Posts
Evening NEWS DIGEST
13 March. 2017: 13 Jamadiul Akhir 1438:Vol:8, No:140
INDIA
New 'enemy property' law unfairly targets Indian Muslims, analysts say:Reuters
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-new-enemy-property-law-unfairly-targets-indian-muslims-analysts-say-2351605
Mumbai:A controversial bill that amends a five-decade-old law to deny Indian families of those who moved to China and Pakistan right to reclaim "enemy properties" seized by the state unfairly targets Muslims, analysts say.Enemy Property Act of 1968, enacted after the India-Pakistan War three years earlier, gave the Indian government the right to seize assets of Indian nationals who had moved to Pakistan or China following wars with the two countries. Those who left India for Pakistan were Muslims, and relations between the two countries remain fraught after numerous conflicts. Pakistan enacted a similar law at the time and seized properties of those who left for India.The amended law, which would apply retrospectively, extends the definition of "enemy" to include legal heirs of declared enemies, even when the heir is an Indian citizen, or of a country not deemed to be an enemy."When the families are citizens of the country, how can the government consider them to be enemies and take away their right of succession?" said Husain Dalwai, a member of India's upper house of parliament. "It is against the constitution and it targets Muslims unfairly," he told Reuters.The government has said the amendments are in the "larger public interest" and will plug "loopholes to ensure that enemy properties worth thousands of crores (millions) of rupees do not revert to the enemy or enemy firm".The Supreme Court ruled in 2005 that legal heirs who are Indian citizens can reclaim so-called enemy property, following decades of petitioning by the family of the erstwhile Raja of Mahmudabad, who left India after partition in 1947.But the amendment - also barring civil courts from hearing disputes related to enemy property - was passed late on Friday by the upper house, despite a walkout by opposition members.India's large Muslim minority, which makes up 13 percent of the population, lags the national average on land ownership, and faces bias when buying or renting properties.The number of properties with the Custodian of Enemy Property has risen to about 16,000 from 2100 a few years ago - nearly all taken from Muslim families - and are estimated at more than 1 trillion rupees ($15 billion)."The idea of the bill seems to be to deprive Muslims of their right to ancestral property that the state seized," said Anand Grover, a rights lawyer who argued the case before the SC.
Gujarat govt to enact harsher law to protect cows:CM Vijay Rupani
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/gujarat-govt-to-enact-harsher-law-to-protect-cows-says-cm-vijay-rupani/story-JHT3ZTgLUF1wogaUBFSv0L.html
Ahmedabad:Gujarat government will enact a harsher law providing for life-term for those found involved in cow-slaughtering and transportation of beef, chief minister Vijay Rupani has said.Addressing a gathering at Swaminarayan Gurukul in Vanthali town of Junagadh district, Rupani said the BJP government had earlier brought the law in 2011 to save cows.“We fought the case till the Supreme Court to bring a law in Gujarat to save cows. Now, we want to make this law more strict, for which we will introduce a Bill in the ongoing Budget session of the Gujarat assembly during next week,” said Rupani.With Narendra Modi as the state chief minister, the Gujarat government had in 2011 imposed a complete ban on cow-slaughter, transportation and selling of cow-beef by amending the erstwhile Gujarat Animal Preservation Act of 1954.“In the Bill, we will make a provision wherein people found involved in cow-slaughtering as well transportation of beef will be punished with life imprisonment. Their vehicles too will be seized permanently,” said the chief minister.HT
Post ASSEMBLY ELECTION RESULTS
Cong accuses BJP of ‘stealing elections’ in Goa, Manipur
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/chidambaram-accuses-bjp-of-stealing-elections-in-goa-and-manipur/
New Delhi: Ex-union minister P Chidambaram joined the chorus of Congress leaders in accusing the BJP of not respecting the people’s mandate and, instead, staking claim to form govt in Goa and Manipur.Chidambaram, who held the finance and home portfolios in the erstwhile UPA govt, accused the BJP of “stealing elections”. “A party that comes second has no right to form the Govt. BJP stealing elections in Goa and Manipur,” he tweeted. BJP finished second in Goa and Manipur, behind Congress which emerged as the single largest party. In Goa, BJP stitched up a rainbow coalition with parties such as MGP and GFP who wanted Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to return as CM. In Manipur, despite Congress having 28 MLAs, BJP staked claim to form the govt. It met Governor Najma Heptulla and submitted letters of support from NPP’s 4 MLAs and one of LJP, and said it also had another 4 MLAs of NPF. This takes it total to 31 MLAs, past the halfway mark. Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh also met the Governor, but could parade only 27 MLAs as 1 of Congress MLAs expressed willingness to join the BJP. Indianexpress
