Evening NEWS DIGEST
31 Jan.2018:13 Jamadiul-1 1439:Vol:9, No:110
INDIA
SC seeks govt explanation on push back policy on Rohingyas after centre says don't want India to become refugee capital of world
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/supreme-court-seeks-Govt -explanation-on-push-back-policy-on-rohingyas/articleshow/62721802.cms
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has asked the central Govt to respond to allegations in a petition that the Rohingya Muslims trying to enter India were being forcefully pushed back to Myanmar in violation of their human rights. The allegations were levelled by activist lawyer Prashant Bhushan. Bhushan alleged that the Govt cannot push back those trying to enter the country in the face of religious protection and genocide in their home countries. Additional solicitor general Tushar Mehta protested against this line of argument saying that the Govt cannot allow the country to be flooded by refugees. "India will then become the refugee centre of the world," he said. He urged the court to defer hearing the case and leave it to the executive Govt to address the issue at diplomatic levels. The CJI put the hearing off eventually to march 7 but asked the Govt to place its stand on whether the court could examine it's push back policy and if it was against basic human rights of refugees. NHRC, through senior advocate goal subramanian, chose to stay silent on the push back policy but spoke up for protecting the basic human rights of refugees already in the country. A bench led CJI Dipak Misra is hearing a batch of petitions filed by some rohingyas against their deportation home in the face of imminent death. The bench will also hear on March 7 another petition demanding a comprehensive refugee identification and deportation mechanism. The court will also deal with another plea which challenges a Govt notification which specifically excludes Muslims from those who can apply for refugee status in the country. economictimes
Rohingya Refugees case: SC maintains Status Quo
http://www.uniindia.com/rohingya-muslim-refugees-case-sc-maintains-status-quo/india/news/1123004.html#Yrx7BsWwd8OyZt6D.99
Don't want India to become refugee capital of world, govt tells SC
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/dont-want-india-to-become-the-refugee-capital-of-the-world-govt-to-sc/article22608096.ece
Centre welcomes Hindus, Sikhs but not Muslims from other nations, Prashant Bhushan tells SC
https://www.oneindia.com/india/rohingya-centre-welcomes-hindus-sikhs-but-not-muslims-from-other-nations-prashant-bhushan-tells-sc-2631215.html
SC seeks centre’s response on Bhushan’s plea against pushing back of Rohingyas trying to enter India
http://www.livelaw.in/sc-seeks-centres-response-bhushans-plea-pushing-back-rohingyas-trying-enter-india/
India Received $63 Billion in Remittances in 2016, Half of it From 5 Muslim countries
http://caravandaily.com/portal/india-received-63-billion-in-remittances-in-2016-half-of-it-from-5-muslim-nations/
New Delhi: Remittances from Indian workforce in 5 Muslim countries accounted for more than half of the total remittances that the country received from abroad in 2016. More than $62.74 billion (USD) in remittances was sent to India from other countries in 2016 – $33.67 billion came from 5 Arab nations alone, reveals a World Bank report.With $12.57 billion, UAE topped list of 135 countries from where $10 lakh or more in remittances came to India in 2016. Other 4 Muslim nations from where big remittances came were Saudi Arabia ($10.22 billion), Kuwait ($4.17 billion), Qatar ($3.76 billion) and Oman ($2.95 billion).Of the $62.74 billion that India got in remittances from its workforce scattered in the world, $55 billion came from 10 countries including 5 Muslim countries. Other 5 were US ($10.65 billion), UK ($3.58 billion), Nepal ($2.74 billion), Canada ($2.61 billion) and Australia ($1.76 billion). Worldwide, an estimated $574 billion (USD) was sent by migrants to relatives in their home countries in 2016. caravandaily
Talaq issue: Muslim women feel offended by Prez’s remark
https://www.siasat.com/news/triple-talaq-issue-muslim-women-feel-offended-presidents-remark-1309658/
