Evening NEWS DIGEST
25 Aug. 2016: 21 Dzulqa'dah 37: Vol:7, No:146
INDIA
Gujarat HC allows removal of PM Modi’s name as respondent in Gujarat riots case
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/gujarat-hc-allows-removal-of-pm-modis-name-as-respondent-in-gujarat-riots-case-2994493/
Ahmedabad: Gujarat High Court has allowed removal of names of PM Narendra Modi and ex-state chief secretary Varesh Sinha as respondents from a petition challenging a Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) order quashing a charge sheet against former IPS officer Rahul Sharma in a 2002 CD case. A bench of Justices MR Shah and AS Supehia in an oral order on Tuesday allowed the govt pleader’s request to remove the names of the 2 respondents in the case – Modi and Sinha. Govt Pleader Manisha Lavkumar sought deletion of the names on the ground Sharma was the only contesting party in the case. He argued that CAT had not issued notice to the 2 respondents while hearing the case. “Permission is accordingly granted. (Names of) respondents No. 3 (Sinha) and 4 (Modi) stand deleted,” the court said during the hearing. Sinha is at present the State Election Commissioner.PTI
Jamaat-e-Islami Hind moves Gujarat HC after cops deny permission for rally
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/muslim-organisation-moves-gujarat-hc-after-cops-deny-permission-for-rally/story-NBMoISBrmcyVarJpVvp0xK.html
Ahmedabad: Jamaat-e-Islami Hind has approached the Gujarat high court, challenging the denial of permission to it by the police to hold a rally in the city.Justice RH Shukla on Wednesday asked the police to resolve the issue by discussing it with the organisers, and posted the matter for further hearing on Aug.29.The judge, however, remarked that the police can regulate a rally, but cannot prohibit it.Jamat-e-Islami Hind had on Aug.13 applied to the city police for permission to hold a public meeting on Aug.21 and a rally on Aug.22 as a part of its nation-wide `peace and harmony campaign’.The police permitted the public meeting but not the rally, after which the organisation moved the court.The organisers now plan to hold the rally on Sept.1. HT
Allegation of sneaking into India to carry on jihadi activities is false, Govt arranged return from Turkey says Areeb Majeed in his bail plea
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/is-recruit-files-for-bail-again-govt-arranged-return-arrest-a-betrayal-says-areeb-majeed-2994722/
Mumbai: Areeb Majeed, 23-year-old Kalyan resident has claimed in his second bail application that his return to India from Turkey was arranged by high-ranking officials in coordination with NIA, and that his arrest upon return was a “betrayal” by security agencies.NIA chargesheet against Majeed claims that he had sneaked into India and was arrested at the Mumbai airport. “Allegations of the applicant (Majeed) sneaking into India to carry on jihadi activities is false. His return to India from Turkey was arranged and facilitated by high-ranking diplomatic and central govt officials in coordination with officials of NIA,” the bail plea states. Majeed has said that the Indian Consulate in Turkey along with the Union govt were behind his return to India, with officials arranging his travel documents, flight ticket and also his hotel stay in Turkey. The bail plea says he voluntarily returned and would not have done so if he wanted to flee justice. Despite this, says the plea, he was “betrayed” as he was arrested upon his return.Majeed’s bail plea says officials coordinated with his father for his return. A plea filed by his father seeking to add his own call data records to show contact with officials and the CCTV footage from Mumbai airport is pending.Majeed claims he was arrested on Nov.28, 2014, from Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport when he landed from Turkey, and that he had been illegally detained for more than 24 hours before being produced before a magistrate.He claims he was threatened that false cases would be registered against his family members, and that he was “handcuffed and blindfolded” and “subjected to third degree” in police custody.Majeed has said he did not follow IS social media accounts, and that his own accounts were being accessed between June and Nov.from locations across the world even after his arrest. Bail plea also says that while FIR was registered against Majeed on Nov.28, 2014, IS was declared a terrorist organisation under UAPA only in Dec.2015, making the invocation of the particular Act against him wrong. indian express
Kerala High Court orders probe into Muslim charitable institute’s antecedents
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/kerala-high-court-orders-probe-into-muslim-charitable-institutes-antecedents-2994369/