Goa Suraksha Manch slams Goa Governor's action
http://www.thehindu.com/elections/goa-2017/goa-suraksha-manch-urges-people-to-protest-against-governor-for-inviting-bjp-to-form-government/article17457173.ece?homepage=true
Goa:How Parrikar, Gadkari masterminded BJP's coup
http://www.firstpost.com/politics/goa-election-result-2017-how-manohar-parrikar-nitin-gadkari-masterminded-bjps-coup-3332520.html
Manipur: Hunt for numbers takes Cong, BJP to airport, ‘confined’ Independent MLA
http://indianexpress.com/elections/manipur-assembly-elections-2017/manipur-hunt-for-numbers-takes-cong-bjp-to-airport-confined-independent-mla/
Imphal:AS BOTH the Congress and BJP tried to rustle together numbers on Sunday to form a government in Manipur, a first-time Independent MLA found himself being trailed from his constituency Jiribam in south Manipur, to Silchar and Guwahati in Assam, ending in allegedly a brief detention at Imphal’s Tulihal airport.BJP and Congress workers surrounded the entrance to the airport, with Congress workers claiming that Ashab Uddin had been kept under illegal detention inside by the CISF. indianexpress
Jaitley gets additional charge of Defence Ministry after Manohar Parrikar’s resignation
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/arun-jaitley-given-additional-charge-of-defence-ministry-after-manohar-parrikars-resigns-goa-cm-4567772/
New Delhi:Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday was given additional charge of Defence Ministry after Manohar Parrikar resigned to take over the new role as Goa Chief Minister. President Pranab Mukherjee accepted the resignation of Parrikar from the Council of Ministers with immediate effect and assigned the charge of the Ministry of Defence to Jaitley, in addition to his existing portfolios. Indianexpress
Manohar Parrikar to take oath as Goa CM tomorrow
http://www.thehindu.com/elections/goa-2017/manohar-parrikar-to-take-oath-as-goa-cm-tomorrow/article17455622.ece?homepage=true
Biren Singh is BJP's CM candidate for Manipur
http://www.thehindu.com/elections/manipur-2017/biren-singh-is-bjps-cm-candidate-for-manipur/article17457154.ece?homepage=true
Manipur BJP leader Nongthombam Biren Singh has been selected as the State's CM candidate,."N. Biren Singh has been elected leader of BJP legislature party in Manipur, will be party’s chief ministerial candidate," Minister of State for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines Piyush Goyal said on Monday.PTI
Muslims will get representation in UP govt: Venkaiah Naidu after BJP’s win
http://www.hindustantimes.com/assembly-elections/muslims-will-get-representation-in-uttar-pradesh-government-venkaiah-naidu-after-bjp-win/story-v6h2FRD4VIVkF9UwVg78rK.html
New Delhi:Muslims will get representation in the BJP government in UP, though the party did not field any candidate from the community in the state assembly elections.The party got an unprecedented mandate on Saturday in India’s most populous and politically crucial state, winning 312 seats in the 403-member assembly. The plan to induct a Muslim minister is aimed at reaching out to the community that is not known to be a BJP vote base.“If (a Muslim) MLA is not there, an MLC (member of legislative council) will be there … there will be Muslim representatives in the govt.”Union urban development minister Venkaiah Naidu said.He said a section of Muslims supported the BJP in the polls. “Because of the triple talaq issue, Muslim women, especially younger women, voted for us.”HT
Muslims voted because BJP supports Triple Talaq abolition: Naidu
https://in.news.yahoo.com/muslims-voted-because-bjp-supports-061331427.html
BJP’s poll strategy:900 rallies, 67000 workers, 10000 WhatsApp groups, chopper landings: indianexpress
http://indianexpress.com/elections/bjps-election-strategy-900-rallies-67000-workers-10000-whatsapp-groups-chopper-landings-4565757/