New Delhi:Muslim women have raised voice against President Ram Nath Kovind for advocating triple Talaq bill and describing Muslim women as confined. They said the remarks made by the president while delivering his maiden address to the joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament regarding Muslim women are misleading and insulting. They demanded revocation of the statement or else warned countrywide protest against it.A press conference was held here at Press Club of India by the Federation of 29voluntary bodies of women.Federation director and head of the women cell of AIMPLB, Dr Asma Jehra, Fatima Muzaffar from Chennai, Atiya Siddiqui from Delhi, Yasmeen Farooqui from Jaipur, Rajasthan, Mahjabeen Naaz from Patna, Bihar, Arifa Naser from Bangalore, Mamdooha Majid from Delhi, Nabeera Mohtasham from Bhatkal, Zakia Nafees from UP, Sadia from Jaipur attended the conference and jointly announced that Muslim women are not oppressed but the shariah has given them freedom. Hence nobody should try to interfere in our shariah.It must be noted that President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday said, “My Govt tabled a bill on Triple Talaq in Parliament and I hope it will become a law soon. After the law comes into force, Muslim daughter and sister can live a life free of fear and dignity.”siasat
AIMPLB to seek support to get triple talaq bill stalled
https://www.hindustantimes.com/lucknow/aimplb-to-seek-support-to-get-triple-talaq-bill-stalled/story-Bb8dNPkSbzGs721WdFrwfM.html
Lucknow: All India Muslim Personal Law Board has pinned its hope on getting support from some BJP allies to stall the bill on instant triple divorce in the Rajya Sabha as PM Narendra Modi pitched for its early passage in the ongoing budget session of Parliament on Monday.To drum up support for the demand raised by the Congress that the bill should be referred to the select committee of Parliament, the Board members intend to meet BJP allies Shiv Sena and Akali Dal soon.“A final decision on the strategy to be adopted to prevent the bill from getting passed in the Rajya Sabha would be taken at the forthcoming two-day session of the board in Hyderabad from Feb.10,” said board spokesperson Zafaryab Jilani.“We met ex-UP CM Akhilesh Yadav last week to convey our stand on the issue. Besides Samajwadi, AIMPLB members have also met leaders of opposition parties like AIDMK, DMK, Telugu Desam,TMC and BSP,” he said. Besides it, discussions would also be held on Babri-Masjid-Ram Janambhumi case hearing which is scheduled to commence in Supreme Court on Feb.8.A controversy had erupted when senior lawyer Kapil Sibal, representing Sunni Waqf Board in the case, made a plea in the SC to defer the hearing till Lok Sabha polls 2019. “Some members may want to know why such a statement was given,” said Jilani and added that while Sibal would continue to represent them,several other senior lawyers would also appear on behalf of the waqf board in the case. “Board had convened an emergency meeting to discuss the issue here at Nadwa College in Lucknow.But now we would apprise all our members at the annual general meeting in Hyderabad,” said he.HT
Talaq bill: Ahmedabad activists knock on SC’s door, want bill’s passage stalled
http://ahmedabadmirror.indiatimes.com/ahmedabad/others/city-activists-knock-on-scs-door-want-bills-passage-stalled/articleshow/62715497.cms
Ahmedabad:While PM Narendra Modi has appealed to political parties to help pass the bill on instant triple talaq in the budget session of the parliament, the issue is likely to get into a legal tangle yet again. Four city activists have filed a plea in the Supreme Court seeking an immediate stay on the process being taken up by the central Govt. The plea is likely to come up for hearing soon.“Our plea to the SC is that it should immediately stop the process of passage of this defective bill,” said Nishant Verma, one of the petitioners. He further said, “The criminal procedure bring induced, of arresting the accused with non-bailable clause and a penal punishment of 3 to 7 years, in the bill is illegal and has a mala fide intent of the Govt . Hence we have challenged it in the SC.” ahmedabadmirror
PM Modi pushes for passage of Triple Talaq Bill, calls it ‘New Year’s gift for Muslim women’
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/pm-modi-urges-parties-to-allow-passage-of-triple-talaq-bill-in-budget-session-5043141/
New Delhi:PM Narendra Modi urged the opposition parties to allow the passage of the Triple Talaq Bill in the Budget Session which commenced Monday. In a media address before the sitting, he appealed to the parliamentarians to prioritise the passage of the bill, which he referred to as “a New Year gift for Muslim women”. Union Budget will be presented on Feb.1.Reacting to PM Modi’s call to allow easy passage of the Triple Talaq bill during the budget session, senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge told ANI: “One day the President will address the sitting, one day Budget will be presented, on two days non-official bills will be discussed. How will things be discussed in four days? This is just an eyewash. They want to just get done with this and go for election.”indianexpress
