Evening NEWS DIGEST
21 Dec.2017: 02 Rabial Aakhir 1439:Vol:9, No:78
INDIA
Lobbying intensifies for India’s UNGA vote on Jerusalem
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/lobbying-intensifies-for-indias-unga-vote-on-jerusalem/article22121462.ece?homepage=true
New Delhi:International lobbying has intensified to get India on board for the session of the UNGA on Thursday where the biggest platform of the UN is likely to adopt a resolution in opposition to US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The meeting of UNGA comes in the backdrop of a similar meeting of the Arab League which has asked for reversing of the decision even as Indian diplomats indicated that they will maintain that third parties do not decide Indian “foreign policy postures”. “We have met with Minister of State for External Affairs M.J. Akbar ten days ago to discuss the US decision and the Indian position in support of the Palestinian case and the peace process,” said a senior Arab diplomat indicating that a diplomatic team representing Arab concerns on Jerusalem held consultation with the officials of Ministry of External Affairs on Wednesday. However, there was no indication from the MEA if India would support either party.“Third parties don’t decide our foreign policy postures. For us this is all par for the course,” said a senior Indian official in response to a question on whether India will vote with the Arab countries or support President Trump’s decision.The draft resolution on the status of Jerusalem to be presented on Thursday expresses deep “regret” on the US’ stated position on Jerusalem and calls for “the final status of Jerusalem to be resolved through negotiations.” A similar resolution was vetoed by the US at the UN Security Council although the US found itself isolated with all other members voting in favour.Soon after President Trump’s declaration on Jerusalem, the Arab League had reached out to India even as it condemned the decision and urged President Trump to reverse the decision.Academic Prof P.R. Kumaraswamy, an expert on Israeli politics in JNU said that India should stay away from the voting to show its opposition to the “exclusivist” approach by both the Palestinian and the Israeli sides.“US declaration on Jerusalem cannot become our problem. We have to point out that Jerusalem belongs to all its claimants and the claimants need to be reminded that they have repeatedly come up with exclusivist claims,” said Prof. Kumaraswamy.“India should not even abstain. Our representatives to UN General Assembly should stay absent during the voting which will express our position effectively,” he said. thehindu
Arab world asks India's support over UN resolution on Jerusalem
http://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/arab-world-asks-india-s-support-over-un-resolution-on-jerusalem-117122001298_1.html
Pakistan links Kashmir issue to Palestinian crisis at UNSC
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/pakistan-links-kashmir-issue-to-palestinian-crisis-at-unsc/story-3iNNqLbmTYWg2AXyAfcYgJ.html
UN: Pakistan has raked up the Kashmir issue again at the UN Security Council, linking it to the Palestinian crisis and asserting that the world continues to watch these “egregious” situations without addressing them.Participating in an open debate at the UNSC, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN Maleeha Lodhi on Wednesday said challenges to international peace and security are intensifying at a time when the foundations of global order are fraying.“The Palestinian and Kashmiri people continue to suffer horrific human rights violations at the hands of occupying forces while the world continues to watch without addressing these egregious situations,” she said during the debate on ‘Addressing complex contemporary challenges to international peace and security’. The envoy said conflicts continued to rage across the world, from Africa to Afghanistan.Civil wars and factional fighting in Syria, Libya and Yemen are becoming more vicious and consequential, generating record levels of human displacement, she said.“Efforts to change the status of Jerusalem threaten to drive an already volatile Middle East into further turbulence and chaos,” Lodhi said, referring to US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.“And as UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has warned, in Korean peninsula, we may be sleep-walking into a catastrophe. At the same time longstanding, internationally recognised disputes of Palestine and Jammu and Kashmir continue to fester,” the Pakistani diplomat said.All this is compounding the challenges of a more turbulent and volatile world, she asserted.