Kochi: Kerala High Court has ordered a police probe into the “antecedents” of a Muslim educational and charitable organisation on a retired army man’s charge that it was an “illegal Islamic conversion centre” and his 24-year old daughter was “wrongfully” confined there and planned to go to Syria.A bench comprising Justices K Surendra Mohan and Mary Joseph in its order on Wednesday after interacting with woman and her parents who appeared in the court, directed the police to investigate antecedents of Sathya Sarani in Manjeri in Malappuram district and also about her local guardian AS Sainaba, a woman. Posting the matter to Sept.9, the court asked the police to accommodate the woman in a hostel in Ernakulam here till then and submit its probe report within ten days. Woman, who has recently completed her homeopathy course, told the judges that on being attracted to tenets of Islam she studied 2-month religious course at Sathya Sarani’s Markazul Hidaya and converted to Islam.PTI
Oxford University Press book on Common Civil Code written by Israeli scholars anger Muslims
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/oxford-university-press-book-common-civil-code-muslims-bjp/1/747948.html
Agra:Ever since the BJP became a political rival of the Congress, the party's manifesto has always listed implementing Common Civil Code in India. However, due to vehement opposition from the Muslim community which is staunchly against any meddling with the community's internal affairs, this much-anticipated code was never developed or implemented in the country, making the code a much-vaunted yet unfulfilled electoral promise of the BJP. Every time the party or any Hindu outfit raises the issue of implementing this code, Muslim community unitedly opposes any such attempt as they consider this civil code as an interference with the Islamic law. So when Oxford University Press released a book "Uniform Civil Code for India: Proposed Blueprint for Scholarly Discourse" written by two renowned Israeli scholars, Shimon Shetreet and Hiram E Chodosh, anger of the Muslim community boiled over and some community leaders even termed it as Modi govt's 'wicked plan' to end Islamic law in India, in connivance with Israel, which is a traditional enemy state of all Islamic countries. According to Oxford Press,"this book provides a blueprint for alternative frameworks and courses of action, drawing on lessons from comparative context to develop a Uniform Civil Code for India. It explores the interplay between issues of law, culture and religion in light of various intra-community and inter-community disputes. Muslim community is treating it as an official 'blueprint' for destroying 'Islamic law' in India, as was evident from the alarming statements issued by Muslim clerics in a seminar on 'Muslim Personal Law's relevance and conformity with natural law', recently held at AMU by All India Muslim Personal Law Board and Sir Syed Awareness Forum. india today
Children are children. If they pick up stones, they must be counselled: Rajnath in Srinagar
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/home-minister-rajnath-singh-meets-jammu-and-kashmir-cm-mehbooba-mufti-2995311/
New Delhi: Home Minister Rajnath Singh today met J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti and discussed the security situation in the state. They held a joint press conference in Srinagar. The home minister was visiting the Valley for the second time since the crisis began and has met close to 300 people since Wednesday. Singh said delegations from almost every political party have met him since he arrived in Srinagar.“Children are children. If they pick up stones, they must be counselled,” Singh said, appealing to all Kashmiris not to play with the future of youth in the Valley.The home minister stressed that the future of India cannot exist without the future of Kashmir. “I have said it before also, youth in Kashmir should have pens, books and computers in their hands, not stones,” the minister added. Indian express
Will appoint nodal officer to help Kashmiri youth across the country: Rajnath in Srinagar
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/will-appoint-nodal-officer-for-kashmiri-youth-across-the-country-rajnath-singh-in-srinagar-2995400/
Ban pellet guns, probe deaths, J&K Opps to Rajnath
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/ban-pellet-guns-probe-deaths-jk-opposition-tells-rajnath-singh-2994445/
Rajnath promises all-party delegation, alternative to pellet guns
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/union-home-minister-rajnath-singh-twoday-kashmir-visit/article9031363.ece?homepage=true
Pellets leave 3,000 injured in Kashmir
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/injuries-more-in-south-kashmir/article9027073.ece?homepage=true
Around 51% of the 5,800 civilians injured in Kashmir in ongoing violence were hit by pellets and most of them were in constituencies represented by ruling PDP in south Kashmir. Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal districts saw relatively fewer injuries.Official data relating to 45 days of street violence in Kashmir from 10 districts, showed that around 3,000 civilians were injured by pellets and 122 by bullets. The Hindu
Kashmir conflict on verge of merging with IS war: PDP leader Muzaffar Baig
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Kashmir-conflict-on-verge-of-merging-with-IS-war-Baig/articleshow/53852302.cms