25 years after Babri, Governor Kalyan Singh reads Gita, Quran, Bible, preaches tolerance
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/25-years-after-babri-masjid-demolition-governor-kalyan-singh-reads-the-scriptures-preaches-tolerance-5044313/
Jaipur: Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh says he has been studying scriptures of all religions, and has come to the conclusion that “there shouldn’t be intolerance”. Singh, who took over as Governor in Sept.2014, said he has been reading “Rig Veda, Bhagavad Gita, Mahabharata, Quran, Bible, Satyarth Prakash, and Guru Granth Sahib” in his spare time, and feels that “every philosophy in the world has something good to say. No religion has space for hatred.”Tolerance, along with economic democracy and social justice, were the “pran tatva (life blood) of democracy”, he added. “My thoughts may not match yours, but I will respect your thoughts,” he said.Singh said, “Even though we may not agree with someone’s thoughts, but we should have the capacity to tolerate them. We may counter their ideas with our own ideas, but there shouldn’t be intolerance.”Singh’s office said that after the Governor has finished studying the scriptures, the conclusions derived by him will be collated to “provide benefit to the society, state and nation”.Elaborating on what he had learnt from the scriptures, Singh, who just celebrated his 86th birthday, said peace could be established in the world by broadening perspective through such study, and through democracy, which “essentially” promotes tolerance. “I want to study all of them (scriptures) so that our perspective is not ekaangi (one-sided), so that we know about all (religions) and what is the philosophy of a particular school of thought,” said Singh, showing the religious texts on his table. “My words are a result of these texts.”“Before forming an opinion, it is my belief that people should undertake a broad study, and acquire the belief they consider best. In true words, peace can be established in the world, hatred can be removed and we can acquire the power to understand each other. All in all, our perspective will widen,” he said.Indian Express
Muslims should give disputed Ayodhya site to Hindus, says national minority panel chief
https://theprint.in/2018/01/31/muslims-should-give-disputed-ayodhya-site-to-hindus/
New Delhi: Muslims should be more “generous” and give the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site in Ayodhya to Hindus, the National Commission for Minorities chairperson has said, days before the Supreme Court begins its final hearing in the long-running dispute.“The Supreme Court will chart its own course, but Muslims themselves should come forward and give away the site which is so important to Hindus to them,” Syed Ghayorul Hasan Rizvi told ThePrint. “A mosque can be built anywhere. Anyway namaaz is not offered there.”Doing so would ensure harmony and reduce hatred between Hindus and Muslims, said Rizvi who has risen from the ruling BJP’s Minority Morcha.“Muslims across the country want to bury the issue, and give away (the disputed site) to Hindus,” he said. “The only thing they fear is that if they give up their claim over Ayodhya, they might be under similar pressure in Kashi and Mathura.”ThePrint
Yashwant Sinha Launches ‘Rashtra Manch’, BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha Joins
https://thewire.in/219377/yashwant-sinha-launches-rashtra-manch-bjp-mp-shatrughan-sinha-joins/
New Delhi: After months of snapping at the BJP, a disgruntled Yashwant Sinha today launched a political platform, joined by a number of politicians led by BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha.The new political platform ‘Rashtra Manch’ seeks to take the Centre on and would start a movement against its policies, former Union finance minister Yashwant Sinha said.Shatrughan Sinha said he had joined the platform because he had not been given a forum in his party for expressing his views, but added that his decision to back the front should not be seen as an anti-party activity as it was in national interest.Trinamool Congress MP Dinesh Trivedi, Congress MP Renuka Chowdhury, NCP MP Majeed Memon, AAP MP Sanjay Singh, former Gujarat CM Suresh Mehta and JD(U) leader Pavan Varma were among those who attended the event marking the launch of the front.RLD leader Jayant Chaudhary and former Union ministers Som Pal and Harmohan Dhawan were also present.Yashwant Sinha likened the present situation to that which prevailed 70 years ago when Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated, on this day and said democracy and its institutions were under attack. He claimed that the Narendra Modi Govt had reduced farmers to “the status of beggars” and accused it of presenting “made to order” statistics to suit its interests.PTI