Lucknow: Spurred by its extraordinary performance in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, BJP had started preparing for this Assembly election as early as two years ago, strengthening its organisation upto the booth level and starting campaigns. Its strategy paid off on Saturday, when it won majority after 26 years.According to party leaders, the poll gameplan was planned and executed under the supervision of BJP president Amit Shah, state in-charge Om Mathur, state party president Keshav Prasad Maurya and state general secretary (organisation) Sunil Bansal. After winning a record 221 seats in 1991, primarily due to the ‘Ram Janmabhoomi’ movement, the saffron party’s seat-share had witnessed a steady decline. In the following state elections, it won 174 seats in 1996, 88 seats in 2002, 51 seats in 2007, and 47 seats in 2012. Party kicked off the campaigning process with the ‘Dhamma Chetna Yatra’ on April 24 last year. Led by Dhamma Viriyo, a Buddhist monk and former MP, the yatra moved through the Dalit-OBC pockets of 175 Assembly constituencies, proclaiming support for PM Narendra Modi and his initiatives. Starting from Sarnath, the yatra concluded in Kanpur in October with a rally addressed by BJP national president Amit Shah. During the yatra, 453 meetings were organised at different locations. “Dhamma Chetna Yatra was the first major step BJP took to hit Mayawati’s Dalit vote bank. The focus was on Jatavs, who used to be traditional voters of BSP,” said a senior BJP leader, who was part of the strategists’ team. In the meantime, the party also organised a campaign for registration of new voters from Sept.1 to 17, during which it got 9.14 lakh youths registered as voters. It had set up 6,235 camps in colleges and public places for registration.On Nov.5, the ‘Parivartan Yatras’ started from 4 places — Saharanpur, Jhansi, Ballia and Sonbhadra — passing through all 403 Assembly segments and concluding in Lucknow on Dec.24 in form of a roadshow. BJP state spokesperson Chandra Mohan claimed that through these 4 yatras, party leaders reached out to around 50.65 lakh people across the state, informing them of the “achievements of the Modi govt and the policies of BJP”.Another stategy to connect with young voters was the setting up of 1,650 ‘College sabhas’. BJP had deputed 2,058 “college ambassadors” for executing the task.Likewise, 77 ‘Mahila Sammelans’ were organised in all districts to target women. To attract OBC voters, BJP held 200 ‘Pichhda Varg Sammelan’, in which party leaders addressed meetings with OBCs. To reach out to SC/ST voters, 18 ‘Swabhiman Sammelans’ were organised. 14 ‘Vyapari Sammelans’ were held to focus on the traders’ fraternity.During campaigning, BJP organised 900 election rallies,23 of which were addressed by Modi.
Support by Muslim clerics did not translate into votes for Mayawati in UP:PTI
http://www.outlookindia.com/newswire/story/support-by-muslim-clerics-did-not-translate-into-votes-for-mayawati-in-uttar-pradesh/966727
Lucknow:The support extended by different Muslim organisations and clerics to the Mayawati-led BSP on the eve of assembly polls did not pay off for the party, which could pocket only 19 seats, one of its worst ever performance.BSP, which had fielded nearly 100 Muslim candidates, managed to win only 4 out of 77 assembly seats dominated by the minority community voters. Some of the Muslim clerics who had urged the Muslim voters to vote for the BSP were Shahi Imam of Delhi's Jama Masjid Ahmed Bukhari, Shia cleric and senior member of All India Muslim Personal Law Board Maulana Kalbe Jawwad, besides the Rashtriya Ulama Council, an organisation which has some influence in Eastern UP.These Muslim-dominated seats are situated in districts of Rampur, Saharanpur, Moradabad, Amroha, Bareilly, Azamgarh, Mau, Shamli, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut and Aligarh.Rampur, where Muslims constitute nearly 50 per cent of the electorate, saw not even a single MLA of the BSP getting elected.Similar situation prevailed in Saharanpur and Moradabad. BSP also failed to make its presence felt in the Deoband assembly constituency in Saharanpur.Darul Uloom Deoband is located in Deoband. In Amroha, Bareilly and Shahjahanpur, the party performed miserably. The party also could not fare well in Shamli, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut and Aligarh.The only consolation for the party came from Azamgarh, where it won in Sagri, Mubarakpur, Lalganj and Didarganj assembly constituencies. In Mau district, barring the Mau assembly seat which was won by mafia-turned politician Mukhtar Ansari, the party could not win other seats in the district. Even, Mukhtar's son and brother could not win.Asked about the reasons for the BSP's defeat, President of Rashtriya Ulama Council (RUC) Aamir Rashadi told PTI, "The arrogance (ahankaar) of BSP chief Mayawati and her efforts to sideline Muslim clerics and BJP's success in effectively dividing the Muslim votes in the state led to significant losses for the BSP."He said, "The need of the hour both in the interest of the state and that of the country, is that we (RUC and BSP) should work in close coordination with each other, so as to curtail the movement of the fascist forces and at the same time help the state to get relief from the prevailing goondaraj (rule of the goons) and parivarwaad (family feud)."PTI
