Evening NEWS DIGEST
30 Oct.2017: 9 Safar 1439:Vol:9, No:33
INDIA
J&K’s special status: Govt says SC hearings may affect talks by J&K interlocutor; court adjourns for 3-month
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/supreme-court-adjourns-hearings-on-jks-special-status-for-8-weeks/article19949422.ece
Centre on Monday bought time from the Supreme Court hearing petitions challenging special status to J&K, saying it has appointed an interlocutor to commence dialogue with stakeholders in the restive State.Appearing before a Bench led by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Attorney General K.K. Venugopal said the court should adjourn the hearing on the petitions against Article 35A of the Constitution by 6 months.The court settled for 12 weeks in its order. It initially said 8 weeks, but added one more month on the request of Venugopal."The interlocutor has already commenced talks with stakeholders. If the court continues to hear this case, it will affect the dialogue process," Venugopal submitted.Article 35A is a provision incorporated in the Indian Constitution giving the Jammu and Kashmir State Legislature a carte blanche to decide who all are the ‘permanent residents’ of the State and grant them special right and privileges in State public sector jobs, acquisition of property within the State, scholarships and other public aid and welfare programmes. The provision mandates that no act of the State legislature coming under the ambit of Article 35A can be challenged for violating the Indian Constitution or any other law of the land.Article 35A was incorporated into the Indian Constitution in 1954 by an order of President Rajendra Prasad on the advice of the Jawaharlal Nehru Cabinet. controversial Constitution (Application to J&K) Order of 1954 followed 1952 Delhi Agreement entered into between Nehru and Sheikh Abdullah extending Indian citizenship to the ‘State subjects’ of J&K.Presidential Order was issued under Article 370 (1) (d) of Indian Constitution.This provision allows the President to make certain “exceptions and modifications” to the Indian Constitution for the benefit of ‘State subjects’ of Jammu and Kashmir. So Article 35A was added to the Constitution as a testimony of the special consideration the Indian govt accorded the ‘permanent residents’ of J&K.Parliament was not consulted when the President incorporated Article 35A into the Indian Constitution through a Presidential Order issued under Article 370. Article 368 (i) of Constitution mandates that only the Parliament can amend the Constitution by introducing a new Article. A five-judge Bench of the Supreme Court in its March 1961 judgment in Puranlal Lakhanpal vs. President of India discusses the President’s powers under Article 370 to ‘modify’ the Constitution. Though the court concludes that the President has the power to modify the Constitution under Article 370, judgment is silent as to whether the President is empowered to bring about a radical change in the Constitution by introducing a new Article. This question remains open till date.The question has come up for a decision in a writ petition filed by NGO, We the Citizens, which challenges the validity of both Article 35A and Article 370.the hindu
Article 35A: Govt says SC hearings may affect talks by J&K interlocutor, court gets 3 months
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/article-35a-govt-says-sc-hearings-may-affect-talks-by-jk-interlocutor-gets-three-months-4914213/
SC should not wait any longer to hear pleas challenging Article 35A: NC
http://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/sc-should-not-wait-any-longer-to-hear-pleas-challenging-article-35a-nc-117103000354_1.html
Srinagar: National Conference (NC) leader Mustafa Kamal on Monday said that Supreme Court should not wait any longer to hear petitions on Article 35A that preserves the rights of local residents of J&K."This special law of the state was implemented in 1927 in J&K on orders of Maharaja Hari Singh. This enabled the safety of the rights of the local residents. It is because of this that neither anyone from outside the state was able to buy any property or get employment in the state. This decision was taken very thoughtfully so the Supreme Court should not wait any longer," Kamal told ANI.Kamal also said that there was no problem with the law until recently, but now "opportunist" people were trying to play politics over the issue."Since last 65-70 years there have been no problem with this law, but these people are finding the problem in it today. This, firstly, involves a doubt that these opportunist people are trying to play politics with this law. "Kamal also said that the people of Kashmir will come on roads if there is any meddling with Article 35A."Every person who loves J&K will come on roads if there is any meddling with the law. A strong agitation will be carried out. Every citizen says if they want to change the state's status it will happen over their bodies."ANI