Towards ‘love jihad’ video crackdown: SC to decide banning online circulation of clips
https://www.indiatoday.in/mail-today/story/towards-love-jihad-video-crackdown-sc-to-decide-banning-online-circulation-of-clips-1157960-2018-01-31
New Delhi: Will all online videos linked to “love jihad” be banned? The Supreme Court is set to decide. On a petition filed by senior advocate Indira Jaising, the SC has agreed to determine if a direction can be issued to the Centre and state govts to stop online circulation of videos related to the “communal myth of love jihad and communal hatred that is currently being spread through various websites and on other social media platforms”.In a chilling clip of Dec.6, 2017 that had gone viral, Rajasthan resident Shambhulal Regar hacks a Muslim youth Mohammad Afrazul to death – as the victim was allegedly in love with a Hindu woman – and burns the body while keeping up an inflammatory communal rant against “love jihad”.Jaising represents Gulbahar, the wife of the victim, a native of Malda, West Bengal.Jaising had filed the petition last Thursday but some portions of it were objectionable to the court — after which she filed an amended version on Tuesday which will soon be listed for hearing.“Pass a writ in the nature of mandamus(order it to perform a duty) directing both the central Govt and state Govt s to take immediate steps in removing or cause to be removed the video of the incident of 6th Dec.2017 which is circulating on several or other content relating to the communal myth of love jihad and communal hatred that is currently being spread through various websites and on other social media platforms; and/or such hate crimes like the reprehensible murder of the husband of petitioner,” said the petition.Gulbahar approached the top court also to demand an impartial investigation from an independent national agency which she said should also look into spreading of hate speech. “I am filing this petition against the brutal, inhuman and cold-hearted murder of my husband, Afrazul Khan, by one Shambhu Lal Raigar,” said the plea. indiatoday
Kerala: NIA books 9 on charges of forcible conversion of Gujarat woman to Islam
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/nia-books-nine-for-forcible-conversion-of-woman/article22596131.ece
New Delhi: NIA said it had registered a case against 9 people hailing from Kerala and Bengaluru for allegedly being involved in forcible conversion of a Gujarat-based woman and attempting to sell her off to IS terrorists in Saudi Arabia. A NIA spokesman said in a statement that the case was registered against following a complaint from the 25-year-old woman. She alleged that Muhammed Riyas Rasheed had lured her and taken objectionable pictures of her, besides illegally confining her. The accused married her through deceit by forging documents and “forcibly converted her to Islam.”Rasheed, according to NIA, illegally confined and threatened the woman in Kerala before taking her to Jeddah in August, 2017 for joining the IS.Besides Rasheed, Nahas Abdulkhader and Abdul Muhasin K of Kannur (Kerala); Muhammed Nazish TK of Perigadi; Danish Najeeb, Gazila, Moin Patel and Iliyas Mohammed of Bengaluru; and Fawas Jamal of Peruvaram have been named in the FIR.The case, originally registered in Ernakulam district of Kerala, was filed for criminal conspiracy and pursuant unlawful activities prejudicial to the maintenance of communal harmony besides wrongful confinement, extortion, rape, forgery and forceful religious conversion with the common intention of recruitment to IS terrorist.thehindu
Petition in Kerala HC accusing Kamala Das Suraiya biopic of promoting alleged love jihad
https://www.indiatoday.in/pti-feed/story/petition-in-hc-accusing-kamala-das-biopic-of-promoting-love-1157933-2018-01-31