Pak has formed panel to probe reports of conversion of Sikhs:High Commissioner
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/pak-has-formed-panel-to-probe-reports-of-conversion-of-sikhs/1/1114782.html
New Delhi:Pakistani govt has formed an inquiry committee to probe reports of Sikhs being forced to convert to Islam in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, the countrys High Commissioner to India told a Shiromani Akali Dal delegation led by its chief Sukhbir Singh Badal.Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief and former deputy chief minister of Punjab Badal today met Pakistani High Commissioner Sohail Mahmood here along with members of Sikh Gurudwara Prabhandak Committee (SGPC) over the issue of reports of forced conversions of Sikhs to Islam in the neighbouring country.Pakistans High Commissioner to India informed the delegation that an inquiry committee has been formed to probe the issue which will submit its report at the earliest, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, an SAD spokesperson, said."He also told the delegation that it can assure Sikhs residing in different nations that Sikhs of Pakistan are very much part of the country and they will never face any problem in this regard," the party said quoting the Pakistani envoy.PTI
No political considerations in rejecting UN resolutions against Masood Azhar: China
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/no-political-considerations-is-rejecting-un-resolutions-against-masood-azhar-china/story-tJBWp6zjTFVFEgvNpTZEAK.html
Beijing:LChina on Thursday said its decision to repeatedly reject resolutions at the UN to sanction Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar wasn’t based on “political considerations” and was taken on the merits of the case.India on Wednesday had sharply criticised China for apparently shielding Azhar at the UN Security Council. India’s permanent representative to the UN Syed Akbaruddin said that “on counter-terrorism, cooperation continues to elude the council, as it falls victim to narrow political and strategic concerns”.China’s ministry of foreign affairs dismissed India’s argument.“You have mentioned the narrow political consideration but we think we have acted in a candid way with ease. We have nothing to do with narrow-minded political consideration,” foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said on Thursday.“We should say that we firmly crackdown on various forms of international terrorism and on this issue we make our own judgements based on the merits of the matter.“Like we said, the relevant move in the committee accords with the rules of the procedure of the committee and we will work with various parties to uphold the security and peace of the international community.”
Pakistan Army chief says military will back government’s efforts to normalise relations with India
https://scroll.in/latest/862261/pakistan-army-chief-says-military-will-back-governments-efforts-to-normalise-relations-with-india
Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa told Pakistan’s senators that the military would back the political leadership’s efforts to normalise ties with India, Dawn reported. Bajwa, however, alleged that most of India’s troops were deployed against Pakistan and accused India of attempting to destabilise the country by collaborating with the Afghan intelligence agency National Directorate of Security.During his address on December 19, Bajwa briefed Pakistani political leaders about matters of national security to help them “prepare policy guidelines in the light of emerging regional realities”, Geo News reported.His remarks came a day after the country’s National Security Adviser, Lt Gen (retd) Nasser Khan Janjua, warned that South Asia was one mistake away from a major catastrophe, and accused India of threatening Pakistan with war.
Kulbhushan Jadhav under no threat of immediate execution: Pakistan
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/kulbhushan-jadhav-under-no-threat-of-immediate-execution-pakistan/story-57ZHb5UEK6telQbpfMXZRM.html
Islamabad:Pakistan on Thursday said alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav was not under any threat of immediate execution and his meeting with his wife and mother had been arranged “purely on humanitarian grounds”.“Let me assure you that the Jadhav is under no threat of immediate execution and his mercy petitions are still pending,” Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal said.Jadhav’s mother and wife will meet him in Islamabad on December 25 in the “light of Islamic traditions and based on purely humanitarian grounds,” the official said.Islamabad also said it was awaiting New Delhi’s decision on Pakistan permitting media interaction with the wife and mother of Jadhav.IANS
J&K: ‘Woman killed by stray bullet was watching encounter from home’
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/jammu-and-kashmir-woman-killed-by-stray-bullet-was-watching-encounter-from-home/
Shopian;Almost 17 hours after an encounter started 500 metres from her mother’s home, Rubina Jaan stood up inside the house and looked out of a window to peek at the commotion outside around 11 am.
At that moment, her family said, a shower of bullets were fired in the direction of the one-storey home in Batmurran village. Rubina (25) took a bullet in the chest and slumped to the floor. The rest of the family was in the same room. No one else was injured.The mother of an 11-month-old daughter, Rubina died before she could be taken to a hospital, her brother Yaqoob Bhat (27) said.Later, the family said they counted eight bullet holes on the walls and in the cracked window. Yaqoob showed the holes near the window where his younger sister had stood on Tuesday. Outside, a stretcher lay on top of a folding bed in an apple orchard next to Rubina’s home. Rubina was brought home in that stretcher. Her mother, carrying Rubina’s daughter Azra, wailed: “My daughter, why my daughter?”Yaqoob said Rubina had come home “to take care of our uncle who has been ill for some time”. He said: “She bled out before we reached the main road.”Villagers poured in to offer condolences and kissed Azra’s forehead. The word “target” was repeatedly heard around the room. “All of us were sitting in that one room. And if all the bullets had entered the house, all of us could have died. We were targeted,” a family member said. They blamed the police for Rubina’s death.