Removal of Art.370 only viable solution to JK issue:BJP
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/removal-of-article-370-only-viable-solution-to-j-k-issue-bjp-4914180/
Jammu:Amid a raging debate over autonomy for J&K, BJP’s state unit on Monday said removal of Article 370, which grants special status to the state, was the only viable solution to the decades-old problem. “Removal of Article 370 and bringing Jammu and Kashmir on par with other states is the only viable solution to the issue,” BJP state spokesperson Professor Virender Gupta said in a statement in Jammu. He said this would be a befitting reply to separatists and Pakistan who are supporting and nourishing terrorism in the state and will pave the way to bring the people of Jammu and Kashmir, particularly those of the Valley, into the national mainstream.PTI
Article 35A 'unconstitutional', SC should quash this 'temporary provision': Subramanian Swamy
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-article-35a-unconstitutional-sc-should-quash-this-temporary-provision-subramanian-swamy-2556401
Terming it as "unconstitutional", BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Monday asserted that the Supreme Court should just quash Article 35A of J&K, as it is a temporary provision and has been held this long as a method of "appeasement to votes" by the Congress party.Swamy told ANI that Article 35A is a part of Article 370, which can be removed by the President's ratification, as it doesn?t have the same status as the other articles of the Indian Constitution."In my opinion the Supreme Court should set it (Article 35A) aside, quash it. It is a temporary provision," Swamy told ANI.ANI
SC says consent of woman is prime, asks father to produce Hadiya in court on Nov 27
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/301017/kerala-love-jihad-hadiya-a-major-her-consent-is-prime-observes-sc.html
New Delhi:Supreme Court on Monday observed that Hadiya, who has been forcibly confined to her house near Kottayam in Kerala by her parents, is a major and her consent is most important.Hadiya alias KM Akhila, born a Hindu, had converted to Islam last year and married a Muslim man, Shafin Jahan. A bench, comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud, to ensure that she is produced in court on Nov.27 for interaction with the bench, which is likely to ascertain her mental stage and whether she had given free consent to the marriage.Her father appealed for in-camera proceedings, but the SC declined his request. The SC said it the court proceedings will be held in an open court. NIA, represented by Additional Solicitor General Maninder Singh, said there was a well-oiled machinery working in the state and they are indulging in the indoctrination and radicalisation of the society in the state where as many as 89 cases of similar nature have been reported. Divan, appearing for woman's father K M Ashokan, claimed the alleged husband of his daughter is a radicalised man and several organisations like PFI are involved in radicalisation of the society.Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for her husband Shafin Jahan, opposed the NIA's submission and that of the woman's father.The SC was hearing Jahan’s plea against the Kerala High Court order, annulling their marriage. deccanchronicle
Hadiya case an instance of 'psychological kidnapping':NIA
http://newsable.asianetnews.com/kerala/produce-hadiya-before-supreme-court
No law states a girl cannot marry a criminal:SC
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/hadiya-kerala-love-jihad-case-supreme-court-observations/1/1078200.html
SC Orders Hadiya’s Production To Know Her Mind; Stiff Objection By NIA And Father Brushed Aside
http://www.livelaw.in/breaking-sc-orders-hadiyas-production-know-mind-stiff-objection-nia-father-brushed-aside/
Hadiya's Case Not 'Love Jihad,':Activist Who Shot Videos
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/kerala-woman-hadiyas-case-not-love-jihad-says-activist-who-shot-videos-1768926