New Delhi: MP and ex J&K deputy CM Muzaffar Hussain Baig, a PDP member, has cautioned that the 6-decade-long conflict in Kashmir is on the verge of joining the global religious war. Its resolution requires a defter strategy than hitherto deployed, he added. Noting that there have been three preceding stages of the conflict, Baig said, "This, the fourth stage in the struggle of Kashmir, is in danger of becoming religious extremism, which is not a political goal but a religious vision; that Muslims must have their own state and they cannot live in a Hindu state." Baig said the conflict, which arose out of the "direct legacy" of partition and Mohammad Ali Jinnah's two-nation theory, has changed for the worse."It was not a part of a world vision for the revival of Khilafat (the movement for an `Islamic state') and hegemony of religious extremism. Now, there's a danger of it becoming a part of the international struggle," he said. Violence in Kashmir, he feared, "will be magnified from now on"."Until now, the older and rural population voted in Kashmir. Now, that may be in danger because this new uprising has gone into rural Kashmir. It appears religious extremism is infecting the hearts and minds of youths," he said, adding, "Even women are participating in the struggle, not in a big way, but since the excessive use of force and pellet guns, they've started coming to the centre stage," he said."Many states intervened in the Arab phenomenon and tried to manipulate it. Because of those mistakes, there was a revival of religious extremism and Khilafat across the world. When there used to be Khilafat, the entire Muslim world was under one political leadership. And this time, the claim for Khilafat is made not by a political party but by an extremist religious organisation (IS) that believes in the use of terror," he said.TOI
Suspected terror links: Rs 38 crore in 17 J&K accounts under NIA scanner
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/jk-terrorism-nia-scanner-links-hizbul-mujahideen-kashmir-unrest-burhan-wani-2994804/
New Delhi: Transactions amounting to approximately Rs 38 crore from 17 accounts in four banks of south Kashmir are under the NIA scanner for suspected links with militants or separatist groups, The Indian Express has learnt.According to sources, NIA investigators are tallying dates of withdrawal of money from these accounts with incidents of stone pelting or road blockades held in Kashmir Valley as part of the violent protests that began following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani.“Some of these withdrawals appear suspicious, as they took place on the eve of such incidents… Their links to separatist or terror groups will be probed,” a source said. However, the source added, some of the cases “may just be concealment of income”.Indian Express
Curfew, restrictions continue for 48th day in Kashmir
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/kashmir-curfew-extended-to-pulwama-district-restrictions-in-valley-2995254/
As India tells Pak it will only talk terror, Modi’s core advisors mull next steps:Praveen Swami's report
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/as-india-tells-pakistan-itll-only-talk-terror-pm-narendra-modis-core-advisors-mull-next-steps/
New Delhi: Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar has written to his Pakistani counterpart, calling for talks on cross-border terrorism, describing it as a threat to “regional security”. The letter, delivered to Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry on Wednesday night, also proposes a dialogue on the status of PoK. Pakistan had written to India on Aug.15, calling for a dialogue on the situation in J&K, and humanitarian issues related to the violence there. Letter, govt sources said, was cleared by NSA Ajit Doval, after consultations which involved the heads of the intelligence services and the Ministry of Home Affairs.New Delhi’s letter in essence reiterates its earlier, Aug.19, response to Pak letter, stating its willingness to engage in Foreign Secretary-level talks, but not on issues chosen by Pakistan. Pakistan had responded to the Aug.19 letter the same day, drawing the Indian response delivered today.Behind the letter, govt sources say, is a foreign policy team that has pulled together to shape a strategic response to combat multiple crisis that have threatened to leave India isolated from several of its neighbours.indianexpress
Modi stumps Pak again: Govt announces enhanced compensation for terror victims, PoK residents can apply too
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/modi-pakistan-pok-enhanced-compensation-terror-victims/1/748273.html
New Delhi:Modi govt has announced enhanced compensation for civilian victims of terror and have said that Pakistan Occupied Kashmiris, who are also our people, can claim this compensation too.This comes days after Narendra Modi raised the issue of Balochistan, Gilgit and PoK in his Independence Day speech. Minister of state for PMO, Jitendra Singh, announced compensation for civilian victims and said "PoK is an important part of India and they can also claim such a compensation." indiatoday