J-K Governor seeks clarification, returns file recommending nomination of Mehbooba’s brother as MLC
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/mehbooba-mufti-tasaduq-mufti-j-k-bjp-pdp-mlc-nomination-governor-vohra-4993028/
Jammu;Seeking clarification from the PDP-BJP coalition government, the Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra has returned the file recommending nomination of Tasaduq Mufti, younger brother of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, into the State Legislative Council.Sources said that while returning the file, the Governor has drawn the coalition cabinet’s attention towards a writ petition pending disposal in the state high court wherein nomination of eight members to Upper House of the State Legislature has been challenged. The cabinet had recommended nomination of Tasaduq Mufti against the vacancy caused by the resignation of its former leader Yuvraj Vikramaditya Singh from the Legislative Council.
Prominent Maldives editorial terms PM Modi as ‘anti-Muslim’, blames it for plotting coup
http://www.newsx.com/world/prominent-maldives-editorial-terms-pm-modi-anti-muslim-blames-plotting-coup
Prime Minister Narendra Modi led-BJP which was earlier facing the ire of the people of other communities for favouring just one particular religion seems to be caught up in a fresh political storm. According to reports, a pro-Abdulla Yameen paper in the Maldives, in an editorial, described PM Modi as ‘Hindu extremist leader’. The editorial further termed PM Modi as ‘anti-Muslim’. Criticising the PM Modi, the editorial which was in Dhivehi language said that Indian is their biggest ‘, enemy’. Extending a hand of friendship towards China, it said a ‘new best friend’ to be found for the Maldives in China.According to a report by TOI, the editorial drew unified condemnation. The reports said that the outrageous article had appeared in the mouthpiece of Maldives President, Abdulla Yameen. The article which was published in the mouthpiece of President Yameen gets routinely approved by the President Yameen’s office before being published. Condemning the editorial by the Maldives ruling party in Yameen’s mouthpiece, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) said that it seems to be the display of hostility against India. The opposition also alerted that India should worry about the dangers of overindulging the Yameen administration.Talking top TOI, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) leader and former foreign minister of Maldives, Ahmed Naseem, said, “More robust Indian corrective measures will be in the interest of both India and the Maldives”. The leader further added that appeasement with wishful thinking is not going to solve this crisis among the nations. Apart from terming PM Modi as anti-Muslim, the editorial also blamed India for plotting a coup against the government led by Abdulla Yameen. Apart from this, the editorial which was approved by Maldives President’s office blamed India for Kashmir unrest as well as for arming ‘Tamil terrorists’ in Sri Lanka. newsx
2G case verdict: CBI court acquits A Raja, Kanimozhi and all other accused
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/2g-spectrum-scam-in-a-big-relief-to-a-raja-and-kanimozhi-cbi-court-acquits-all-accused-4992453/
New Delhi: A special CBI court on Thursday acquitted former telecom minister A Raja, DMK supremo Karunanidhi’s daughter Kanimozhi and other accused of all charges in the 2G spectrum allocation cases — famously known as 2G ‘scam’ and often described as the biggest corruption scandal in India. All the acquitted in the case have to, however, furnish a bail bond of Rs 5 lakh each to ensure their presence in a higher appellate court if the verdict is challenged.The alleged scam came to light in 2010 when the then Comptroller and Auditor General Vinod Rai alleged that 122 2G licences were given to telecom operators at throwaway prices without a free and fair bidding process, causing a loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore to the national exchequer. The trial in the case began next year.The licences were scrapped by the Supreme Court on Feb.2, 2012.In a strongly worded judgment, Special Judge OP Saini castigated the CBI for ”misreading” the case. “There is no evidence on the record produced before the Court indicating any criminality in the acts allegedly committed by the accused persons,” he said. “The chargesheet of the instant case is based mainly on misreading, selective reading, non-reading and out of context reading of the official record,” Saini said.Punching holes in the CBI investigation, Saini further said the chargesheet was based on oral statements by witnesses that was not owned up by them during the hearing. “The chargesheet is based on some oral statements made by the witnesses during investigation, which the witnesses have not owned up in the witness box,” he said.Flagging factually incorrect facts in the chargesheet, the special judge pointed to two instances – then Finance Secretary strongly recommending revision of the entry fee and deletion of a clause of the draft Letters of Intent by A Raja.After the hearing, Vijay Aggarwal, lawyer of Swan Telecom promoters Shahid Usman Balwa, Vinod Goenka and others, said the prosecution had miserably failed to prove any of the charges. “The court said the prosecution has miserably failed to prove any of its charge. Thus all accused are acquitted,” Aggarwal said. Meanwhile, an embarrassed CBI said it would file an appeal against the verdict.Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram said the allegations of a major scam involving the highest levels of government was never trueMeanwhile, Congress spokesperson Tom Vadakan demanded the prosecution of former CAG Vinod Rai and called the 2G verdict a black mark in the history of the corruption watchdog. “A blind man can see. You know the CAG chief is today one of the strong advisers of the government, posted on various boards and organisations and is being rewarded for what he has done. He (Vinod Rai) should be prosecuted by the law of the land for creating such kind of excuses and cover-ups,” Vadakan said.