New Delhi: Hadiya's is not a case of love jihad, asserted activist Rahul Eashwar today, welcoming the Supreme Court's order that the Kerala woman, whose marriage was annulled by the High Court, appear before judges next month and give testimony in open court."Kerala definitely has so many cases of forced conversions. But every case cannot be treated as the same. Hadiya converted first and married a year an a half later. So this is not a case of love jihad," said Rahul Eashwar, who met Hadiya or Akhila and her parents in August when he visited their home in Kottayam district. ndtv
Hadiya not safe at home, must be shifted till SC hearing: Shafin Jahan
http://www.thenewsminute.com/article/hadiya-not-safe-home-must-be-shifted-till-sc-hearing-shafin-jahan-tnm-70786
For the first time in almost 6 months, 25-year-old Hadiya will walk out of her home in Kottayam district in November. She is set to appear before the Supreme Court, which is hearing the case on whether the Muslim convert should be allowed to be with Shafin Jahan, the man she married in Dec. The direction to produce Hadiya in open court comes as a victory for several rights activists, who have been alleging that 25-year-old is being confined against her will in her parents’ home and is being harassed, and have been demanding that she be set at liberty.However, even as he welcomed the court’s decision, Shafin told TNM that Nov.27 is too distant a date, and that he fears for her safety till then."Although this direction comes quite late, I am happy that the court has taken the decision. But then there's almost a month for the next hearing, which is a cause of concern," Shafin said. the news minute
Court shouldn't interfere in Hadiya's right to privacy: Rtd HC Judge
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/retired-hc-judge-says-court-shouldnt-interfere-in-hadiyas-right-to-privacy/articleshow/61330811.cms
Kerala high court's order annulling the marriage of Hadiya to Shafin Jahan amounts to interference on the part of the court in her right to privacy , said retired Madras high court judge D Hariparanthaman.He and activists V Geetha and Usha Ramanathan, was speaking on the Hadiya case ahead of a seminar session to discuss the implications of the SC's verdict on privacy being a fundamental right. "Annulling the marriage when hearing a habeas corpus writ plea is unheard of. I think it is for the first time that such an order is passed," he said.TOI
SC to set up Constitution bench to hear pleas against making Aadhaar mandatory for welfare schemes
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/sc-to-set-up-constitution-bench-to-hear-pleas-against-making-aadhaar-mandatory-for-welfare-schemes/story-A5WXeSUwFnEC0N3TiyZtXI.html
New Delhi:A constitution bench will be set up to hear a clutch of petitions challenging the Centre’s decision to make Aadhaar mandatory for availing various services and government welfare schemes, the Supreme Court said.A bench, comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud, said the larger bench would commence hearing on these petitions in the last week of Nov. this year.Earlier on in the day, the SC questioned the West Bengal government for filing a plea challenging the Centre’s move to make Aadhaar mandatory for availing benefits of various social welfare schemes while asking how a state can challenge the mandate of Parliament.It also asked West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee to file the plea as an individual.Recently, a 9-judge Constitution bench had held that the Right to Privacy was a fundamental right under the Constitution. Several petitioners challenging the validity of Aadhaar had raised the issue that the scheme was violative of privacy rights.Senior advocates Gopal Subramanium and Shyam Divan, appearing for those opposing the Aadhaar scheme, had sought urgent hearing on the petitions.PTI
Grandson Tushar Gandhi opposes reinvestigation into Mahatma's killing; SC questions locus standi:IANS
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/mahatma-gandhi-assassination-grandson-tushar-gandhi-reinvestigation-supreme-court/1/1078164.html
New Delhi:Mahatma Gandhi's grandson Tushar Gandhi opposed any re-investigation into the assassination of the Father of the Nation but the Supreme Court questioned his locus standi. The querry from a bench headed by Justice S.A. Bobde came as senior counsel Indira Jaising told the court that she was seeking to intervene on behalf of the Mahatma's grandson.To which, Jaising questioned the locus standi of the petitioner seeking reinvestigation.Jaising said that the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi cannot be re-investigated after 70 years. She said that this was a basic criminal law. However, the court adjourned the hearing by four weeks as amicus curiae Amrendra Sharan told the court he has got some documents from National Archive but not the entire lot.