Kochi: A petition was today filed in the Kerala High Court alleging that Kamal-directed Malayalam film "Aami" based on writer late Madhavikutty, was sending a message favouring love jihad. Madhavikutty had converted to Islam and took the name of Kamala Suraiya.In his petition, lawyer KP Ramachandran sought a direction to the Censor Board to ensure that the upcoming movie would be certified only after making sure that it picturised the real life of Madhavikutty."The film (Aami) was directed by omitting the real life incidents of Madhavikutty, with a view to justify love jihad?. Such a film comes to the fore in the wake of such cases (of love jihad) pending before the apex court and NIA investigating such cases," the petition said.Ramachandran argued that Kamal, director of the film, is often depicted as pro-radical faction of the Islamic society."The conversion of Madhavikutty into Islam was the beginning of love jihad in Kerala. Love jihad is the grave menace the society faces in the southern state today," he alleged. "Now the well oiled machineries are working for meeting the said end. Aami is intended to be a catalytic agent for the said process,"Ramachandran said. "Aami" is based on the autobiography of Kamala Surayya, Ente Katha (My Story). She wrote under a pseudonym Kamala Das in English. PTI
Grand mufti of Kashmir Nasir ul Islam says Muslims mistreated in India, need to demand separate country
http://www.firstpost.com/india/grand-mufti-of-kashmir-nasir-ul-islam-says-muslims-mistreated-in-india-need-to-demand-separate-country-4327257.html
The vice-chairman of J&k Muslim Personal Board and the deputy grand mufti of the state, Nasir ul Islam, has stirred a fresh controversy in the Valley by saying Muslims in India need to demand a separate country for themselves. At a press conference in Srinagar, Nasir said Muslims are being "harassed under various pretexts", a report on Greater Kashmir said."India is moving on the path of intolerance. Muslims are being harassed on the various pretexts. Sometimes they are being harassed on the pretext of 'love jihad', sometimes it is cow vigilantism or triple talaq," said Nasir. He also criticised BJP-PDP alliance in power in J&K, saying they have pushed the local population "towards destruction". Reacting to the recent firing by security forces which resulted in the death of two civilians, he said India will have to leave Kashmir some day. "India is an occupier in Kashmir. It can't fool Kashmiris anymore. It has to leave sooner or later," he said. firstpost
Watching soccer is un-Islamic: Darul Uloom cleric says women shouldn't watch 'men playing with bare knees'
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/watching-soccer-is-haram-muslim-cleric-says-women-shouldnt-watch-men-playing-with-bare-knees/articleshow/62707660.cms
Lucknow: A senior Darul Uloom cleric has issued a religious decree saying that Muslim women should not watch men playing soccer. Mufti Athar Qasmi said that watching men "playing with bare knees" violated the tenets of Islam and was forbidden for women. Qasmi is cleric at Darul Uloom, Asia's largest Muslim seminary in Deoband.The cleric also lashed out at the men who allow their wives to watch football even on TV."Do you have no shame? Do you not fear God? You let her watch these kinds of things,"he said in his sermon Friday."Why do women need to watch these football matches? What they will gain by looking at footballer's thighs. Their attention will be on that only and they will even miss the scores," he said.AP
Wazoo using water heated with stolen electricity can dull impact of namaz:Deoband clerics
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/meerut/-wazoo-using-water-heated-with-stolen-power-can-dull-impact-of-namaz/articleshow/62714891.cms
Meerut: Amid raids on power pilferers in the region, ulemas in Deoband have said wazoo (ablution before namaz) using water heated with stolen electricity can dull the impact of the prayer. It is imperative for a Muslim devotee to perform wazoo (washing of hands and feet) before offering namaz.To a query raised by a man whether it is okay to conduct wazoo with stolen power, Deoband cleric, Maulana Arshad Farooqui, said, “Wazoo is a religious act and using water heated with stolen power can dull the impact of namaz.” Currently, UPPCL teams are conducting raids on power pilferers in Saharanpur district. A power corporation official said, “The statement from the clerics will actually help us in the long run.”TOI
AP: Under fire, maulanas tender apology over Surya Namaskaram
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/under-fire-maulanas-tender-apology-to-clerics-community/article22600623.ece