2G case verdict: prosec indianexpress ution's quality totally deteriorated by the end, says court
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/2g-scam-case-verdict-prosecutions-quality-totally-deteriorated-by-end-says-court/article22122696.ece?homepage=true
Subramanian Swamy in the habit of making wild and false allegations: Mukul Rohatgi
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/swamy-in-the-habit-of-making-wild-and-false-allegations-mukul-rohatgi/articleshow/62195101.cms
Former attorney general Mukul Rohatgi today refuted the allegation levied by Subramanian Swamy where he had questioned the former's appointment as the attorney general of India despite the fact that he had represented some of the accused in the 2G spectrum allocation "scam"."Subramanian Swamy is in the habit of making wild and false allegations. I had appeared for some of these people at the time of grant of bail in SC, in 2012. After, I became AG, I had nothing to do with the case. To make personal allegations is meaningless", Rohatgi said, according to reports on ANI.TIMESOFINDIA
Battle for Jayalalithaa's seat: Voting ends in RK Nagar by-poll; both DMK, AIADMK confident of winning
http://www.sify.com/news/battle-for-jayalalithaa-s-seat-voting-ends-in-rk-nagar-by-poll-both-dmk-aiadmk-confident-of-winning-news-national-rmvhOijjfacig.html
Chennai: Voting in RK Nagar Assembly constituency came to end at 5:00 PM on Thursday with nearly 70% voter turnout. Counting of votes will be held on December 24. The election saw reports of malfunctioning of an electronic voting machine (EVM) at one polling booth to alleging of cash-for-votes by parties. Estimated as being one of India's costliest elections, setting back the exchequer around Rs 3 crore, the R K Nagar by-polls could serve as a report card of the ruling AIADMK which faced turbulence after J Jayalalithaa's death last year. The major contenders are AIADMK's E. Madhusudhanan, DMK's N. Marudhu Ganesh, T.T.V. Dinakaran -- contesting as an Independent -- and Bharatiya Janata Party's K. Nagarajan. A day before the crucial bypoll, the Dhinakaran faction of AIADMK has released a purported video of Jayalalithaa in hospital. Several analaysts say that this could reflect the voting pattern in the polls. Also, the latest 2G scam verdict acquitting DMK leaders A Raja and Kanimozhi is also known to have some impact on the bypoll. The seat was left vacant after the passing of former Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalithaa .
