Posts
Evening NEWS DIGEST
01 Nov, 2015: 18 Muharram 37: Vol:7, No:14
INDIA
Bihar polls: 4th round ends, 58% vote
http://www.thestatesman.com/news/latest-headlines/bihar-polls-4th-round-ends-58-vote/100896.html#htzidL92TD3uE7ej.99
Patna: 4th and penultimate phase of Bihar's assembly polls, the biggest popularity test in the country since the February Delhi election the BJP lost, ended on Sunday with around 58 per cent of the 14 million electorate voting, officials said.Additional CEO R. Lakshmanan said the exercise passed off peacefully, including in Maoist strongholds.Even as the voting was on, PM Modi addressed election rallies in constituencies that will see polling on Nov.5 - 3 days before the Bihar result will be known -- and urged the people to vote for the BJP-led 4-party alliance. Polling in 12 of the constituencies where Maoists are active ended early.IANS
Review policy to check Muslim, Christian population: RSS
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/review-policy-to-check-muslim-christian-population-rss/#sthash.MjfRcS2K.dpuf
New Delhi: Seeking to make a distinction between “religions of Bharatiya origin” and others like Islam and Christianity, the RSS on Saturday passed a resolution asking the government to “reformulate” the population policy to check “demographic imbalance”. Claiming “higher growth” in the Muslim and Christian population, the RSS blamed this on “infiltration and conversion”.The resolution, adopted at its Akhil Bhartiya Karyakari Mandal in Ranchi, noted that “vast differences in growth rates of different religious groups, infiltration and conversion” have caused “religious imbalance of the population ratio, especially in border areas”, which may threaten “the unity, integrity and identity of the country”. It asked the government to “reformulate” the national population policy and prepare a national register of citizens.“The share of population of religions of Bharatiya origin, which was 88%, has come down to 83.8%, while the Muslim population, which was 9.8%, has increased to 14.23% during the period 1951-2011,” said RSS resolution.“The rate of growth of Muslim population has been higher than the national average in the border districts of border states like Assam, West Bengal and Bihar, clearly indicating the unabated infiltration from Bangladesh,” it said. indian express
Hate crimes a pre-planned conspiracy to demean Hindus: RSS
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Hate-crimes-a-pre-planned-conspiracy-to-demean-Hindus-RSS/articleshow/49617992.cms
RSS calls for national population policy to correct ‘demographic imbalance’
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/RSS-calls-for-national-population-policy-to-correct-demographic-imbalance/articleshow/49613558.cms
West targeting Sudan over oil: Sudan President
http://www.thehindu.com/news/west-targeting-sudan-over-oil-says-sudans-president-omar-al-bashir/article7827602.ece
New Delhi: India has stood by Sudan in “defying” the International Criminal Court’s warrant against him, Sudan’s President Omar Al-Bashir has said.In an exclusive interview to The Hindu at the conclusion of the third India-Africa Forum Summit, he said India had rejected the “legal colonialism” of western countries that “targeted Sudan” because they had been ousted from the oil business there. “India had always stood with Africa in the freedom struggle against colonial powers. [After independence] In Sudan, India conducted the first population census and even set up our election commission. So, India’s support has always been there, and on this issue [of the ICC warrant] too, India’s support is there,” he said,speaking in Arabic through a translator. Lauding India for its stand, Bashir said: “In Sudan, we managed to expel all western companies involved in oil extraction and replaced them with Chinese and Indian companies. This is why the West is targeting us through ICC. Allegations are baseless, and India rejects them, too, as part of the colonial legacy of the past.” Thehindu
Gujarat, Dadri wouldn’t have happened if 1984 riots guilty were punished: Kejriwal
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/had-guilty-been-punished-for-1984-riots-gujarat-dadri-wouldnt-have-seen-such-intolerance-kejriwal/
New Delhi: Had the guilty been punished after the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, incidents like in Gujarat and Dadri would not have happened and “such intolerance” would not have spread, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal said today. The CM along with his Deputy Manish Sisodia distributed the enhanced compensation cheques of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of each of the 1,300 people killed in the violence and paid homage to the victims on the 31st anniversary of the riots.“If those guilty in the 1984 riots were punished in the past 31 years, then incidents like those in Gujarat and Dadri would not have happened.PTI
Sikhs, Muslims march seeking punishment for 1984 killings
http://www.indiatomorrow.net/eng/sikhs-muslims-march-seeking-punishment-for-1984-killings