JNU missing student case: Delhi Court seeks response of 9 students on CBI plea for lie detector test
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/jnu-missing-student-court-allows-cbis-plea/1/1078453.html
New Delhi:A Delhi court today allowed the CBI's plea seeking advancing of hearing on its application on polygraph test on nine students in connection with JNU student Najeeb Ahmed who has been missing for over a year now.Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal posted the matter for November 10 and sought the response of nine students of JNU on the central probe agencys application. CBI, in its plea, had sought early hearing on its application seeking consent of nine students for a lie detection test regarding the disappearance of Najeeb in October last year.The CBI had on October 16 approached the court seeking early hearing of its plea seeking consent of the suspect students for a polygraph test.27-year-old Najeeb went missing after a scuffle at his JNU hostel allegedly with ABVP activists. RSS students wing has denied any involvement in his disappearance.PTI
India will become Islamic nation by 2027 if Muslim population continued to grow: Hindu Yuva Vahini leader
http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/india/india-will-become-islamic-nation-by-2027-if-muslim-population-continued-to-grow-hindu-yuva-vahini-leader-2422739.html
A Hindu Yuva Vahini leader alleged it is Muslim community's conspiracy to increase their population to make India an Islamic nation by 2027, remarks that are likely stoke a controversy. The right-wing outfit was founded by CM Yogi Adityanath in 2002 and he is also the chief patron of the outfit."If the Muslim population continued to grow at the same pace, India will become an Islamic country by 2027. It's a conspiracy of the Muslim community. They want to have total control over India," Nagendra Pratap Tomar, western UP head of the outfit, said at workers' conference."Muslims bear children not because they want to have them, but because they want to occupy the whole country," he alleged.PTI
China plans 1000-km tunnel to take Brahmaputra water to Xinjiang: Report
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/china-plans-1-000-km-tunnel-to-carry-brahmaputra-water-from-tibet-to-xinjiang-report/story-QBmxl7rMgmd8UW6pKV7VSL.html
Beijing:Top scientists backed by the ruling Communist Party of China are working on a plan to drain the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra) river near the Indian border and divert the water through a 1,000-km tunnel, the world’s longest, to arid Xinjiang.The Tsangpo flows into India through Arunachal Pradesh as the Siang before becoming the Brahmaputra in Assam – the source of life and livelihood for millions in the country’s northeast.The tunnel project, submitted to the government in March, is in the blueprint stage but could trigger a serious water crisis in India’s northeast if implemented as the Tsangpo is an upper riparian river.Chinese engineers are “testing techniques” that could be used to build the 1,000-km tunnel to carry water from Tibet to the Taklimakan Desert in Xinjiang, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported, citing experts involved in the project.Even by China’s standards, the project is massive. The country’s longest tunnel is the 85-km Dahuofang water project in Liaoning province, while the world’s longest tunnel is the 137-km water supply pipe beneath New York. hindustantimes
China plans to build 1,000km tunnel to divert water away from Brahmaputra
http://www.dhakatribune.com/world/south-asia/2017/10/30/china-1000km-tunnel-divert-water-brahmaputra/
China to block UN ban on Masood Azhar, yet again
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/china-to-block-un-ban-on-masood-azhar/article19949628.ece?homepage=true
Beijing:Citing a lack of “consensus,” China has said on Monday that it is once again not designating Masood Azhar, head of Pak-based Jaish-e-Mohammad, as an international terrorist. The Chinese position, expressed by its Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Hua Chunying, came ahead of Thursday’s meeting of the 1267 committee of the UNSC, where Azhar’s status would be discussed.“We have made our position clear many times from this podium. The relevant resolutions of the security council have clear stipulations as to the mandate to the 1267 committee and also clear stipulations when it comes to listing of relevant organisations and individuals,” said Ms. Hua.She added: “As for listing the application by the relevant country, there are disagreements. China raised the technical hold so as to allow for more time for all parties to deliberate on this matter. To our regret the committee so far has yet to reach a consensus.”Asked whether China was resisting the ban on account of its special ties with Islamabad, Ms. Hua said: “I can understand why you raised this question but cannot side with what you said. China always upholds the principle of objectivity and fairness and we judge this matter on its own merits.”thehindu
RSS affiliate in new row at AMU with demand for honouring Jat royal on campus
https://www.nyoooz.com/news/agra/948165/rss-affiliate-in-new-row-at-amu-with-demand-for-honouring-jat-royal-on-campus/