RBI may be holding back Rs 2,000 note, says SBI report. Is it going to be banned? newsx
http://www.newsx.com/business/rbi-may-holding-back-rs-2000-note-says-sbi-report-going-banned
No one can forget the day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Nov.8, 2016 announced demonetisation and banned 2 big value currency notes. The government introduced two new notes in replacement which were Rs 2,000 and Rs 500. The new notes were introduced in the system with high security features and as a step by the government to hit out on counterfeit currency. However, more than a year after the government introduced Rs 2,000 note, rumours are doing the rounds whether the government is planning to stop circulating Rs 2,000 note? According to a latest report by the State Bank of India (SBI), RBI is not sending Rs 2,000 notes or the bank has stopped printing Rs 2,000 notes. Going by the report, the Reserve Bank has not brought Rs 2,000 notes amounting to Rs 2643 billion into the circulation . Therefore, it is being speculated that whether the bank is now planning to stop the circulation of the biggest denomination currency. As per a report by the Ministry of Finance which was presented in the Lok Sabha, RBI has printed 16,957 million pieces of Rs 500 notes and 3,654 million pieces of Rs 2,000 notes on December 8. The total value of such notes translates into Rs 15,787 billion and by doing so it is being said that the RBI has printed an amount of Rs 2463 billion but is not being circulated in the market.Meanwhile, in a report authored by SBI group chief economic adviser, Soumya Kanti Ghosh said, “This means that the residual amount of high currency notes (Rs 15,787 billion – Rs 13,324 billion) of Rs 2,463 billion may have been printed by the RBI but not supplied in the market. Therefore, according to SBI Ecoflash report, since using Rs 2000 currency notes brings challenges in carrying out transactions, it seems that the RBI either has stopped printing the Rs 2,000 denomination notes or printing in smaller numbers after initially printing them in ample amount to normalise the liquidity situation.”NewsX
Govt to table bill on triple talaq in Parliament tomorrow, asks all its MPs to be present
http://zeenews.india.com/india/govt-likely-to-table-bill-on-triple-talaq-in-parliament-today-asks-all-its-mps-to-be-present-2068482.html
NEW Delhi: Modi-led government is likely to introduce a bill on controversial triple talaq in the Lok Sabha on December 22, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar announced on Thursday."List of Business" posted on the Lok Sabha website showed that The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights of Marriage) Bill will be introduced by Law Minister Ravishankar Prasad.Meanwhile, as per a report, the BJP has issued a whip to all its MPs to attend the Parliament session while the government presents the 'controversial' bill. zeenews
Triple Talaq bill to be tabled in Parliament tomorrow
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/triple-talaq-bill-to-be-tabled-in-parliament-tomorrow/story-Tw6eUNjcdkjYzLokXmUfRK.html
Triple talaq bill stupid & draconian, says Owaisi
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/triple-talaq-bill-stupid-draconian-says-owaisi/articleshow/62192543.cms
HYDERABAD: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has opposed the bill seeking to criminalise instant triple talaq. Owaisi took to Twitter on Wednesday and said that the bill would have severe consequences and will lead to further exploitation of married women"What a stupid bill has been drafted which is draconian & will lead (sic) further exploitation & more injustice to married muslim women," Owaisi tweeted. He said that the government's attempt to expedite the introduction of the bill without any effort to appreciate the legal nuances involved is of deep concern. "This is being done by Modi government only for political considerations, burden of proof on women," Owaisi tweeted.TOI
Hindu activists ‘disrupt’ X-Mas celebrations in Rajasthan, allege religious conversions
http://www.hindustantimes.com/jaipur/hindu-activists-disrupt-x-mas-celebrations-in-rajasthan-allege-religious-conversions/story-s9va59kG52Ef01Bf3aF5eO.html
Jaipur:Hindu activists on Tuesday allegedly disrupted a Christmas celebration in Rajasthan’s Pratapgarh town under the pretext that the organisers were carrying out religious conversions.A video clipping of the incident showed a number of Hindu activists raising a ruckus at the event, organised by the Pratapgarh branch of the ‘Masih Shakti Samiti’ for tribals, and laying waste to hymn books as well as other prayer material.Karu Lal, the event coordinator, said they were attacked by about 20 people that evening. “The event started at 10 am yesterday, but around 7.30 pm, a group of people accompanied by the police arrived at the scene and ordered us to halt the proceedings,” he told HT over the phone from Pratapgarh. Lal also alleged that police took two tribals – Ramesh Meena and Manish Mekwan – into custody, and released them at 1.20 am the next day.The event coordinator said his organisation had approached the additional collector with an application for permission to hold the event, which he approved with his signature. “He then told us to get the Pratapgarh police’s permission. However, when we visited the local police station, the station house officer simply took a photocopy of the letter and told us to go ahead with the programme. He refused to give us his permission in writing,” Lal added.HT accessed a copy of the application, which clearly states that the event was to be held from 10 am on December 19 to 3 pm the next day.