New Delhi: 1984 anti-Sikh riot was the bloodiest ever for the community, and it left deep wounds yet to be healed as the perpetrators are yet to be punished. Reiterating their demand for punishment to the guilty, the Sikh community took out a protest march here on Sunday. Some leaders of the Muslim community also took part in the protest march supporting the demand. The march, organised by Lok Raj Sangathan, originated from Mandi House and proceeded towards Jantar Mantar.Several organizations including Muslim supported the protest march. They included Communist Ghadar Party of India, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, SDP, Sikh Forum, All India Muslim Majlis e Mushawarat, All India Forward Block, CPI(ML) New Proletarian, APCR, Citizens for Democracy, Socialist Party of India, Ulema Council of India, United Muslims Front, Sikh Youth Forum and National Council of Dalit Christians. India tomorrow
Anti-Sikh riots accused gets clean chit, Senior lawyer attacks BJP-led govt
http://www.siasat.com/news/clean-chit-anti-sikh-riots-accused-31-years-senior-lawyer-attacks-modi-govt-861710/
Modi should not be allowed into UK: British Muslim survivor of Gujarat riots
http://www.ummid.com/news/2015/October/31.10.2015/british-muslim-survivor-of-gujarat-riots.html#sthash.W2iX4g9A.dpuf
London: A British Muslim who survived the 2002 Gujarat riots and kin of three other British Muslims who were brutally murdered by Hindu mob, while opposing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's proposed visit to the UK due in the next month, are demanding afresh for justice."Modi should not be allowed into the UK. I saw burning buildings. I saw mobs committing genocide. I saw dead bodies, I saw burnt bodies all around me. I experienced smells like never ever before. I was terrorised and left for dead", Imran Dawood said while talking to The Muslim News."My family, neighbours were taken away from me and until now no justice has been delivered. And it sickens me now when I see the news on how killing of Muslims is still happening,” he added. Imran Dawood was 18 when he was stabbed by the Hindu rioters during the 2002 Gujarat riots. ummid.com
Separatist leaders detained ahead of PM Modi’s Kashmir rally
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/jk-separatist-leaders-detained-ahead-of-geelanis-rally/
Srinagar:Several separatist leaders were allegedly detained here ahead of hardline Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s planned rally coinciding with that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Nov7.The moderate faction of Hurriyat, led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Sunday extended its support to Geelani’s rally. JKLF chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik, Democratic Freedom Party chief Shabir Ahmad Shah and other separatist leaders were detained late Saturday night and early Sunday by police, their aides claimed.PTI
RSS backed Muslim Rashtriya Manch on misson to change mindset of Kashmiri youth
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/RSS-backed-Muslim-Rashtriya-Manch-on-misson-to-change-mindset-of-Kashmiri-youth/articleshow/49615264.cms
On Oct.20, 4 sarpanchs (village heads) from the volatile Sopore area — 50 km from Srinagar in north Kashmir — formally joined Muslim Rashtriya Manch (MRM), an RSS backed organization floated in 2002, which claims to act as a bridge between Hindu and Muslim communities of India.MRM, which is functional in J&K since its inception, is silently gaining ground, especially in the Valley and has opened units in almost all districts and tehsils. The organization, open about its associations with the Sangh Parivar, claims to have enrolled 8,000 members in the state and is now out on a mission to 'change the mindset and actions' of the youth of Kashmir. MRM has managed to introduce RSS — which they claim has been misunderstood — in almost every nook and corner of the Valley through its social welfare programmes and contact meetings."We want the youth of Kashmir to shun the stone (reference to the common occurrences of stone-pelting), like they shunned the gun. We want them to (join) the mainstream," national convener of MRM M.Afzal, who was on a visit to Kashmir said. TOI /ET
AMU teachers’ union threatens to launch stir
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/amu-teachers-union-threatens-to-launch-stir/article7828431.ece
New Delhi:Aligarh Muslim University Teacher’s Association (AMUTA) has has cautioned that unless the university administration reverses the suspension order against the association's honorary secretary, it should brace for widespread peaceful demonstrations and hunger strikes.AMUTA has been remonstrating against vice-chancellor Lt.Gen (retd) Zameer Uddin Shah’s decision of taking disciplinary action against the secretary of the Association, Mustafa Zaidi for taking part in a protest, which was organised to draw attention to various “irregularities” in administrative functions. These allegations have been contested by the VC's office. At a general body meeting of the AMUTA, late on Friday night a resolution to organise protests against the administration was passed.AMUTA members told The Hindu , that the administration was “violating laws” and “stifling dissent” and the suspension of Mr. Zaidi was “undemocratic” and “illegal”. The hindu
