a lot of interest across social media
platforms. In the image captioned as “Brothers-in-arms for peace”, a man in
uniform can be seen offering namaaz while the other stands guard with a baton
and rifle on him.The images elicited multiple responses, mostly positive, with
some saying “this is real India” and that the photograph showed we were capable
of “unity and harmony.”US State Dept’s Country Reports on Terrorism 2016
recently shed light on how Kashmir remains the most volatile state in India
explaining the presence of security forces. Jammu and Kashmir experienced a 93
per cent increase in attacks in 2016, the report noted.
Won't allow closure of cross-LoC trade over allegations of terror
funding: Muft
Srinagar: J&K CM, Mehbooba Mufti has said that PDP will not allow
closure of cross-LoC trade."There are many difficulties through the Wagah
border; charas and ganja comes from there but no one talks about closing it.
Just because a mistake happens on the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road, we should not
talk about closing it. We will not allow that to happen," she said while speaking
at a rally held here to mark the 18th foundation day of the PDP.A section of
Indian media had earlier during the day on Saturday reported that the NIA has
recommended the closure of cross-LoC
trade after gathering “evidence” that the trade between the 2 parts of
divided Kashmir is being misused to fund terrorists.Asian Age
Amid Doklam crisis, Xi inspects novel military parade ahead of PLA
anniversary
Beijing: Amid the standoff with India in the remote Doklam plateau, and
rising tensions in North Korea, China has held a novel military parade, which
was low on ceremonials, but high on demonstrating the country’s military
modernisation on the watch of President Xi Jinping.Dressed in combat fatigues
and riding a jeep instead of a ceremonial car, President Xi, inspected a unique
event, where soldiers demonstrated their combat skills, in vast open spaces,
used for training, in windswept Inner Mongolia. Simultaneously, China showcased
its new weapons, of which, nearly half were on public display for the first
time. J-20 stealth fighters, widely seen as China’s answer to the F-35 and F-22
fifth generation fighters of the United States, flown in formation for the
first time, were the stars of the parade.Besides, there were other planes,
which were especially suited for long range flights from artificial islands
that China has developed in the South China Sea. China’s strategic nuclear
missiles were once again among the highlights of the parade. All the weapons on
display were of Chinese-origin.Addressing troops, Xi conveyed a twin message—
24x7 combat readiness against any enemy, and political cohesion through
unswerving loyalty of the armed forces to the Communist Party of China (CPC).the
hindu
Sharad Yadav goes on spree of attacks against Modi govt, hints rift in
JDU
It seems JDU is no more left “united” after the recent political events
in Bihar and party’s senior leader Sharad Yadav who was reportedly not happy
with Nitish Kumar’s decision to hold hands with BJP, is not going to hold
back.Yadav who has been silent on Nitish Kumar’s swapping of allies is coming
up with periodical attacks on Modi govt for its failure on several fronts
including farmers and Black Money.Ex-JD(U) president Sharad Yadav has been
critical of the saffron party and its policies and it was reported that he was
unhappy with Bihar CM Nitish Kumar’s decision to break “Mahagathandhan” and
form govt with BJP led NDA’s support. Sharad, who is also JDU’s Rajya Sabha MP
on Sunday, continued his sporadic attack against Centre govt and tweeted that
NDA govt failed in bringing back the black money and no one was caught in
Panama Papers leak case. Neither black money slashed abroad returned, one of d
main slogans of d ruling party nor anyone caught out of those named in Panama
papers." Yadav is on a spree of attacks against BJP led ruling govt
despite his Party JD(U) joined hands with the saffron party in Bihar to form
the govt.Earlier on Saturday, Sharad attacked Modi govt for collecting too many
cesses on the name of different services while the situation in the country
remains as it is.News Nation
Sharad Yadav's tweet attack on BJP: Black money stashed abroad did not
return
Lalu asks JD(U)’s Sharad to lead fight; dissent in NDA over cabinet
berths
Patna:Patna Dumped and still seething, RJD chief Lalu Prasad is looking
to get back at chief minister Nitish Kumar whose decision to go with the BJP
has reportedly upset senior party colleague Sharad Yadav.Prasad invited the JDU
co-founder Yadav to lead the fight against BJP and Kumar, who, he said, had
joined hands with “communal and fascist forces and betrayed the people’s
mandate”.“Nitish has tarnished the image of Ambedkar. I urge Sharad Yadav, whom
we consider the true leader, to travel to every corner of the country and come
to Bihar and join our fight against the BJP and Nitish Kumar,” Prasad told ANI on
Saturday.HT
Dalits and Left must come together to stop BJP: Mevani
Dalit politics saw a resurgence in the wake of the public flogging of
Dalits at Una in Gujarat in July last year. Jignesh Mevani, a lawyer-turned-social
activist from that State, has emerged as its most visible spokesperson. In
Kozhikode to attend a host of events, he spoke to The Hindu. He said, "The
most visible change is the raising consciousness among the Dalit youth. The
‘institutional murder’ of Rohith Vemula, the Una flogging, and the Saharanpur
episode have given tremendous hope to them and the progressive camp. We could
also bring about a class perspective in the Dalit movement which it lacked or
lost in the last two decades after getting entangled in identity politics.