UP: Hindu Jagran Manch asks schools not to ‘force’ Hindu students to celebrate Christmas
http://www.hindustantimes.com/lucknow/hindu-jagran-manch-asks-schools-not-to-force-hindu-students-to-celebrate-christmas/story-rT1pkiRCbQuJJ9yqXTbBfJ.html
LUCKNOW : After Aligarh, the Hindu Jagran Manch (HJM) asked Christian missionary schools in Agra not to ‘force’ Hindu students to celebrate Christmas.Leaders of the district unit of the outfit claimed to have issued letters to principals of schools in this regard and also threatened protests if their ‘advisory’ was not complied with.Amit Chaudhary, Agra unit president of HJM, confirmed this while talking to HT on Wednesday.“We had been receiving complaints from parents of students studying in missionary schools. Hindu students are being asked to buy dresses to appear as Santa Claus and participate in programmes organised to celebrate Christmas on the campus,” stated Chaudhary.“On receiving such complaints, we have issued letters to about a dozen missionary schools in Agra and took up the matter with principals at a couple of schools, asking them to desist from such activities otherwise we would come on roads to lodge protest and would have such schools propagating Christianity shut down,” he stated while maintaining that schools should focus only on education.“We are not against any festival or religion. But any attempt to propagate Christianity leading to practice of conversion would not be taken lightly,” he stated. hindustantimes
VHP in Meerut launches campaign telling Hindus to not sell homes to minorities
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-vhp-in-meerut-launches-campaign-telling-hindus-to-not-sell-homes-to-minorities-2569504
The Uttar Pradesh unit of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad has launched a campaign that disallows people belonging to the minority community to buy property in Hindu-dominated areas.According to the VHP, if sold, then people may use these houses as a safe haven to conduct terrorist and anti-national activities. “We will also educate Hindus not to sell their houses to Muslims as their culture, and way of living does not match with us,” Sudarshan Maharaj, VHP Organizing Secretary, Meerut, told media.The campaign comes after Sanjay Rastogi, a Meerut-based businessman, from Maliwada in Meerut district, sold a portion of his house to a Muslim family. However, when the buyer Nauman Ahmed went for the possession, he was heckled by VHP activists and local residents and warned not to shift into the house. Locals also confronted Sanjay Rastogi for selling his property discreetly to a Muslim family without consulting and seeking consent from his neighbours.The matter went to the Kotwali police station where a compromise was reached. It asked Sanjay to return the money to Nauman within two months to close the matter.Meanwhile, a delegation of the members AIMIM met the SSP Manzil Saini and other senior police officials. dnaindia
Jairam Thakur likely to be Himachal Chief Minister; formal announcement on Friday
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/jairam-thakur-likely-to-be-himachal-pradesh-chief-minister-announcement-on-friday-prem-kumar-dhumal-4992639/
Shimla: BJP has zeroed in on five-time MLA and veteran leader Jairam Thakur as its chief ministerial candidate and a formal announcement to this effect is expected on Friday. The names of Thakur, who won from Seraj assembly constituency, and Union Health Minister JP Nadda were doing the rounds after the party’s CM pick Prem Kumar Dhumal lost to Congress’ Rajinder Rana by 2,000 votes in Sujanpur.BJP sources said a two-member team, comprising Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Urban Development Minister Narinder Singh Tomar, would reach Shimla on Thursday to hold informal consultations with senior party leaders, who have already been informed about Thakur being selected as the new CM. A formal meeting of the party, however, is likely to be held on Friday to make the announcement
Condom ads without sexually explicit content can play before 10pm, clarifies I&B ministry
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/condom-ads-without-sexually-explicit-content-can-play-before-10pm-clarifies-ib-ministry-4992506/
New Delhi: I&B Ministry on Thursday clarified that the ban on condom advertisements between 6 am and 10 pm pertained only to commercials with sexually explicit content. “Advertisements that do not sexually objectify women can continue to play beyond curfew hours,” I&B Ministry said, a day after the Rajasthan High Court issued notices to it and the Health Ministry regarding the December 11 order.“It is clarified that the said advisory only pertains to sexually explicit content being used to market certain condom brands which titillate the audience from a PR perspective. Advertisements that do not sexually objectify women and are aimed at informing citizens regarding devices/products/medical interventions to ensure safe sex are not covered under the said advisory,” the I&B Ministry memorandum said. indianexpress
India to set up IT centre in Egypt's Al Azhar University
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/ites/india-to-set-up-it-centre-in-egypts-al-azhar-university/articleshow/62195234.cms
India will be establishing a Centre of Excellence in Information Technology (CEIT) at Al Azhar University, Egypt's highest religious authority and one of the world's most eminent seats of Sunni Muslim learning, officials have said. All the equipment and course material has reached Egypt and premises are being prepared for CIET, which will provide high-tech education and skills to the country's youth, India's Ambassador to Egypt, Sanjay Bhattacharyya, said. PTI
WORLD
UN set to vote on Trump's Jerusalem move
http://aa.com.tr/en/todays-headlines/un-set-to-vote-on-trumps-jerusalem-move/1011225
The UN General Assembly is set to hold a rare emergency special session on Thursday on U.S. President Donald Trump's widely criticized Dec. 6 declaration on Jerusalem.The full 193-member UN General Assembly will vote on a draft resolution condemning Trump’s decision to recognize the holy city as Israel's capital as well as move the U.S. Embassy there from Tel Aviv.Tel Aviv is the city in Israel where all other nations house their main diplomatic missions. Trump's move sparked widespread anger and protests among Palestinians and Muslim communities worldwide.An extraordinary Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit in Istanbul last week rebuffed the U.S. move by formally recognizing East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.On Monday, breaking with the rest of the body, the U.S. vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that rejected its move on Jerusalem.Fourteen council members voted in favor of the Egyptian-sponsored resolution demanding Trump reverse course on the decision. The U.S. was the sole dissenting vote.