JNU council rejects proposal on courses in Yoga, Culture
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/jnu-council-rejects-proposal-on-courses-in-yoga-and-culture/article7829474.ece?homepage=true
In a rebuff to the govt, Jawaharlal Nehru University’s Academic Council has rejected a proposal for introduction of short-term courses in ‘Indian Culture’ and ‘Yoga’ for propagating spiritual and mythological traditions and establishing Indian values in the world.The proposal was mooted by the varsity administration following communications from UGC and HRD Ministry. However, the varsity’s Academic Council (AC), which is the top decision making body, rejected the proposal at a meeting last Friday.The proposal to introduce three short-term courses in these subjects had come against the backdrop of right-wing organisations, including BJP’s ideological mentor RSS, insisting on propagation of culture in educational campuses to promote India’s rich heritage and restore its cultural identity. PTI
Battleground Bihar: Why Muslim voters are underplaying identity: TOI spl
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/elections/bihar-elections-2015/news/Battleground-Bihar-Why-Muslim-voters-are-underplaying-identity/articleshow/49614031.cms
Patna: For decades, long queues of burqa-clad women at polling booths have marked elections in India. Yet, the 3 rounds of polling held so far in Bihar have witnessed a diminution of what was considered a staple feature on polling day, community leaders stressing the need to maintain a lower profile on voting day. According to a top JD(U) leader, at many places, Muslim women discarded the veil to de-emphasize their distinctiveness. This is a fallout of a lesson Nitish Kumar's colleagues learnt in the 2014 LS polls. The size of Muslim turnout had triggered what's called "counter-polarization", pushing voters, who seemed to be tilting towards JD(U) and RJD, towards BJP, propelling the saffron party to a tally that helped Narendra Modi score a majority of his own.TOI
9 out of 10 boys & 7 out of 10 girls drink before 18 as Delhi mulls over lowering drinking age to 21
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-3298367/Nine-ten-boys-seven-ten-girls-drink-18-Delhi-mulls-LOWERING-drinking-age-21.html
A study conducted among children in Delhi aged between 20 and 25 has revealed that 89.8 percent of boys and 64.6 of girls surveyed have consumed alcohol before they turn 18. The survey found underage drinking has gone up by 22.5 per cent since 2012 in the age group of 18-25 years. Done by leading NGO Community Against Drunk Driving (CADD) in collaboration with the Delhi Police and National Crime Records Bureau, the survey comes at a time when the Delhi government is deciding whether or not to reduce the drinking age from 25 to 21. But the govt has no immediate plans to bring in the change. “Yes. We are holding consultations with various stake holders and also inviting suggestions from organisations working in the field. But there is no immediate plan. This year’s excise policy is already out and whatever change will be affected will be from the next year if at all,” said a source in Kejriwal govt. The survey also revealed that one out five respondents had alcohol by the age of 12. 75 per cent of them under the age of 25 have drunk driven. It was also found there was no age proof check at points of sale like bars, pubs, govt and private liquor shops. Daily mail
India becomes world's 7th most valued 'nation brand'; US on top
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/India-becomes-worlds-7th-most-valued-nation-brand-US-on-top/articleshow/49616933.cms
India has moved up one position to become the world's 7th most valued 'nation brand', with an increase of 32% in its brand value to $2.1 billion. US remains on the top with a valuation of $19.7 billion, followed by China and Germany at the second and the third positions respectively, as per the annual report on world's most valuable nation brands compiled by Brand Finance.PTI
Confirmed ticket on next train for waitlisted passengers: indian express
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/new-scheme-confirmed-ticket-on-next-train-for-waitlisted-passengers/
New Delhi:Railways issued a statement Saturday saying the pilot project of a new scheme, named Vikalp, will be launched on the Delhi-Lucknow and Delhi-Jammu routes Sunday. Waitlisted passengers on 2 sectors of the Indian Railways will be able to get confirmed berths in the next train on the same route from Sunday, as per a new experiment the national transporter is trying out. Railways issued a statement Saturday saying the pilot project of a new scheme, named Vikalp, will be launched on the Delhi-Lucknow and Delhi-Jammu routes Sunday.