Agra: A new controversy has erupted in AMU with Dharma Jagran Samanvay (DJS), an RSS affiliate, demanding that a photograph of Jat royal and freedom fighter Mahendra Pratap Singh , who is said to have donated land for the construction of the university, be displayed there prominently, and to be given "due respect at par with" the university's founder, Syed Ahmad Khan.In November 2014, the BJP had unsuccessfully tried to celebrate Mahendra Singh's birth anniversary on the university's campus. The recent war of words between the university's student body leaders and the DJS over the visit of UP minister Sandeep Singh at Khan's birth bicentenary celebrations in the campus on Oct.17 has rekindled the controversy. What started with AMU Students Union (AMUSU) ex-vice president Nadeem Ansari allegedly posting a morphed derogatory picture of Sandeep Singh on his Facebook wall has blown into a full-fledged online battle with DJS retaliating by posting a morphed picture of Khan and circulating it on social media.Though police have booked the perpetrators of both derogatory posts, DJS has now raised the demand of displaying Mahendra Singh's photo in the university campus , As Reported By TOI.According to the paper,issue has the potential to spark communal polarisation in the campus, which has a volatile history.Admitting that he had posted the morphed picture of Khan as retaliation to Ansari's derogatory post on Mahendra Singh, DJS's local convenor Saurabh Chaudhary said, "When they can have photographs of Khan, why can't pictures of Mahendra Singh, who donated his land for the university, be displayed there?"University registrar Javaid Akhtar said, "Names of all the people who had donated land for the institution are displayed in the university." However, he added that he was not sure about display of pictures.TOI
Students' Union at Jamia: Hunger strike of students enters 5th day
http://www.indiatomorrow.net/eng/students-union-at-jamia-millia-hunger-strike-of-students-enters-5th-day?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=emailemail&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Indiatomorrownet+%28IndiaTomorrow.net%29
New Delhi: While India's premier central university, Jamia Millia Islamia is celebrating its 97th Foundation Day today, some students are on indefinite hunger strike for five days inside the campus demanding restoration of the students' union. Meeran Haider, one of the protesters, was admitted in the Holy Family hospital on Sunday as his health condition deteriorated. He was on hunger strike from the day one.Speaking to IndiaTomorrow from the hospital, Meeran, an M.Phil student of Jamia, said, "I am in hospital as my health has deteriorated. I am not able to speak properly. I have not eaten anything yet and will never eat till our demand to restore students' union is met."Restoration of students' union and holding elections annually are 12-year-old demands of the Jamia students. The students observing the hunger strike say they resorted to this step as the university has not heeded to their representations in the last one and half years. They have also held some protests in the campus this Oct.and submitted a memorandum to the admin. Meanwhile, the university says the case about students' union is pending in the court and so it cannot restore the union before the final verdict.IndiaTomorrow
GST’s faulty design has killed jobs,businesses:Manmohan
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/gst-s-faulty-design-has-killed-jobs-and-businesses-manmohan-singh/story-EzyqKDLnB71A0tv6P4x8zJ.html
Former PM Manmohan Singh on Monday said the GST as implemented has a “faulty design” and that its “complication of compliances” has killed jobs and businesses.At a meeting on GST at the AICC headquarters, Singh raised concerns over the faulty implementation of GST. “While demonetisation was organised loot and legalised plunder, GST has ended up taking away livelihoods of ordinary people besides shutting down businesses,” Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala quoted Singh as saying.Surjewala said Singh noted with concern “the fact that the faulty design (of GST), and architecture and complication of compliances have killed jobs and businesses”.IANS
UP Shia Cleric hails introduction of NCERT books in Madarsas
http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ani/up-muslim-cleric-hails-introduction-of-ncert-books-in-madarsas-117103001051_1.html
Lucknow :Shia Cleric Law Board member Maulana Yasoob Abbas on Monday welcomed the decision of introduction of NCERT books in Uttar Pradesh Madarsas.Abbas said "This suggestion is a good step; also Madarsas have played an important role right from the time of Independence. Without disturbing the course of Madarsas; it's a 'good move'. Before this gets implemented there should be good arrangements for the students"."We only wish that the syllabus and the course of Madarsas should not be disturbed. People who are opposing it, they should not do it. We should accept education from whichever source we receive it from," he said.Madarsas are minority educational institutions offering study in Islamic theology and religious law.ANI
Gujarat: Communal clashes erupt near Talala, 12 injured
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/rajkot/communal-clashes-erupt-near-talala-12-injured/articleshow/61327466.cms