Support to Balochistan may backfire; Congress warns Govt
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/support-to-balochistan-may-backfire-congress-warns-govt -2995437/
New Delhi:Congress Party has downplayed the protests in support of PM Narendra Modi’s assertion on the atrocities committed in Balochistan and PoK and warned the ruling dispensation at the Centre to remain vigilant as this may back fire. Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit told media that the protest by Baloch Republican Party (BRP) activists hold no significance as it is quite natural that if a person supports any local protest then his name will be used in that.“If in Kashmir, we see their (Pakistani) flag or their PM’s pictures and consider that as anti-national, it becomes a problematic situation for us too,” he said. Dikshit said it is an established fact that the Pakistani Army has been dominating Balochistan for many days. “India has been directly or indirectly helping them and we should support humanity whenever the situation demands. But there is a fear that the grounds on which we are backing Balochistan and its struggle may back fire on us,” he added.Holding the Indian national flag and PM Modi’s pictures in their hands, the BRP activists on Wednesday vented their ire against Balochistan CM Nawab Sanaullah Khan Zehri for declaring Brahamdagh Bugti a “traitor”. Protests have been going on for the last few days in Sui, Dera Bugti, Jafarabad and Nasirabad among other locations in Balochistan province.ANI
Opposition against making Surya Namaskar mandatory in Mumbai schools continues to mount
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/opposition-against-making-surya-namaskar-mandatory-in-bmc-schools-continues-to-mount/
Mumbai:A day after the proposal to make Surya Namaskar and Yoga mandatory in BMC-run schools was passed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), opposition continued to mount as other stakeholders raised objections to the move.Samajwadi Party leader Rais Shaikh stated he would issue a legal notice to the municipal commissioner on Friday. Shaikh stated that the notice would seek a reply within seven days. “Notice will mention that the proposal has created insecurity among people and is a violation of the Constitutional rights of people. If the commissioner fails to reply in seven days, we will move high court,” said Shaikh. Apart from corporators, objections were also raised by organisations including the Jai Ho Foundation and Student Islamic Organisation (SIO). In a letter addressed to the commissioner as well as Mayor Snehal Ambekar, members of Jai Ho Foundation said the proposal with a religious tone violates fundamental rights of students. “We have appealed to the BMC to make Surya Namaskar and Yoga optional since in all this controversy, the poor students will suffer as some parents will stop sending their children to schools. BMC should instead divert their funds towards improving the quality of Midday meals at civic schools. If the BMC does not make yoga optional then we will file a public interest litigation in the High Court,” said Adil Khatri, a trustee. Secretary of SIO Raafid Shahab stated that instead of forcing students to perform Surya Namaskar, the BMC should focus on other forms of physical training. “I am unable to understand why the BMC is keen on implementation of irrelevant activities like Surya Namaskar leaving other priorities of quality teaching and infrastructure in schools behind. Bearing in mind the socio-cultural diversity of India, one cannot force students to practice any single form which is rooted in a particular ideology or culture since it takes away the democratic right of citizens which needs to be upheld at all costs,” said Shahab. indian express
Muslim community slams teaching yoga in schools
http://www.asianage.com/mumbai/muslims-slam-teaching-yoga-schools-395
Mumbai: Mumbai’s Muslim community has widely criticised the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC’s) decision to make yoga and Surya Namaskar compulsory in all municipal schools, and has decided to take legal action against the civic body if it does not withdraw the proposal. The community believes that Surya Namaskar is traditionally a ‘Hindu form of worship’ and it is against the tenets of Islam to bow down to any entity apart from Allah. Asianage
Dalit groups, Muslim leaders to come together for UP polls
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/agra/Dalit-groups-Muslim-leaders-to-come-together-for-UP-polls-/articleshow/53848264.cms