Spl commandos for Indian team escorting Rajan
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/special-commandos-for-indian-security-officials-escorting-chhota-rajan/article7829851.ece
BALI: Special police commandos have been provided for the security of the Indian officials who arrived here on Sunday to expedite underworld don Chhota Rajan’s deportation to India.Special commandos of Indonesian police were already providing round-the-clock security for Rajan, who was arrested on his arrival from Australia last Sunday, sources said.Security of the Indian officals as well as Rajan, one of India’s most wanted criminals, was enhanced due to the high threat perception to Rajan from rival gangs most notably of Dawood Ibrahim.Indian team, comprising CBI, Mumbai Police and Delhi Police officials, is also accompanied by elite commandos of Special Cell of the Delhi Police. PTI
Rajasthan Baha'i community burial place vandalised by Hindu mob
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/bahai-burial-place-vandalised/article7827577.ece
Jaipur: The only burial place of the Baha'i community in Rajasthan was attacked by a mob led by the head of Shri Ram Ki Nangal village.On Friday, a mob led by Nathu Jangid attacked the watchman of the burial place, damaged his house, and later damaged the doors, windows, and other parts of a prayer hall which was being constructed on the premises of the burial place, Niyaz Alam from Shri Ram Ki Nangal said.“The Jaipur Development Authority had allotted us land for the burial place in the year 2002. However, Nathu Jangid fought the Panchayat elections on the premise that he would get the burial ground removed,” Mr. Alam said. The police have registered a case. The Hindu
FIR lodged after mob vandalises Jaipur’s lone Baha’i burial ground
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/fir-lodged-after-mob-vandalises-jaipurs-lone-bahai-burial-ground/
WORLD
Sinai plane crash: Egypt dismisses IS affiliate claim
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-34690936
Egypt's PM said a technical fault was the most likely cause, dismissing claims from Islamic State militants that they were responsible.However, 3 airlines - Emirates, Air France and Lufthansa - have decided not to fly over the Sinai Peninsula until more information is available. Russia is observing a day of mourning after its worst air disaster.The plane's black boxes have been found and sent for analysis, officials said. BBC's Sally Nabil in Cairo says the crash has been a major blow to Egypt's already struggling tourism industry, and the Egyptian authorities are trying very hard to accelerate the investigation process. Kogalymavia Airbus A-321 came down early on Saturday, shortly after leaving the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh for the Russian city of St Petersburg. Egypt's civil aviation minister Hossam Kamal said there had been no sign of any problems on board the flight, contradicting earlier reports that the pilot had asked to make an emergency landing.An Egyptian official had previously said that before the plane lost contact with air traffic controllers, the pilot had said the aircraft was experiencing technical problems and he intended to try to land at the nearest airport.One Egyptian official said the plane suddenly "disappeared off the radar". Russian and French investigators have joined the Egyptian-led probe, along with experts from Airbus, which is headquartered in France. In Sinai itself, where jihadist groups are active, militants allied to IS made a claim on social media that they brought down flight KGL9268.