Vijayawada: 2maulanas who took part in Surya Namaskaram programme of the State Govt recently have tendered an apology to the Muslim clerics and the community for violating their faith on Tuesday.Maulana Abdul Khadhir, Imam of the Shahi Masjid in One Town, and maulana Fayaaz who runs a girls madrasa in Ajith Singh Nagar, offered prayers to the Sun god along with CM N. Chandrababu Naidu and some heads of Hindu and Christian religions.However, the message given by the maulanas at the programme before a huge gathering of students did not go well with the Muslim fraternity.In a video being shared on the social media, they vowed that such an incident would not repeat.The duo explained that they were invited to the programme by the district Collector who asked them to speak about anything written about Sun in the Koran.“We mistakenly uttered the words about Sun due to confusion in translation and tender apology to the Muslim community,” they said in the video. When contacted, maulana Khadhir said that they realised the mistake after the community raised objections.“We have immediately apologised in the video and would do the same in public,” he said.Meanwhile, the religious heads are planning action against them.The Hindu
Ban nikah halala, polygamy, Muslim divorcee urges HC
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/ban-nikah-halala-and-polygamy-muslim-divorcee-urges-high-court/articleshow/62715747.cms
MUMBAI: 5 years after a Muslim woman from Nalasopara was given divorce by her husband, she approached the Bombay high court on Tuesday seeking to outlaw the practice of nikah halala and polygamy in the community. She also urged the court to set aside the triple talaq granted to her by her husband.33-year-old woman, who has requested that her name be withheld, has called bigamy, polygamy and nikah halala as the "biggest problems suffered by Muslim women in India today". Nikah halala is the practice where a Muslim divorcee has to marry another person, consummate the marriage and then get divorced to remarry her former husband. Advocate Nitin Satpute, counsel for the petitioner, said the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill 2017, introduced by the Union Govt , has failed to take note of these practices. "The Bill bans instant triple talaq and penalizes men. However, there is no mention about the equally problematic customs of polygamy and nikah halala that afflict Muslim women and is considered as legal, as per the personal law of the community," said Satpute. The petition is likely to be mentioned for hearing later this week.TOI
Bareilly DM who accused right-wing groups of fomenting communal trouble in Muslim areas, deletes FB post, apologises after being summoned
https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/bareilly-dm-who-accused-right-wing-groups-of-fomenting-communal-trouble-deletes-/307587
DM of Bareilly who accused right-wing Hindu groups of fomenting communal trouble in UP has deleted his controversial Facebook post and apologized for his remark after being summoned to Lucknow. Raghvendra Vikram Singh, who was a Short Service Commission Army officer before joining the civil services, in a Facebook post shared on Monday had asked why it has become a 'trend to forcefully enter Muslim localities and raise Anti-Pakistan slogans'.His remarks had come against the backdrop of communal clashes in Kasganj city where one died, and shops and buses torched in clashes between two communities.In his Facebook post in Hindi, he had said, “A very strange trend has started of late. Take out processions by force through Muslim dominated localities and raise anti-Pakistan slogans. Why? Are these people Pakistani? The same thing had happened in Khailam village of Bareilly. Then stones were pelted, FIRs lodged."He further said that the fringe outfits are tearing down the social fabric of the country in the name of nationalism. He also compared the Kasganj violence with the one that happened in Khailam, a Muslim dominated area, where clashes took place when members from the Hindu community carried their Kanwar yatra through the area.However, 2 days later, Singh was summoned to Lucknow, reported the Indian Express. Deputy CM Keshav Maurya said DM was speaking in the “language of politicians”. UP Govt also warned strict action against the DM.Govt spokesperson and senior minister Srikant Sharma said, “We are taking this post very seriously,” adding, “Officers should keep away from sensational remarks.”Singh has since deleted his Facebook post and apologised for hurting sentiments.Later,NDTV reported that Singh told media persons that his point was that "you need to have police permission or permission by the administration for certain things", referring to the ABVP bike rally during which the violence had broken out. Reports had suggested that the police had not given permission for the bike rally.He also posted a clarification on Facebook where he maintained that his earlier post was regarding a particular incident in Bareilly during Kanwar yatra, which had created a law and order situation. outlookindia