Aligarh: To fight recent hate attacks launched by cow vigilante groups, Dalit Samman Sangarsh Manch (DSSM), a loose group of 1,000 Dalit Adivasi and Minority organizations who have come together post the Una attacks to highlight concerns of India's minorities, and Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind have decided to hold a lunch meeting for over 200 Dalit and Muslim leaders from across the state in Lucknow in September end to "unify the two groups for their fight in UP polls".While the move will clearly benefit BSP chief Mayawati, DSSM chairman Ashok Bharti says the idea is to protect the rights of Dalits and Muslims irrespective of whoever assures us this. Bharti emphasized that Muslims and Dalits were together and added that "it will be reflected in the coming elections". Bharti said, "Dalits and minorities which constitute 40% of UP's population, are witnessing a social consolidation which will change the state's politics in a lasting manner. Our focus is on standing for those who do not insult us and whoever qualifies in this regard will benefit from this consolidation."Jamiat leader Maulana Mahmood Madani told TOI that the purpose of this alliance is to send the message of "equality among all". He said, "We are standing for the honour of Dalits and their right to live with dignity. Dalits and Muslims are going to meet in Lucknow over a bhoj (feast)."TO
Did HRD ministry wantRohith report buried till I-Day?
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Did-HRD-ministry-want-Rohith-report-buried-till-I-Day/articleshow/53852207.cms
New Delhi: HRD minister and the UGC can't seem to agree on who first got access to Ashok Roopanwal committee's inquiry report into the suicide of scholar Rohith Vemula.When asked, HRD minister Prakash Javadekar said the sealed report was submitted to UGC and had come to him only on Wednesday. But senior UGC officials said the report has been with the ministry since Aug.1."The committee was constituted by the ministry. UGC was only giving secretarial assistance. Why will the report be submitted to UGC? The fact is that the ministry had decided the report should be kept under wraps till August 15," an UGC official said.What is worrying the ministry is the reported content of the document that states that Rohith was not a Dalit. Highly placed sources said the committee was not supposed to look into this angle. "If it has then the committee has gone beyond its brief. Why should a committee entrusted with the job of inquiring into the death get into the deceased's caste?" a source said.TOI
Communal riots decreased by 200% under NDA rule:Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi
http://www.firstpost.com/india/communal-riots-decreased-by-200-under-nda-rule-says-mukhtar-abbas-naqvi-2974778.html
New Delhi: Suggesting 200 % decline in number of communal riots since NDA dispensation came to power, Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Wednesday claimed rise in recruitment from minority communities in central govt jobs during this period. File image of Mukhtar Abbas NaqviNaqvi termed last year's Dadri lynching incident of a Muslim person as "unfortunate", but said barring 2-3 cases, overall performance of NDA govt regarding minorities "has been good".PTI
Vijayapura: Jamaat-e-Islami Hind to hold events to promote harmony
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/jamaateislami-to-hold-events-to-promote-harmony/article9028654.ece
Vijayapura: In the wake of increasing incidence of communal tension across the country, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind has decided to hold programmes to spread the message of unity. Addressing presspersons here on Wednesday, Mohammed Yusuf Kazi, district president of the organisation, said that programmes would be held till Sept.4.Volunteers would conduct door-to-door visits to create awareness about the importance of religious harmony. thehindu
Playing with statistics on Muslim divorce rates: Abdul Rashid Agwan
http://muslimmirror.com/eng/playing-with-statistics-on-muslim-divorce-rates/
WORLD
French police force sunbathing Muslim woman to remove her top
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/world/europe/240816/high-handed-french-police-force-sunbathing-muslim-woman-to-remove-her-top.html
Paris: A French woman was forced to remove the loose tunic she had on, while sunbathing in Nice, by gun totting policemen, citing violation of the country’s recent ban on the ‘burkini’. According to reports, Siam, a former air hostess who has been in France for the past three generations, was also fined Rs 2,840 for violating the order banning the full length wet suit, complete with a hood. Nice administration recently issued an order banning the burkinis in the district, and several other French towns and cities along the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, have also followed suit.Supporters justified the ban citing security concerns. They also alleged that the costume stood against French secular values and was oppressive.Deccan Chronicle
Not just burkinis, European countries are debating bans on burqas, niqabs: Reuters
http://www.dnaindia.com/world/report-not-just-burkinis-european-countries-are-debating-bans-on-burqas-niqabs-2248710
Berlin: Restrictions on face and full-body veils are back in the spotlight in parts of Europe after some French cities banned the burkini swimsuit, saying the garment, which leaves only the face, hands and feet exposed, defies laws on secularism.A spate of attacks against civilians claimed by Islamic State, notably in Belgium, France and Germany, has sharpened the debate, with a large influx of mainly Muslim migrants to the continent also giving rise to resentment among some Europeans.