But Egyptian PM Sharif Ismail dismissed the claim, saying experts had confirmed that a plane could not be downed at the altitude the Airbus 321 was flying at.BBC
Russia grounds crash airline fleet, dismisses ISIS affiliate's claim of responsibility
http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/russia-grounds-crash-airline-fleet-dismisses-isis-affiliates-claim-responsibility#sthash.7JLcJHYw.dpuf
Experts Cast Doubt on IS Claim It Shot Down Russian Airliner in Egypt
http://www.basnews.com/en/news/2015/11/01/experts-cast-doubt-on-is-claim-it-shot-down-russian-airliner-in-egypt/
Egypt bars scores of Egyptians from traveling - HRW
http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/11/01/egypt-rights-idINKCN0SQ1ST20151101
Cairo: Egypt has increasingly used unlawful means to prevent citizens from traveling outside the country over the past year, a report from Human Rights Watch said on Sunday, another sign of the government's tightening grip on political opposition.Members of political parties, youth activists, and people associated with NGOs and ex-President Mursi are among those who have been turned back at the airport, their passports often confiscated and not returned, the report said."Egyptian authorities have jailed thousands of dissidents in the past two years and are now turning the country's own borders into de facto prison walls," said Nadim Houry, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch.Human rights groups have accused Egyptian authorities of widespread violations since the army toppled Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013 after mass protests against his rule.Reuters
Syrian, Russian air raids kill 64 people in Aleppo
http://www.ndtv.com/world-news/syrian-russian-air-raids-kill-64-people-in-aleppo-province-report-1238572
Beirut: At least 64 people, including 28 children, have been killed by Syrian army and Russian air raids in the northern province of Aleppo in the past 24 hours, a group monitoring the war said on Saturday.The raids hit Aleppo city and a number of towns and villages elsewhere in the province, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, as Syrian government forces backed by Russian air cover intensified bombardments against insurgents throughout the country.Reuters
Khamenei calls for Syrian elections to end civil war
http://indianexpress.com/article/world/world-news/irans-khamenei-calls-for-syrian-elections-to-end-civil-war/
Iran’s clerical supreme leader said elections should be held in Syria to end the civil war there and criticised foreign powers that arm and fund Syrian opposition fighters, state television reported on Sunday.In an annual address to the Islamic Republic’s top diplomats, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also said that US objectives in the Middle East were the opposite of Iran’s and that negotiating with Washington on regional issues was meaningless.Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif attended the meeting after returning from inconclusive talks with world powers in Vienna on Friday aimed at finding a solution to the war, the first time Iran had participated in such talks.“The solution to the Syrian question is elections, and for this it is necessary to stop military and financial aid to the opposition,” several state media outlets quoted Khamenei as saying.indianexpress
Syria deal: Saudi envoy spells out sticking points
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-international/syria-deal-saudi-envoy-spells-out-sticking-points/article7828195.ece
Manama: Saudi Arabia’s top diplomat says the timing of the departure of Syrian Bashar al-Assad and the withdrawal of foreign fighters remain the main sticking points to finding a lasting resolution to the civil war in Syria. A senior US official, meanwhile, says Russia’s military intervention into a conflict that has killed more than 250,000 people and forced 11 million from their homes will drag Moscow into a “quagmire” that will alienate Sunni Muslims.Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir and US Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken made the comments Saturday at the Manama Dialogue security conference, just hours after their two countries and more than a dozen others agreed to pursue a new peace effort involving Syria’s government and opposition groups. Syria dominated discussions at the gathering of Western and Arab officials in the Bahraini capital. AP
New Syria coalition launches offensive against ISIL
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/10/syria-coalition-launches-offensive-isil-151031134720398.html