Within a year, I hope I can initiate land struggles in Karnataka, Kerala, Uttar
Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Gujarat, and Rajasthan.There have been targeted
attacks on the minorities too...Yes, but the minorities are not taking to the
streets like Dalits. They are scared. Incidents like Dadri and Junaid’s murder
call for their coming out in large numbers in a Una kind of struggle." He
added, "Dalits and the Left must come together, there is no other way.
Without annihilation of caste, class struggle will not become a material
reality and without class struggle, caste cannot be annihilated.In Kerala, if
the Left government is interested in the annihilation of caste, all those
caste-based clusters and colonies should be wiped out."The Hindu
Mohsin murder case: Family now seeks Ujwala Pawar as special public
prosecutor after Maha govt’s idleness
Weeks after advocate Rohini Salian was not appointed as Special Public
Prosecutor in Mohsin Shaikh’s murder case, the family of the victim has now
asked the Maharashtra government to let continue Ujwala Pawar as the special
public prosecutor in the case.28-year-old Mohsin Shaikh was a Pune based IT
professional who was killed by members of Hindu Rashtra Sena killed in 2014
when he was returning from a mosque after prayers.The case took a strange turn
when its advocate Ujjwal Nikam withdrew hiss position as the special public
prosecutor in the case. Left clueless after Nikam’s withdrawal, the family
asked state government to appoint advocate Rohini Salian as a special public
prosecutor.Even after Rohini Salian gave her consent to appear as special
public prosecutor in the case on July 17, state’s home department did not take
any action regarding her appointment. Even Mohsin’s father Sadiq Shaikh made
several requests for the same. As per the records, Sadiq Shaikh has written
total four letters dated June 16, July 12, July 18 and July 19 this year to the
Maharashtra government, but none of them was replied to.Sadiq Shaikh has also
told informed the ministry that accused personnel are taking advantage of the
absence of special public prosecutor. Sadiq Shaikh said, “Two dates have been
passed already without SPP. Next date is on July 31, before we would like a
confirmation of the appointment.”TCN
Taslima sent back from Aurangabad airport after protests
Aurangabad:Controversial Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen was sent
back from the airport in Aurangabad to Mumbai after protests by a group of
people against her visit to the city, police said on Sunday. Nasreen landed at
the Chikal thana Airport last evening by a flight from Mumbai. Police stopped
the author from stepping out of the airport, where a crowd had gathered
shouting slogans like “Taslima Go Back”. DCP (zone-II) Rahul Shrirame said
Nasreen was sent back to Mumbai by the next flight to avoid any “law and order
problem” in this city in central Maharashtra.The author was advised to abandon
her visit to the city and she agreed to go back, the police officer said.