2 leaders of Moroccan Islamic party suspended after ' sex scandal' reports but party terms it 'conspiracy'
http://gulfnews.com/news/mena/morocco/prominent-morocco-islamists-rapped-over-beach-sex-1.1883686
Rabat: 2 senior Moroccan Islamist figures have been suspended from their party, the group announced on Monday, following media reports that they were arrested in a “sexual position” on a beach.Moulay Omar Benhammad and Fatima Najjar, both in their 60s and vice-presidents of Unity and Reform Movement (MUR), have been “suspended from all structures of the movement”, the party said after an emergency meeting of its leadership.MUR is the religious and ideological wing of the Justice and Development Party (PJD), which has led a coalition governing the conservative kingdom since late 2011. It said they had committed an “extremely serious fault” that amounted to “a violation of the principles of the movement, of its orientation and its values”.According to a private website, Al Ahdath, police detained Benhammad and Najjar early last Saturday on a beach in Mohammedia, around 60km south of Rabat.They were allegedly found in a “sexual position” inside a car, it said.A magistrate has released the couple but they both have to appear in court on Sept.1. Najjar, a 62-year-old widow and mother of 6, faces a charge of complicity to adultery. A married 63-year-old father of 7, Benhammad faces charges of “attempted corruption” of the policemen who detained the couple, the website said. Benhammad said in his defence that he is linked to Najjar by a common law marriage, according to Al Ahdath which said that his legitimate wife has not pressed for adultery charges. Under Moroccan law, extra-marital sex is punishable by a jail term of between one and 12 months. But Al Omq Al Maghribi website, which is close to the PJD, quotes sources close to Benhammad saying that was merely “having a meal... and not in any sexual position” with Najjar.But others sought to portray the incident as a “conspiracy” targeting MUR and the PJD ahead of legislative elections expected to take place in Oct.Cleric Ahmad Raissouni, who is close to the PJD, denounced what he called “police machinations”. AFP/gulf news
Fallujah fallout: More than 700 Sunni men 'missing'
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/08/fallujah-fallout-700-sunni-men-missing-160824082824668.html
Reports say Shia militias in Iraq detained, tortured and abused far more Sunni civilians during the American-backed capture of the town of Fallujah in June than US officials have publicly acknowledged. More than 700 Sunni men and boys are still missing more than two months after ISIL group stronghold fell, says Reuters. The abuses occurred despite US efforts to restrict the militias' role in the operation, including threatening to withdraw American air support, according to US and Iraqi officials.US efforts had little effect. Shia militias did not pull back from Fallujah, participated in looting there, and now pledge to defy any American effort to limit their role in forthcoming operations against ISIL.All told, militia fighters killed at least 66 Sunni males and abused at least 1,500 others fleeing the Fallujah area, according to interviews with over 20 survivors, tribal leaders, Iraqi politicians and Western diplomats.They said men were shot, beaten with rubber hoses and, in several cases, beheaded.Their accounts were supported by a Reuters review of an investigation by local Iraqi authorities and video testimony and photographs of survivors taken immediately after their release.Shia militia leaders deny that their groups mistreated civilians.They say the missing men were ISIL fighters killed in battle. Iraqi govt officials also challenged the reports of widespread violence against civilians. Sunni leaders in Iraq and Western diplomats fear the Shia militias might commit worse excesses in Mosul, the country’s second-largest city. 3 days before the briefing, Sohaib al-Rawi, governor of Anbar province, informed the US ambassador that hundreds of people detained by Shia militias had gone missing around Fallujah.Reuters
Egypt’s govt appeals court ruling nullifying assets freeze of former Morsi aide
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20160824-egypts-govt -appeals-court-ruling-nullifying-assets-freeze-of-former-morsi-aide/