Bareilly DM Condemns ‘Trend’ of Entering Muslim Localities, Shouting Anti-Pak Slogans
https://thewire.in/219058/now-become-trend-enter-muslim-localities-shout-anti-pakistan-slogans-bareilly-dm/
Officers like Bareilly DM are rare today: Tauqir Raza Khan
https://www.hindustantimes.com/lucknow/officers-like-bareilly-dm-are-rare-today-says-muslim-cleric/story-eZ7nuYNEDlxJEquuxwmFNK.html
Bareilly: Muslim cleric has extended his support to DM RV Singh over Singh’s recent facebook post.“RV Singh is a true Jihadi officer. Officers with a character like him are rare these days. Everyone must support his views,” said Tauqir Raza Khan.“Anti-secular forces in the country are getting stronger each day but officers like his (DM) will never allow violence in their presence,” Tauqir said. He also said he will visit family members of Chandan Gupta in Kasganj today.HT
Deputy CM Maurya slams Bareilly DM for FB post
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/keshav-prasad-maurya-slams-bareilly-dm-for-fb-post-on-kasganj-violence/articleshow/62712529.cms
Kasganj clashes: Rahul Upadhyay, man whose rumoured death escalated riots is alive; 4 held for rumours
https://www.newsx.com/regional/kasganj-clashes-rahul-upadhyay-man-whose-rumoured-death-escalated-riots-is-alive-4-arrested-for-spreading-rumours
At least 4 people were arrested on Tuesday by UP Police for spreading rumours about the death of Rahul Upadhyay, which triggered the violence in the crisis-hit city of Kasganj in UP . The arrests were made after Rahul himself came to the fore and clarified that he is safe and sound, and nothing has happened to him. After the violence broke out in Kasganj, the rumour of Rahul’s death further aggravated the rioting public.Upon hearing the news of his death and how it had led the riots to fatal levels, Rahul Upadhyay approached media clearing air about his rumoured demise. While speaking to media, Rahul said, “One of my friends informed me about rumours on the social media about me getting killed during the Kasganj violence, but I was not present in Kasganj at the time of riots. I had gone to my village and I am absolutely fine.”Before Rahul’s comments, Inspector General Aligarh, Sanjeev Gupta on Monday said that Rahul Upadhyay is alive while confirming the arrest of 4 people who spread the fake news of his death on social media. “Contrary to rumours spread on social media, Rahul Upadhyay is alive. We have arrested four people for spreading rumours,” said Gupta.Earlier on Republic Day, riots broke out in Kasganj when Chandan Gupta lost his life during a quarrel between two communities. When the news of Rahul’s death surfaced, it took the riots to another level as three shops, two buses and a car were torched by the angry mob over the course of next 3 days. The police moved in quickly to control the violence imposing section 144 in Kasganj and arresting at least 112 people.NewsX
Kasganj violence: Muslim man's garment shop burnt down; probe launched
http://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/kasganj-violence-muslim-man-s-garment-shop-burnt-down-probe-launched-118013000119_1.html
Family of Akram attacked in Kasganj on way to meet pregnant wife just wants to move on
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bareilly/family-of-man-attacked-in-kasganj-on-way-to-meet-pregnant-wife-just-wants-to-move-on/articleshow/62700699.cms
Decoding Kasganj from ground zero: Trouble was brewing in the area, police slow to respond
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/kasganj-ground-zero-violence-was-waiting-to-happen-say-residents/story-tnLlEmK0Q4DEbKOKNozjgM.html?li_source=LI&li_medium=recommended-for-you
Kasganj: UP govt is checking if violence was pre-planned
http://www.freepressjournal.in/india/kasganj-clashes-up-Govt -is-checking-if-violence-was-pre-planned/1213005
Kasganj: Prime accused in murder of Chandan Gupta arrested, say police
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/kasganj-violence-prime-accused-in-murder-of-chandan-gupta-arrested-say-police/story-aMAol2SNW7wF22w5k9ujrK.html