Rajkot: Police lobbed 33 tear gas shells and fired five rounds in the air as violence erupted between mobs of Ahir and Sidi communities near Talala town of Gir-Somnath district on Sunday.At least 12 people, including four policemen, were injured in the clashes which were a fallout of a fight between youngsters from both communities over some trivial issue on Saturday evening.At around 1:30pm, a huge mob of Sidi community set ablaze an earth mover belonging to the Ahir community on Madhupur-Gundran Road close to Talala. The mob then tried to set ablaze a few houses but police teams reached in the nick of time and prevented them. "The mob then resorted to heavy stone pelting at the police teams in which four policemen were injured. We had to lob 33 tear gas shells and fire five rounds in the air to disperse the rioting mob," said Hitesh Joysar, superintendent of police, Gir-Somnath district.Jagdish Patel, deputy superintendent of police, was hit by a stone on his leg while three other constables also suffered injuries in the violence."We have detained 40 people who attacked the policemen," said Joysar.Sidis, the community famed for their 'Dhamal' dance, are people of African origin descent settled in Gujarat near Gir centuries ago.On Saturday, at around 7pm, the youngsters from the Ahir and the Sidi Badshah communities fought over some issue near Madhupur-Gundran Road. The fight turned violent when around 10-12 Sidis thrashed the boys from the other community with sticks, pipes and washing bats, leaving four of them injured.One of the wounded persons, Hitesh Timbadiya, a resident of Talala who suffered head injuries, lodged a police complaint against the group.However, a complaint was also lodged by Akram Hussain Sidi Badshah, a resident of Jhambhur village against Paresh Solanki and seven to eight unidentified people.TOI
IPS officer Safeer Karim caught cheating in UPSC mains exam with the help of wife via bluetooth headset
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/ips-officer-caught-cheating-in-upsc-mains-exam-bluetooth/1/1078529.html
Chennai:Examining authorities and participants at a UPSC mains exam centre were in a shock Monday after an IPS officer was caught cheating during the exam held in Chennai.UPSC mains exams is currently being conducted at 24 cities across the country. As many as 763 candidates will be writing the exams which will be held till Nov 3.In one such Center at Egmore Government Girls School, an IPS Officer was allegedly detained for attempting to cheat on the exams.The officer was identified as Safeer Karim, currently posted as ASP at Nanguneri. Safeer Karim was using a bluetooth device to connect with his wife who was in Hyderabad.Safeer Karim was detained by the authorities for using a bluetooth device inside the exam hall and is being questioned. If substantial evidence is discovered, Shabir Karim would be booked under IPC Section 420. indiatoday
WORLD
Tariq Ramadan, Islamic studies professor at Oxford faces 3rd sexual assault accusation;Supporters call it a 'Zionist plot': The National
https://www.thenational.ae/world/europe/oxford-scholar-faces-third-sexual-assault-accusation-1.671461
Prominent Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan has been accused of sexual assault by a third woman, while another complainant has detailed her claims against him in a hard-hitting interview on Monday.The latest woman told Le Parisien in an interview on Saturday that Mr Ramadan, who is professor of contemporary Islamic studies at Oxford University and is the grandson of the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Hassan Al Banna, sexually harassed her in 2014.The woman, identified as Yasmina, said Ramadan blackmailed her for sexual favours, threatening to distribute “compromising pictures” of her.he is said to be filing criminal charges against him.Another complainant, French writer Henda Ayari, who says Mr Ramadan raped her in a Paris hotel room in 2012, told the same French newspaper the details of her alleged ordeal.Ms Ayari, 41, who lodged a rape complaint against the 55-year-old Swiss national on October 20, claimed that for Mr Ramadan, "either you wear a veil or you get raped"."He choked me so hard that I thought I was going to die," she added.She said she was encouraged to speak out against him publicly by the "Me Too" campaign sweeping the world."It was the #BalanceTonPorc campaign that pushed me to reveal his name," she said, in reference to France's version of the hashtag which means "Expose your pig".Ms Ayari had used a chapter of her 2016 book I Chose To Be Free to disclose details about the rape but without naming Mr Ramadan.“I actually devoted a whole chapter to the attack in my book but changed his name to avoid legal problems. But now I can no longer keep it a secret. It's too much for me to bear and it's time to tell the truth,” she explained in a Facebook post. Ramadan is also accused of raping another woman in a hotel room in 2009. The unnamed 42-year-old, who is reported to have disability in her legs, said on Friday that the professor had subjected her to a terrifying and violent sexual assault. She has filed a formal complaint against him, in which she describes her battle with depression and her attempt to commit suicide following the attack.Ramadan has denied the accusations and has filed counter-charges for libel.On Saturday, he wrote in a Facebook post that a new suit would follow "within a few days, in response to the campaign of lies launched by my adversaries"."These accusations are simply false, and betray all the ideals I have long strived for and believed in," he wrote.Supporters of Ramadan are describing the accusations against him part of a “international Zionist plot” to destroy his name, according to journalist Caroline Fourest, who has written extensively about the scholar’s career.All the complainants said they had initially made contact with Mr Ramadan for spiritual guidance.Thousands of people took the "Me Too" campaign - started by allegations against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein - onto the streets of France on Sunday. Some 2,500 people joined a rally in Paris against sexual abuse and harassment, while other protests were staged in Marseille, Bordeaux, Lille and other cities.In addition to Ramadan, several other prominent figures have been targeted in French assault claims, including a lawmaker in President Emmanuel Macron's party and a judge on France's equivalent of "America's Got Talent". thenational