Egyptian govt has filed an appeal against a High Administrative Court ruling which unfroze the assets of a number of former President Mohamed Morsi’s aides.The assets of Dr. Pakinam Al-Sharqawi and a number of other ex-Morsi aides had been frozen following a court ruling, but this was later overturned. Govt however believes the assets should remain frozen because the initial ruling was handed down by a court of urgent matters and thus should be implemented.“It is in the state’s interest that all the organisations, associations, establishments and entities that are affiliated to the [Muslim] Brotherhood group be listed and that necessary procedures be taken to halt or cancel their activity, in addition to freezing all of the Brotherhood group’s assets, whether they are property, liquid assets or transferred and whether they were owned or rented by it [the group]. This also applies to all properties and assets owned by individuals who belong to the group,” the govt said in its appeal. middleeastmonitor
Saudi billionaire Prince Talal says he twice saved Trump from bankruptcy
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20160825-saudi-prince-says-he-twice-saved-trump-from-bankruptcy/
Saudi billionaire Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal said he twice saved US presidential candidate Donald Trump from bankruptcy, describing him as a “bad and ungrateful person”.In an interview with Turkey’s Hurriyet paper, the prince said he bought Trump’s hotels after they were acquired by the banks which demanded he repay his debts.The yacht he used to come to Antalya, southwest of Turkey, is one he bought from Trump when he was threatened with bankruptcy.Earlier, the Saudi prince called on Trump to immediately withdraw from the presidential race describing him as a disgrace to the Republican Party and America. middleeastmonitor
Tunisia’s Ennahda to give confidence to unity govt
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20160825-tunisias-ennahda-to-give-confidence-to-unity-govt /
Tunisia’s Ennahda movement will give confidence to Yusuf al-Shahid’s unity govt due to be presented on Friday before the parliament.“Ennahda has not asked for changes in Yusuf al-Shahid’s govt ,” said Ali Laaridh, Ennahda’s deputy leader, on the side-lines of a seminar on Wednesday.“We will vote for the govt for allowing it to play its role at the earliest possible time,” he said. Laaridh, however, said that voting for the govt “does not mean that Ennahda approves all ministers”.“We will present our reservation to the PM -designate,” he said. On Saturday, Al- Shahid announced a new govt of 26 ministers while retaining the current ministers of interior, foreign affairs and defence. middleeastmonitor
Free Syrian Army takes control of IS-held Jarabulus
http://aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/free-syrian-army-takes-control-of-daesh-held-jarabulus/634478
Gaziantep: Free Syrian Army (FSA) has taken control of Syrian city of Jarabulus Wednesday as part of Turkey’s Operation Euphrates Shield to clear Daesh out from its border region, military sources said.According to Turkish army and FSA commanders, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, the opposition forces managed to take control of the city center near the Turkish border. Anadolu
Iraq forces take center of Daesh-held Qayyara: Commander
http://aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/iraq-forces-take-center-of-daesh-held-qayyara-commander/635078
Nineveh: Iraqi forces have fully seized control of the center of Qayyara district in northern Iraq, a senior military commander said Thursday. “Iraqi forces have began the last phase of liberating Qayyara from terrorist Daesh gangs,” general Moen al-Saadi told Anadolu. He said more than 30 Daesh militants were killed in clashes with Iraqi troops since morning. “Qayyara will be fully liberated from Daesh on Friday,” he expected. Anadolu
Italy earthquake death toll nears 250 as rescuers search demolished towns
http://indianexpress.com/article/world/world-news/italy-earthquake-death-toll-2995648/
Compiled and edited by Anwarulhaq (Released at: 3:36 PM)
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