Will the UN challenge US threats over Jerusalem?
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/12/challenge-threats-jerusalem-171221084200524.html
Erdogan urges world 'not to be bought' by Trump's dollars in Jerusalem vote
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/un-votes-jerusalem-after-trump-warns-were-watching-1938149380
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan slammed US President Donald Trump on Thursday, hours before the United Nations General Assembly vote rejecting US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital."Mr. Trump, you cannot buy Turkey's democratic will with your dollars", Erdogan said after US President Donald Trump threatened to cut aid to countries that support a draft UN resolution calling for the United States to withdraw its decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital."I hope and expect the United States won't get the result it expects from there (the United nations) and the world will give a very good lesson to the United States," Erdogan said in a speech in Ankara. middleeasteye
Saudi King: We support east Jerusalem as Palestinian capital
https://english.palinfo.com/news/2017/12/21/Saudi-King-We-support-east-Jerusalem-as-Palestinian-capital
RIYADH, (PIC) Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas met in Riyadh on Wednesday with King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia and discussed with him different issues of mutual interest.According to Palestinian news outlets, Abbas briefed the Saudi Monarch on the latest developments in the Palestinian arena and the contacts he had made recently with other heads of state to discuss the US recognition of Occupied Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.Abbas also valued the Saudi positions in support of the Palestinian people and their national cause.The meeting was followed by a luncheon and prolonged talks between the two leaders and officials from both sides.
Trump threatens to cut aid over UN Jerusalem vote
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/12/trump-threatens-cut-aid-jerusalem-vote-171220173323324.html
US President Donald Trump has threatened to cut aid to countries that vote in favour of a draft UN resolution condemning the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.Trump said at the White House on Wednesday the US would be "watching those votes" in the General Assembly."They take hundreds of millions of dollars and even billions of dollars, and then they vote against us. Well, we're watching those votes. Let them vote against us. We'll save a lot. We don't care," Reuters news agency quoted Trump as saying.The UN General Assembly will hold an emergency session on Thursday to vote on the controversial US decision.