Third woman accuses Islamist thinker Tariq Ramadan of sexual harassment: alarabiya
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2017/10/28/Third-woman-accuses-Islamist-thinker-Tariq-Ramadan-of-sexual-harassment.html
Journalist Jamal Khashoggi says lack of political life forced him to leave Saudi
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20171030-jamal-khashoggi-says-lack-of-political-life-forced-him-to-leave-saudi-arabia/
Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi said he had left Saudi Arabia several months ago because there is no political life in Saudi Arabia.In an interview with CNN, Khashoggi called to allow all of Saudi society to participate in the reform process. Khashoggi said he felt “insulted” after an official close to the Royal Court called him and asked him to be silent and not to criticize US President, Donald Trump.“I know many Saudis who went to state security before their arrest and signed pledges not to oppose the government, which is not the Saudi Arabia we should seek. We should seek a holistic Saudi Arabia” he said.Remarking on the 70 Saudis who were arrested by the Saudi authorities, Khashoggi said “later, many conspiracy theories may come out, but we see that the 70 detainees come from different directions and do not belong to a single organization”. Middleeastmonitor
Saudi women to be allowed into sports stadiums for first time
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/10/30/saudi-women-allowed-sports-stadiums-first-time/
Saudi women will be allowed into some of the country’s sports stadiums for the first time next year, in the latest in a string of reforms to Saudi Arabia’s ultra-conservative social laws. Women have previously been banned from all stadiums but the Saudi government said Sunday that it would begin opening up venues in Riyadh, Jeddah and the eastern city of Dammam in early 2018. “In line with the directives of our wise leadership and its interest in all sectors of society, it has been decided to start preparing three stadiums…to be ready for families in accordance with the relevant regulations in early 2018,” the General Sports Authority said. Sunday’s announcement implies they will be able to attend sporting events regularly but will still need to be accompanied by their husband or a male family members, in line with the country’s strict guardianship system.
Bahrain calls for 'freeze' of Qatar's GCC membership
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/10/bahrain-attend-gcc-summit-qatar-attends-171030054202383.html
Bahrain will not attend the next Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit if Qatar attends, the Bahraini foreign minister said in a series of tweets, in which he also called for Doha to be suspended from the bloc.In the posts made late Sunday night, Khalid al-Khalifa said Qatar's membership of the bloc should be frozen until it submits to demands made by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, and the UAE."Bahrain will not attend the GCC summit and sit with Qatar ... The right step needed to maintain the GCC is to freeze Qatar's membership until it comes to its senses and complies with our list of demands," Khalifa said."Given what comes from Qatar, from its rogue policy and pervasive evil nature that threatens our national security, our countries have taken the important step of boycotting Qatar and imposing a siege on it," he added.aljazeera
US pressure behind delay in vote for ‘Greater Jerusalem Bill’: middleeastmonitor
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20171030-us-pressure-behind-delay-in-vote-for-greater-jerusalem-bill/
American pressure was behind Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asking his ministerial Cabinet to postpone voting on “Greater Jerusalem Bill”, Israeli media reported. Throughout this bill, Israel is to include the illegal settlements of Ma’aleh Adumim, Givat Zeev, Beitar Ellit, Efrat and Gush Etzion with a total population of 150,000 to the Jerusalem Municipality increasing its Jewish population in an effort to reduce its Arab majority.“We are in touch with the Americans,” Netanyahu said, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported. “The Americans turned to us and inquired what the bill was about. As we have been coordinating with them until now, it is worth [continuing] talking and coordinating with them.”He then voiced his clear support for the illegal settlement project. “We are working to promote and develop the settlement enterprise,” he said.Meanwhile, a senior Israeli official told Haaretz that the bill is to be modified before being brought back to the ministerial council again.