A new coalition of armed opposition groups in northeastern Syria has launched an offensive against Islamic State (ISIL) group in the province of Hasakah, as part of it's strive to eradicate the group from the entire country.Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which was formed in mid-October as an alliance among various ethnic factions, including Kurdish, Arab and Assyrian rebels, started attacking ISIL strongholds in Hasakah on Friday night."We declare the first step of our military action within a plan of liberating the whole Syria from the terrorist gangs," Syrian Observatory of Human Rights (SOHR), quoted the group as saying in a statement. Sherfan Darwish, the spokesman for the rebel group Burkan al-Furat - which is part of the SDF - told the AFP news agency that the coalition has targeted ISIL-held towns in Hasakah, including Shadadi and al-Hol. aljazeera
ISIL invades town in central Syria
http://www.worldbulletin.net/todays-news/165878/isil-overruns-town-in-central-syria
ISIL group extremists seized a small town in Syria's central Homs province Sunday with help from local rebels and advanced on a majority Christian village, a monitoring group said. " ISIL group easily took control of the village of Maheen, southeast of Homs, after two suicide attacks," said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Maheen lies 70 km southeast of the government-controlled provincial capital Homs city, and 35km east of the Syrian-Lebanese border. For the past two years, a ceasefire between rebel factions in the town and regime troops at surrounding checkpoints had governed Maheen. But on Sunday the rebel factions turned against the govt fighters and joined ranks with ISIL extremists, Abdel Rahman said.ISIL launched its assault from the nearby Christian village of Al-Qaryatain, which it seized in August, he added. World Bulletin
IS takes over Syrian town in Homs province -monitor
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/11/01/uk-mideast-crisis-syria-is-idUKKCN0SQ1I620151101
Turkish, US air strikes kill more than 50 IS militants in Syria: agency
http://news.yahoo.com/turkish-u-air-strikes-kill-more-50-islamic-050123068.html
Istanbul (Reuters) Air strikes by Turkish and US aircraft in Syria on Saturday killed more than 50 Islamic State militants and wounded around 30, Anadolu Agency quoted security sources as saying on Sunday. A senior government official told Reuters on Saturday that Turkish jets had bombed Islamic State targets in Syria, as before Turks prepared to vote in Sunday's parliamentary election. Anadolu Agency
Russian intervention against Boko Haram ‘hypothetical’: France
http://www.aa.com.tr/en/world/russian-intervention-against-boko-haram-hypothetical-france/458652
Paris : A Russian military intervention in West Africa against Boko Haram as part of a counter-terrorism operation remains "hypothetical", according to the French Foreign Ministry.Following a meeting between Russia’s Ambassador to Niger, Alexey Doulouy, and Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou last Monday in capital Niamey, media reports suggested that Russian forces are possibly going to intervene against the terrorist group.French diplomatic sources told Anadou Agency on Friday that the meeting is a "statement of Russia’s support for the actions of regional countries against terrorism”. Anadolu Agency
Netanyahu retracts false Holocaust assertion
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-international/netanyahu-retracts-false-holocaust-assertion/article7828426.ece
Jerusalem: After more than a week of local and international condemnation, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel issued a statement Friday retracting his accusation that it was a Palestinian cleric who gave Hitler the idea of annihilating Europe’s Jews during World War II. Netanyahu, criticised even by Israeli historians for distorting facts, had already said he never intended to absolve Hitler of responsibility for the Holocaust by blaming the mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini.“Decision to move from a policy of deporting Jews to the Final Solution was made by the Nazis and was not dependent on outside influence,” Netanyahu posted on Facebook, in Hebrew and English. “Nazis saw in the Mufti a collaborator, but they did not need him to decide on the systematic destruction of European Jewry, which began in June 1941.” NewYorkTimes
Israeli settlers storm Muslims’ al-Aqsa Mosque
http://english.palinfo.com/site/pages/details.aspx?itemid=74588
O.Jerusalem, (PIC) Israeli extremist settlers on Sunday morning broke into the plazas of Muslims’ the holy al-Aqsa Mosque, in Jerusalem, under heavy police escort.According to eye-witnesses, 26 Israeli settlers stormed al-Aqsa Mosque via the Maghareba Gate. The peaceful Muslim sit-inners who stood on their guard to the break-in kept chanting “Allah the Greatest” in protest at such a sacrilegious move.Meanwhile, the Israeli occupation police have cracked down on the female Muslim worshipers at al-Aqsa, seizing their IDs at the entrances to the Mosque.