Protesters had also gathered outside a hostel where Nasreen was to stay during
her three-day visit. Police said they had come to know that the writer was
planning to visit the world heritage sites of Ajanta and Ellora besides other tourist
spots in Aurangabad. The protest at the airport was led by Imtiyaz Jaleel, the
AIMIM legislator from the Aurangabad central constituency.PTI
Mewat :Hindu boys ‘forced’ to offer namaz, Muslim teachers suspended
GURUGRAM: 2 Muslim teachers accused of forcing the only two Hindu
students of a government-run residential school in Mewat to offer namaz have
been suspended, while another has been transferred.A three-member panel, led by
the district education officer, has also been constituted by deputy
commissioner Mani Ram Sharma to investigate the charges against the three
teachers of Mewat Model School in Madhi village. The school has 207 students
and is one among several run by the Mewat Development Agency (MDA) for local
residents.Action was taken against the trio — a computer science teacher, an
Urdu teacher, and a social science teacher who's also the hostel warden — after
parents of the Hindu students complained to Sharma on July 22. While one of the
Hindu boys is a student of class VIII, the other studies in class IX. They are
cousins."Other students in the school have said the three teachers would
ask the two Hindu students to abide by Islamic norms and offer namaz. The
teachers also often asked the two Hindu students to convert to Islam,"
teacher in-charge Naveen Shakti said.The computer science teacher and the Urdu
teacher were suspended on July 28, while the hostel warden has been transferred
to another school in Firozpur Zhirka, she added. The school, however, is left
with only five teachers now.Shamim Ahmad, project officer of the Mewat
Development Agency, said, "As per the complaints of the parents, action
has been taken against the teachers. The truth will come out after the final
probe report."
Some women term consensual acts as rape after break-up: Delhi HC
New Delhi: The aspect of women using law as a "weapon for vengeance
and personal vendetta" was highlighted by the Delhi high court in a recent
judgment where it refused to prosecute a man whose wife sought a retrial of a
rape case lodged before they got married in 2015."This court had observed
on numerous occasions that the number of cases where both persons, out of their
own will and choice, develop consensual physical relationship and when the
relationship breaks due to some reason, the women uses the law as a weapon for
vengeance and personal vendetta."They tend to convert such consensual acts
as an incident of rape, may be out of anger and frustration thereby defeating
the very purpose of the provision. This requires a clear demarcation between
rape and consensual sex especially in the case where the complaint is that
consent was given on the promise to marriage," Justice Pratibha Rani
observed in her order dismissing the plea of the woman. The woman had moved the high court
challenging the trial court's March 2016 order acquitting him, even though it
was based on her own statement that the FIR was a result of a
"misunderstanding" between the couple.He was let off by the trial
court as the woman, who had alleged that she was raped after being made to
consume a sedative-laced drink, turned hostile before the lower court. TOI
WORLD
Saudi-led bloc 'cannot shrink list of demands on Qatar', says ready for
dialogue with conditions
Four Arab countries boycotting Qatar will only enter dialogue to ease
the dispute if Doha agrees to certain demands, and "fights terror",
the group said on Sunday as they met in Manama.High-level officials from Saudi
Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt reiterated their positions
on the Gulf crisis, condemning Qatar for what they perceive as Doha's support
for armed groups. Qatar has repeatedly denied those allegations."The four
countries are ready for dialogue with Qatar with the condition that it
announces its sincere willingness to stop funding terrorism and extremism and
its commitment to not interfere in other countries' foreign affairs and respond
to the 13 demands," Bahrain's Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed
al-Khalifa said after meeting his counterparts.The televised news conference in
Manama came more than one month after the Saudi-led bloc cut diplomatic ties
with Qatar and imposed a land, sea and air blockade on the country. As part of
the boycott, the four countries also expelled Qatari expatriates.The group on
Sunday acknowledged that Qatari citizens had suffered as a result of their
siege.However, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir refused to negotiate on a
list of 13 demands on Doha that was received by Qatar more than two weeks after
the crisis broke out. aljazeera
Four Arab countries say ready for Qatar dialogue with conditions
Palestinian businesses count losses after al-Aqsa Mosque protests
People who have built their livelihoods around the al-Aqsa Mosque
compound in occupied East Jerusalem are taking stock after two weeks of
protests.Small business owners say they have collectively lost millions of
dollars. Aljazeera