Muslim votes' split triggered saffron surge in Uttar Pradesh:TOI
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/PDATOI/articleshow/57615084.cms
Riot belt goes full saffron, Deoband too
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/elections/assembly-elections/uttar-pradesh/news/riot-belt-goes-full-saffron-deoband-too/articleshow/57604147.cms
80% of new UP MLAs are crorepatis
http://www.thehindu.com/elections/uttar-pradesh-2017/80-of-newly-elected-up-mlas-are-crorepatis/article17456338.ece?homepage=true
As the BJP got a sweeping mandate with 312 seats in the recently concluded Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, data analysis by election watchdog Association for Democratic Reforms shows that 80% of MLAs in the new Assembly are crorepatis. MLAs with the most assets are the BSP’s Shah Alam Urf Guddu Jamali, from Mubarakpur, with over Rs. 118 crore; Vinayshankar from the Chillupar constituency with over Rs. 67 crore; and Rani Pakshalika Singh of the BJP with over Rs. 58 crore.While the earlier Assembly saw 271 MLAs or 67% crorepatis, this time there has been a jump of 13 percentage points. 79% of newly elected BJP MLAs are crorepatis, while other parties have a higher percentage of crorepatis — the SP has 85%, the BSP 95%, and the Congress 91%.Of the 402 MLAs who have been analysed, 143 have criminal cases against them and 107 face serious criminal charges. the hindu
3rd time MLA Raziya Sultana is only Muslim MLA in 117-member Punjab Assembly
http://ummid.com/news/2017/March/13.03.2017/raziya-sultana-malerkotlais-only-muslim-in-punjab-updated.html
Malerkotla: Raziya Sultana, wife of a top cop and 3rdtime MLA, is the only Muslim MLA in 117-member Punjab Assembly.Congress is set to form its govt in the state, and Raziya Sultana as one of the senior most members in the party, eyes for a key post in the govt.ummid
OTHERS
Victims of Emergency excesses in Kerala demand pensions, want to be called freedom fighters
https://scroll.in/article/831306/victims-of-emergency-excesses-in-kerala-press-state-for-pension-want-to-be-called-freedom-fighters
Upset that their long-pending demand for a monthly pension found no mention in the state budget that was presented on March 3, more than 3,000 people who were detained during the Emergency in Kerala plan to intensify their agitation for a pension and to be declared freedom fighters – which would make them eligible for benefits extended to these veterans.The detainees first raised this demand in 2010, when India marked the 35th anniversary of the Emergency. They complain that successive governments have neglected their demand. Several states like Rajasthan, UP, Bihar, MP and Haryana give such detainees a monthly pension under different schemes. The organisations agitating in Kerala have asked the government to emulate these schemes.Several members of the CPI(Marxist), which leads the ruling Left Democratic Front coalition, were detained during the Emergency in Kerala. This includes Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan as well as Finance Minister Thomas Isaac.“CPI(M) hasn’t discussed the issue so far,” MA Baby, the party’s politburo member told this reporter.At that time, thousands of members of the CPI(M), Naxalite movement, breakaway Congress (Organisation), Bharatiya Jana Sangh (precursor to BJP), RSS, All India Muslim League, and Jamaat-e-Islami in Kerala were jailed under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act and Defence of India Regulation Act – laws that gave sweeping powers to Indira Gandhi-led Congress government at Centre to make preventive detentions and arrests without a warrant. Scroll.in
Increasing number of Delhi children take drugs with some as young as 12 using Heroin despite living at home
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-4307024/New-research-reveals-70-000-Delhi-children-drugs.html
Children as young as nine are trapped in the vicious circle of drug abuse in Delhi, a government survey has found after studying 70,000 street kids dwelling in the shadow-world of the desperate and destitute.Experts say health and welfare programmes don't reach millions of such children in the Capital and other parts of the country because they don't have documents and are invisible to the system.Dr Mrinalini Darswal, project director of Delhi State AIDS Control Society, told Mail Today, 'This is first and a major government survey on Delhi's street children.'About 70,000 street children are in the habit of consuming drugs in any form, out of which 20,000 intake tobacco.'Alcohol consumption is prevalent among 9,450 children, inhalants in 7,910, cannabis in 5,600, heroin in 840 and pharmaceutical opioids and sedatives among 210 children each.'DailyMail