Israel expands detention without trial to minors
http://www.worldbulletin.net/headlines/165858/israel-expands-detention-without-trial-to-minors
Israeli authorities last week placed three Palestinian minors from East Jerusalem under administrative detention, a move rights group say is unprecedented in the city, as Israel heightens security measures amid a month of deadly violence.On Oct. 19, Fadi Abassi, 17, and Mohammed Ghaith, 17, were arrested after dawn raids on their homes in the neighborhood of Silwan, according to Defense for Children International - Palestine.All three teenagers have been detained on charges of throwing rocks at Israeli police vehicles and questioned at the Oz and al-Mascobiya interrogation centers. Days earlier on Oct. 16, Kathem Sbeih, 17, was detained from his family home in Jabal al-Mukkabir, a neighborhood at the heart of current tensions which Israel earlier in the month sealed off from the neighboring East Talpiot settlement with concrete blocks and a wall. Worldbulletin
Massive participation in funerals of slain young man and infant in WB
http://english.palinfo.com/site/pages/details.aspx?itemid=74586
West Bank, (PIC)-- Thousands of Palestinians on Saturday participated in the funeral processions of two Palestinians killed by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank, including an eight-month-old infant in Bethlehem.In Bethlehem, scores of mourners marched in the funeral procession of the infant Ramadan Thawabta from Beit Jala hospital to his parents' home in Beit Fajjar town before holding the burial ceremony. The baby died of suffocation on Friday evening when an Israeli military tear gas canister fell into his family home in Beit Fajjar town.
Funerals put spotlight on Israeli 'unlawful killings'
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/10/west-bank-funerals-palestinian-israelis-killed-151031100457946.html
Gaza submerged by seawater pumped by Egypt
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/22022-gaza-submerged-by-seawater-pumped-by-egypt
Palestine’s interior ministry in Gaza said on Friday that wide swathes of land have been submerged by seawater pumped by the Egyptian army to flood the tunnels linking Egypt with the coastal enclave, Quds Press reported. In a statement, the ministry said that: “The Egyptian army continues pumping seawater into the soil [along the Gaza Strip borders with Egypt] and flooding the tunnels.” About 2 months ago, the Egyptian army started pumping seawater into the border area in order to submerge the tunnels. Middleeastmonitor
NYPD officer 'converted' to Islam to go undercover, spy on Brooklyn College students which led to arrest of 2 women accused of 'building a bomb and planning to wage jihad in New York'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3298583/NYPD-officer-converted-Islam-order-undercover-spy-Brooklyn-College-students-led-arrest-two-women-accused-building-bomb-planning-wage-jihad-New-York.html
An NYPD officer pretended to be a Brooklyn College student at the Islamic Society in New York City, and taking the Muslim oath of faith, before befriending Muslim students to infiltrate the community.The woman, who went by the name of Mel, short for Melike, spent four years earning the trust of Islamic students at the college as part of an NYPD operation to spy on Muslims, according to NY's daily weblog Gothamist.The controversial mission was part of the police departments well-documented plan that sees the blanket surveillance of innocent Muslims. Mayor of New York, Bill deBlasio has openly criticized such surveillance and declared at a Ramadan dinner that Muslim New Yorkers were 'still fighting for basic human rights.''We recently shut down Demographics Unit at NYPD, which conducted surveillance on Muslim New Yorkers. Because it's unfair to single out people on the sole basis of their religion,' he added.The undercover operation led to some important arrests. 4 years after Mel had infiltrated the college, 2 Queens residents, Noelle Velentzas and Asia Siddiqui, were arrested and charged with allegedly planning to build a bomb. US Justice Dept. issued a release stating that the women were linked to members of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and the Islamic State.DailyMail
Polls open in Turkey's 26th general election
http://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkey/polls-open-in-turkeys-26th-general-election/458674
Voting in Turkey's 26th general election began at 8.00 am local time on Sunday. More than 54 million Turks are eligible to vote in a poll to elect 550 deputies to the Grand National Assembly.A total of 175,006 polling stations countrywide will be open until 5.00pm local time. Nearly a million Turks living abroad have already cast their ballots at 113 embassies and consulates. The electorate will be selecting a party, rather than a candidate, in 81 provinces - divided into 85 voting districts (Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir provinces have multiple districts) - across the country under the closed list proportional representation system. Anadolu Agency
Compiled and edited by Anwarulhaq (Released at: 6:52 PM)