Israel to strip Amnesty International of tax benefits over support for
BDS
Israel’s Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon has reportedly taken steps to
strip Amnesty International of its tax benefits in Israel, barring Israeli
donors from receiving tax deductions from their donations to the international
human rights organization owing to its calls to boycott Israel’s illegal
settlements on occupied Palestinian territory, Israeli media reported on
Saturday.According to Israeli media, Miki Zohar, a member of the Knesset,
Israel’s parliament, from the right-wing Likud party wrote a letter to Kahlon
in which he accused Amnesty International of working to “persecute and slander
IDF soldiers.” He reportedly wrote:Amnesty supports illegal infiltrators and
draft refusers, and works with all its might to harm the State of Israel. He
then went on to request that the finance minister use the anti-Boycott,
Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) bill passed in March, which banned foreigners
who have openly expressed support for BDS from entering the country, in order to
“immediately revoke Israel’s recognition of donations to Amnesty, since it is
an organisation which encourages others to boycott all or part of Israel.” middleeastmonitor
Pakistan parliament to elect new PM after Sharif ouster
Pakistan's parliament will meet on Tuesday to elect a new prime minister
after the disqualification of three-time leader Nawaz Sharif.Mamnoon Hussain,
Pakistan's president, called the special parliamentary session late on Saturday
after Sharif put forward Shahid Khaqan Abbasi as the interim leader and his
brother, Shahbaz Sharif, as the long-term successor. Shahbaz, currently the
chief minister of Punjab province - Pakistan's most populous region and the
Sharifs' political heartland - will have to resign from his post and run for a
by-election to join parliament before he is elected as prime minister.Sharif's PML-N
party has a strong majority in parliament and is expected to succeed in
installing Abbasi for the interim 45-day period. aljazeera
Shahbaz Sharif may nominate son to succeed him as Pak Punjab CM: Report
Lahore:Pakistan Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, who is set to
succeed his brother Nawaz Sharif as the Pakistan prime minister, may nominate
his son Hamza Shahbaz as the new head of the second largest province of the
country, according to a media report.According to sources at PML-N, however,
the final say on the decision on who gets to helm Punjab rests with ousted
prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who is looking to consolidate the party’s control
in Punjab province.The PML-N cannot afford to lose its grip on Punjab at this
time, especially since the next general elections are barely a year away, a
senior PML-N leader was quoted as saying Dawn News.“Shahbaz wants his son, who
is already acting as the deputy chief minister, to succeed him for the
remaining term in Punjab. However, [it is up to] Nawaz Sharif to decide whether
Hamza will be the right choice for the post or not,” said a senior PML-N
legislator from Punjab.PTI
Turkey’s first hijabi deputy is the new ambassador to Malaysia
Turkey’s former Virtue Party lawmaker Merve Kavakci who was ousted from
parliament in 1999 for wearing a headscarf, has been appointed as the new
ambassador to Malaysia, by a decree issued by the Turkish govt.Kavakci’s case,
which her sister – parliamentarian Ravza
Kavakci Han – called a “political lynch
campaign”, has shaped Turkish politics for years.A Harvard graduate, Kavakci
was a professor at George Washington University and Howard University in Washington
DC. However, she went back to Turkey to participate in politics and was elected
as an Istanbul deputy of the Virtue Party, a conservative political party, in
April 1999.On May 2, 1999 Kavakci walked into the Turkish Grand National
Assembly, wearing a headscarf, to take her oath of office as a member of
Turkish Parliament. Jasarat
Hamburg stabbing suspect known as radical, mentally unstable
BERLIN: A Palestinian man who allegedly stabbed one person to death and
wounded six others in Hamburg was known to authorities as a suspected Islamic
radical but is also psychologically unstable, German officials said on
Saturday.The suspect, a 26-year-old who had no identity papers other than a
birth certificate showing he was born in the UAE, was quickly overwhelmed by passers-by
and arrested after Friday's attack at a supermarket in Hamburg's Barmbek
district.He was not named by authorities in keeping with Germany privacy
laws.The man's motive remained unclear Saturday but he is believed to have
acted alone and there are no indications he had links to any network, Hamburg
state interior minister Andy Grote said.PTI
FLASH: NEWS & VIEWS
Nobody should be forced to sing Vande Mataram:SA Aiyar in Swaminomics,
TOI
Bring out white paper on lynchings Rising parochialism threatens
orderliness in India: Let us defend the real nationalism: Dr Syed Zafar Mahmood
India's Muslims 'in constant fear' as vigilante murders increase:ABC
Compiled and edited by Anwarulhaq (Released at: 8:07 PM)
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