No Indian devotees at church fest amid tensions over fisherman’s killing: Sri Lanka navy
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/no-indian-devotees-at-church-fest-amid-tensions-over-fisherman-s-killing-sri-lanka-navy/story-HaankEU94RQfQHmHWYOqZM.html
Colombo:Indian pilgrims have not attended the annual festival at a famous church in Sri Lanka’s Katchatheevu island amid tensions between both countries following the killing of an Indian fisherman allegedly by the Lankan navy.The two-day event which began on Saturday was significant for the navy as it had completed building the new St Anthony’s church.PTI
India to lose presence on UN scientific panel
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-to-lose-presence-on-un-scientific-panel/article17453348.ece
New Delhi:Even as India strenuously lobbies for seats in global high tables such as the United Nations Security Council and the Nuclear Suppliers Group, it will — for the first time in two decades — not have a member in a prestigious, U.N. scientific body that decides what portions of the seabed can be exclusively mined for natural resources such as oil, precious metals and minerals.India’s current member to the 21-person body, called Commission on Legal Continental Shelf (CLCS) and part of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), told The Hindu that he was “anguished” by India’s decision not to field a candidate for the upcoming election.According to officials of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), the date to send a nomination lapsed on March 7. Multiple sources said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), which formally nominates Indian candidates, chose to nominate a person to another U.N. body, called the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS). Thehindu
Kashmir: Separatist leader under house arrest, Yasin Malik detained ahead of protest
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/kashmir-separatist-leader-under-house-arrest-yasin-malik-detained-ahead-of-protest/story-RmZWQDdjzRzDiXv2eNhCQL.html
Kashmir: Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was put under house arrest while JKLF chief Yasin Malik was detained on Sunday evening to foil a scheduled sit-in demonstration on Mond.The Valley’s joint separatist leadership -- including Mirwaiz Umar, Malik and the hardliner Hurriyat faction chief Syed Ali Geelani -- had called for a day-long sit-in demonstration against the sufferings of Kashmiri prisoners languishing in various jails.HT
Demonetisation comes full circle, all cash withdrawal limits lifted from today
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/policy/demonetisation-comes-full-circle-all-cash-withdrawal-limits-lifted-from-today/articleshow/57615941.cms
Mumbai: All limits on savings bank cash withdrawals post-demonetisation ended on Monday, as had been announced by RBI last month. In a two-stage process, the weekly withdrawal limit per account had been raised to Rs 50,000, from Rs 24,000, with effect from Feb.20, and all limits on ATM withdrawals were slated to cease from March 13.The announcement had been made by RBI Deputy Governor R. Gandhi following fiscal's last monetary policy review announcement by the central bank in Feb, when it kept its key interest rate unchanged at 6.25%, saying it awaited data on the full impact of the government's demonetisation drive. IANS
Hyderabad: Idols installed in church, masjid desecrated – miscreants attempt to disrupt peace
http://www.siasat.com/news/hyderabad-idols-installed-church-masjid-desecrated-miscreants-attempt-disrupt-peace-1149866/
Hyderabad: After BJP’s victory in UP elections, the ambitions of the miscreants seem to be rising. Within 24 hours of declaration of results of UP elections, two places of worship were targeted by miscreants. In the first instance, in a church located at Saleem Nagar Colony idols were kept. The church authorities lodged a complaint at police station, Chaderghat. They alleged that despite informing police on time, they did not take any appropriate action.In another incident, the miscreants painted the walls of Masjid near Himayath Sagar with the slogans “Jai Sri Ram”. This created panic among the resident Muslims. In this case also, the police did not take any action under the pretext of Holi arrangements. These two incidents show that certain persons are bent upon disrupting the peaceful atmosphere of Hyderabad.Siasat News
360 degree: ‘I was a kar sevak before Masjid was demolished’: Sanjay Kaw (writer went undercover to Ayodhya to report for The Statesman in 1992)