Muslim, Christian Arabs protests against sale of Orthodox Church property in Israel
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20171030-israel-protests-against-sale-of-orthodox-church-property/
Muslim and Christian Israeli Arabs held a protest in Haifa against selling Orthodox Church property in Jerusalem and other areas to Jews, Al-Resalah newspaper reported.The Council of the Palestinian Orthodox Sect called for the protest after news leaks about property being sold – reportedly by Patriarch Theophilos III – to Israeli Jewish sides had been leaked. Senior officials from the Muslim and Christian Arab community in Israel, including MK and faction leaders took part in the protest. They accused Patriarch Theophilos III of selling the property and called for him to be toppled and for the Orthodox Church to be liberated from Greek domination. MEMO has previously published full details of the secret sales of Orthodox Church property.Documents obtained by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz appear to show an unknown company purchased a three-story office building in King David Street in Jerusalem for only $850,000 – lower than the expected cost in such a desirable area. middleeastmonitor
After IS, Raqqa celebrates first wedding since in Jazra: Lipstick, music,dancing set tone: AFP
http://www.firstpost.com/world/purged-of-islamic-state-raqqa-celebrates-first-wedding-since-in-jazra-lipstick-music-and-dancing-set-the-tone-4183369.html
Raqqa: At a house in Syria's Raqqa, women and men danced together in celebration at a wedding that would have been unimaginable just months ago, when the Islamic State group ruled the city. Residents told AFP that Ahmad and Heba's wedding, held on Friday in Raqqa's western neighbourhood of Jazra, was the first in the city since US-backed forces seized it on 17 Oct.Out on the patio, a man in a dark robe and a thick puffer vest spun his prayer beads to the beat as he led a line of men and women in the dabke, a Levantine dance performed at celebrations.The dancers hopped and swayed to-and-fro as children ran around. Elders looked on approvingly from seats and benches on the edge of the makeshift dance floor.Almost everything in the scene would have been impossible during the three years of brutal Islamic State rule.The group banned music and dancing, imposed a strict dress code, prevented women from wearing make-up, and forcefully prohibited the mixing of men and women.But in Jazra on Friday, music mingled with the sound of generators providing the only electricity in the ravaged district, which like much of the city was heavily damaged during more than 4 months of fighting. Jazra was one of the first districts of Raqqa to be captured by the US-backed SDF, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters that broke into the city in June.For now, Raqqa is virtually uninhabitable, with many buildings destroyed and large parts of the city off-limits for fear of unexploded ordnance. Hundreds of civilians were killed in the fighting and many residents are still searching for missing family members.
Turkey detains 61 people over suspected Islamic State links: Anadolu
http://www.asianage.com/world/europe/291017/turkey-detains-61-people-over-suspected-islamic-state-links-anadolu.html
Istanbul: Turkish police detained 61 people over suspected links to Islamic State in anti-terror operations in two cities, the state-run Anadolu Agency said on Sunday.Counter-terrorism police raided houses in Bursa, a northwestern province of Turkey, and detained 39 people including 28 Syrian nationals and two Azerbaijani nationals, Anadolu said. Eight of the detained suspects were minors, it said.Early in the morning, police also detained 22 people in the northeastern province of Erzurum as part of an investigation into terrorist organisations. The detained included suspected senior members of the organisation, Anadolu said.REUTERS
FLASH: VIEWS & NEWS
Kashmir problem must be solved politically:M M Ansari
http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/dialogue-as-diversion-dineshwar-sharma-appointment-kashmir-tensions-army-militants-loc-4912685/
Defamation, not at cost of gagging free speech:Kapil Sibal
http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/jay-shah-vijay-mersal-press-freedom-kancha-ilaiah-bjp-kapil-sibal-defamation-not-at-the-cost-of-gagging-free-speech-4912710/
Why Swami Vivekananda wished India's future had strong Muslim bodies and Vedantic souls: Reba Som
https://www.dailyo.in/arts/sister-nivedita-swami-vivekananda-margot-mughals-muslims-hindus/story/1/20292.html
When all else fails, Yogi Adityanath pushes the Hindutva button:SHARAT PRADHAN
https://www.dailyo.in/politics/uttar-pradesh-civic-body-polls-soft-hindutva-yogi-adityanath/story/1/20305.html
How J&K’s demand for autonomy has shaped up since Independence: Toufiq Rashid, HT
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/article-35-a-how-jammu-and-kashmir-s-demand-for-autonomy-has-shaped-up-since-independence/story-mmhKcOugKwpwGrFIKh7gQJ.html
Compiled and edited by Anwarulhaq (Released at: 8:56 PM)
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