Iraq to abolish rights given to Palestine refugees
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20171221-iraq-to-abolish-rights-given-to-palestine-refugees/
The Iraqi government is planning to repeal laws that give merits, including citizenship and free education to Palestinian refugees in the country, Quds Press reported yesterday. Palestinian sources in Iraq warned that the Iraqi President Fuad Masum had issued a law regarding the residence of foreigners in Iraq on 2 October which will take effect at the beginning of 2018.The law, which applies to Palestinian refugees, annuls a number of previous decisions issued by the Revolutionary Command Council during former president Saddam Hussein’s era.One of the decisions gave several merits to the Palestinian refugees, including travel documents, identification papers, free education, healthcare insurance, financial stipends and free homes. middleeastmonitor
Israeli army responds to fresh protests with live fire
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/12/israeli-army-responds-fresh-protests-live-fire-171220150203833.html
More than 80 Palestinians have been injured in fresh protests across the West Bank, two weeks after US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, according to the Red Crescent. At least three people were injured with live bullets, more than 20 with rubber-coated steel bullets and 40 by tear-gas inhalation in Wednesday's protests called for by the Palestinian Authority, several political parties and trade unions. aljazeera
HRW calls for UN to sanction Saudi crown prince
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/12/hrw-calls-sanction-saudi-crown-prince-171221071600390.html
Human Rights Watch has called on the UN to place sanctions on Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over abuses carried out in Yemen.In an op-ed published in the Washington Post, the rights group's deputy UN director, Akshaya Kumar, said the heir to the Saudi throne was behind abuses at home and bore responsibility "for the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in neighbouring Yemen." Kumar said Mohammed bin Salman's reforms, such as allowing women to drive, opening up physical education to girls, and permitting movie theatres to open, were "important steps", but warned against glossing over the prince's record in other areas."The war in Yemen, and Prince Bin Salman's prominent role in it as defence minister, fits poorly into a narrative of a visionary young reform-oriented leader," she wrote."As restrictions on imports push millions of Yemenis further into famine and aid the spread of normally treatable diseases, Prince [Mohammed bin Salman] shouldn't be getting a free pass."Instead, he and other senior coalition leaders should face international sanctions." aljazeera
Saudi-led coalition air raids 'kill 11 Yemen civilians'
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/12/saudi-led-coalition-air-strikes-kill-11-yemen-civilians-171220180017168.html
Air raids by a Saudi-led military coalition across Yemen have been blamed for killing 11 civilians, a day after Houthi rebels fired a ballistic missile at the Saudi capital, Riyadh.The deadly attacks came on the 1,000th day of the devastating war that has killed about 10,000 people and left millions facing starvation. The pro-Houthi Al Masirah television channel said 11 people were killed - including women and children - and 19 others wounded in Thursday's air raids in Saada province in the country's far north.
1,000 days of war in Yemen, 'land of blood and bombs'
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/12/1000-days-war-yemen-land-blood-bombs-171220084152340.html
China urges others to avoid ‘complicating’ Rohingya conflict
http://indianexpress.com/article/world/china-urges-others-to-avoid-complicating-rohingya-conflict-4992875/
Beijing:China urged other governments today to “constructively help” Myanmar and Bangladesh resolve the fate of Rohingya Muslims “instead of complicating the issue” after Myanmar blocked a visit by UN human rights official.Events in Rakhine state, where more than 630,000 Rohingya fled a military crackdown, are an internal affair for Myanmar that “contains complicated historical, national and religious factors,” said a foreign ministry spokeswoman, Hua Chunying.“We think the international community should constructively help Myanmar and Bangladesh to solve the issue instead of complicating the issue,” said Hua at a regular briefing.
Myanmar bars UN human rights envoy Yanghee Lee
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/12/myanmar-bars-human-rights-envoy-yanghee-lee-171220145600876.html
Nawaz nominates brother Shehbaz as Pak PM candidate
http://www.dnaindia.com/world/report-nawaz-sharif-nominates-brother-shehbaz-sharif-as-pakistan-pm-candidate-2569502
Ousted Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday announced his brother and Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif as the prime minister candidate in the upcoming elections.According to The Express Tribune, Nawaz Sharif took the decision in a meeting of Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) leaders at his Jati Umra residence.Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator, Nayyer Bukhari slammed the former prime minister's decision saying that Nawaz is just taking his royal lineage and Shehbaz Sharif is involved in a murder case.
Media Dept. Jamaat-e-Islami Hind,
Compiled and edited by Anwarulhaq (Released at: 6:49 PM)
FLASH: VIEWS & NEWS
The scam that wasn’t : CAG, BJP need to apologise:Manish Tewari
http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/2g-scam-case-vinod-rai-the-scam-that-wasnt-cag-bjp-need-to-apologise-4992980/
Fake news buster: How a BJP leader tried to fan communal rumours that ‘Jihadis’ tried to rape a minor girl in Karnataka
http://twocircles.net/2017dec20/419165.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Twocirclesnet-IndianMuslim+%28TwoCircles.net+-+Indian+Muslim+News%29
If Hardik is jailed, I’ll speak for him in House & hit the streets: Jignesh Mevan
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/if-hardik-is-jailed-ill-speak-for-him-in-house-hit-the-streets/articleshow/62187883.cms
CPJ: Iraq, Syria, deadliest countries for journalists
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/12/cpj-iraq-syria-deadliest-countries-journalists-171221094127947.html
Compiled and edited by Anwarulhaq (Released at: 6:49 PM)
Posts
0 comments:
Post a comment