http://www.asianage.com/opinion/oped/130317/360-degree-i-was-a-kar-sevak-before-masjid-was-demolished.html
WORLD
UNICEF: 2016 was worst year yet for Syrian children as 652 children killed
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/03/unicef-2016-worst-year-syrian-children-170312125234588.html
On a winter morning in January, Majed, 13, and his friend Omar, 11, were heading to a public park near their homes in eastern Aleppo to play and ride their bikes.It was only two weeks since the December ceasefire began, and the lull in fighting allowed the two friends and many children in the neighbourhood to venture outside. On their way to the park, they spotted a "strange" metal object buried in the sand."It looked like a soda can. I stepped on it, and it exploded," Majed recalled."I was thrown in the air, but I never lost consciousness," he said. "I was worried about Omar, I didn't know how to help."People rushed to the scene to find Majed and Omar severely wounded. Shrapnel tore through Majed's face and body, causing some of his intestines to be removed. But he was lucky that his foot was not amputated. "I was so cold and in pain," he said.Majed's friend Omar did not make it to the hospital. He died inside the taxi 5 minutes after 2 men rescued them. Majed and Omar's story is told in a UNICEF report published on Monday. Despite an ongoing ceasefire, deadly incidents - such as those experienced by the boys - continue, highlighting what UNICEF said was the "highest on record" level of "grave violations against children" in Syria since the war began in 2011."Verified instances of killing, maiming and recruitment of children increased sharply last year in a drastic escalation of violence across the country," the report said.According to the report, at least 652 children were killed in the last year, making 2016 the worst year for Syria's children since verification of child casualties began in 2014.
More than 320,000 dead in 6 years of Syria war: monitor
http://www.worldbulletin.net/todays-news/186184/more-than-320000-dead-in-six-years-of-syria-war-monitor
Diplomatic feud deepens as Turkey summons Dutch envoy for third time
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/diplomatic-feud-deepens-as-turkey-summons-dutch-envoy-for-third-time/story-zUhwry0TZXGmTrvrxvhCDP.html
Ankara:Turkey on Monday summoned the Dutch charge d’affaires for the third day in a row, foreign ministry sources said, as a diplomatic feud between the NATO allies deepened.Turkey and The Netherlands have been locked in a bitter dispute after The Hague stopped Turkish government ministers from addressing rallies to win support for a new constitution that would expand President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s powers in an April 16 referendum.The sources said charge d’affaires Daan Feddo Huisinga was presented with two notes addressed to the Dutch govt in which Ankara said it expected a written apology and accused The Hague of breaching Vienna Convention on diplomacy.AFP
Brexit: Scotland's leader plans new independence vote
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/03/scotland-leader-seeks-independence-referendum-170313115510001.html
Scotland's leader on Monday said she would seek authority for a new independence referendum because Britain is dragging Scotland out of the European Union against its will.Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon demanded an independence referendum to be held in late 2018 or early 2019, once the terms of Britain's exit from the European Union have become clearer.A vote that could rip apart the United Kingdom just months before Brexit adds a tumultuous twist and highly uncertain consequences to the two-year process of leaving the EU after more than four decades. Aljazeera
Scotland to seek second independence referendum, this time over Brexit
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/scotland-to-seek-second-independence-referendum-this-time-over-brexit/article17457236.ece?homepage=true
China to expand marine corps for deployment in Gwadar
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/china/china-to-expand-marine-corps-for-deployment-in-gwadar/articleshow/57616597.cms
Beijing: China is set to increase the number of its marine corps from 20,000 to one lakh as part of plans to deploy them overseas for the first time, including at the strategic Gwadar port in Pakistan and military logistics base in Djibouti in the Indian Ocean.The expansion is planned to protect China's maritime lifelines and its growing interests overseas, Hong-Kong based South China Morning Post reported today.Some members would be stationed at ports China operates in Djibouti and Gwadar in southwest Pakistan, Chinese military insiders and experts were quoted as saying.Gwadar port is a deep-sea port next to the Strait of Hormuz, the key oil route in and out of the Persian Gulf, built with Chinese funding and operated by mainland firms.Although the port is not home to any PLA installation, navy ships are expected to dock at the facility in the near future, the report said. Gwadar also connects $46 billion China-Pak Economic Corridor (CPEC) through PoK with China's Xinjiang.PTI
China's Communist Party hardens rhetoric on Islam
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/03/china-communist-party-hardens-rhetoric-islam-170312171857797.html
China's ruling Communist Party has hardened its rhetoric on Islam, with top officials making repeated warnings about the spectre of global religious "extremism" seeping into the country, and the need to protect traditional Chinese identity.Shaerheti Ahan, a top party official in Xinjiang, on Sunday became the latest official from a predominantly Muslim region to warn political leaders gathered in Beijing that the "international anti-terror situation" is destabilising China. Officials from Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, which has an ethnic Hui population that is predominantly Muslim, warned similarly this past week about the perils of "Islamic extremism". aljazeera
Palestinian killed by Israeli police in East Jerusalem
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/03/palestinian-killed-israeli-police-east-jerusalem-170313052827605.html
A Palestinian was killed by Israeli police on Monday morning in Occupied East Jerusalem after wounding two border guards with a knife, police said.The attacker, who was a resident of Occupied East Jerusalem, entered a border guard post and wounded the two before being shot dead, according to the police.One of the guards was seriously injured, the other sustained light injuries, police added. aljazeera
Israel bars pro-boycott activist from entering country
http://aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/israel-bars-pro-boycott-activist-from-entering-country/770356
JERUSALEM:The head of a U.K.-based pro-Palestinian activist group that supports a boycott of Israel was barred from entering the country Sunday night, Israeli authorities said.Hugh Lanning, Chairman of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), was turned away at the airport a week after Israel's parliament passed a law allowing it to ban activists who call for boycotting the self-proclaimed Jewish state.The Israeli immigration authorities said in a subsequent statement that the PSC had tried to delegitimize Israel in Britain and Europe.Anadolu Agency
Iraq: 23 killed in Mosul clashes
http://aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/iraq-23-killed-in-mosul-clashes/769758
NINEVEH, Iraq:At least 23 people were killed Sunday in deadly clashes between Iraqi forces and Daesh militants in western Mosul amid an ongoing offensive to dislodge the terrorist group from the northern city, according to a local police officer. “Our forces are engaged in fierce battles against Daesh militants since morning,” Police Captain Yahya Abbas al-Talibi told Anadolu Agency. He said nine Daesh militants were killed in clashes with Iraqi forces in the city’s western part. “Three security forces were also killed, including two who were shot dead by Daesh snipers,” he added. “Our forces are resolved to advance toward the center of western Mosul,” al-Talibi said. Meanwhile, a security source said 11 civilians were killed by a suspected U.S.-led coalition airstrike in western Mosul on Sunday. Anadolu Agency
Iraq’s Parliamentary Speaker calls for historic settlement between Arab states
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20170313-iraqs-parliamentary-speaker-calls-for-historic-settlement-between-arab-states/
The Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament called on Sunday for a historic settlement between the Arab states which removes all forms of tension once and for all. Saleem Al-Jubouri made his comments during a meeting with the heads of Arab diplomatic missions working in Baghdad. The concept of a “historic settlement” should not be associated with the Iraqi crisis, he insisted, because the region as a whole needs an agreement that removes all tension. There have been calls and efforts in Iraq to achieve political reconciliation that paves the way for the post-Daesh Middle East.Sunni forces in Iraq attribute the emergence of the militant group and its seizure of many provinces in 2014 to political differences and a monopoly of power by Shia parties in Baghdad, as well as the absence of a common vision for the management of government institutions, especially those linked to security and politics. This is a charge that is denied by the government of Haider Al-Abadi. middleeastmonitor
Compiled and edited by Anwarulhaq (Released at: 8:32 PM)