Bareilly:Police arrested on Wednesday the prime accused in the murder of 23-year-old Abhishek Gupta alias Chandan during communal clashes on Republic Day in UP ’s Kasganj town. UP Police identified the accused as Saleem Javed. Police said Saleem, his two brothers – identified only by their first names Waseem and Naseem – and 17 others have been charged with murder and under other sections of IPC.HT
Kasganj Violence: Video Shows 'Hindu youths' Holding Swords, Guns Charging Towards Muslim Area
https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/kasganj-violence-video-shows-youths-holding-swords-and-guns-charging-towards-mus/307607
UP police is now probing a new video allegedly from violence-hit Kasganj that shows a group of 'Hindu youths'-- holding swords and guns-- as they march towards a Muslim dominated area. The video clip that was shot from roof of a tehsil office moments before clashes broke out in the two communities, has been doing rounds on social media, reported TOI.The group of aggressive men is seen holding guns, clubs and sticks as the move ahead in a narrow street. Another can be spotted marching on with 'Tiranga' (flag).Visuals of 22-year-old Chandan Gupta participating in the "Tiranga Yatra" is also among the clips, reported the NDTV.The police are investigating the authenticity of the video.outlookindia
UP:One shot dead, 5 injured after 2 groups clash in Amethi
https://scroll.in/latest/866997/uttar-pradesh-one-person-shot-dead-five-injured-after-two-groups-clash-in-amethi
One person was shot dead and five people were injured when two groups fired at each other in UP’s Amethi town on Tuesday. The incident occurred in Jagdishpur locality in front of the Nirikshan Bhavan, Jansatta reported.A 45-year-old man, identified as Ashfaq, was shot dead, a senior police official told Scroll.in. The police said that the attack was related to personal rivalry between Ashfaq and an unidentified person who had hired the gunmen to kill him.The gunmen, who were later caught by the residents and handed over to the police, sustained injuries when a crude bomb exploded during the fight. The police identified one of them as Amit Chaubey, a resident of the city of Chhapra in Bihar’s Saran district, but did not disclose the identity of the other accused. scroll
Gang war leaves one dead, 5 injured in Amethi
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-gang-war-leaves-one-dead-5-injured-in-rahul-gandhi-s-amethi-2579855
Meerut : Hindu Yuva Vahini men thrash Muslim youths, assault journalist
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/meerut/hindu-yuva-vahini-men-thrash-muslim-youths-assault-journalist/articleshow/62718320.cms
Meerut: Even as violence in Kasganj has kept the state on boil, another incident in Meerut flared tension after a mob of Hindu Yuva Vahini activists thrashed Muslim youths for alleged harassment of a girl on Tuesday.According to the police, mob alleged that a youth Zahid Khan was harassing a girl from other community. Khan, along with his family members, approached the family of the girl claiming that they have been framed in a case of harassment."Zahid and the girl have been friends for the past 4 years. There was some misunderstanding between the two and this was now taken up as harassment by the right-wing groups. The two families wanted to sit together and settle the matter," Zahid's elder brother Sarik Khan said.The mob led by HYV's state secretary Nagendra Tomar caught hold of four youths in Mohanpuri area and brutally thrashed them in full public view. "We caught hold of the accused and handed him over to police. Unidentified people in our group tried to rough them up," Tomar said.This was followed by HYV men assaulting a journalist covering the incident. They also snatched his mobile phone.2 HYV men, including Nagendra Tomar, were detained after the journalist complained to an official.timesofindia
Hathras tense after Dalit youth’s body found near mosque
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/meerut/-hathras-tense-after-dalit-youths-body-is-found-near-mosque/articleshow/62715111.cms
Agra: Tension prevailed in Hathras after the body of a 27-year-old Dalit youth, Amit Gautam, was found lying at the gate of a mosque in Khandari Gadhi on Tuesday morning.According to police, the body was spotted early in the morning by some passersby. The victim reportedly had head Injuries that had bled profusely. The body has been sent for a post-mortem. Additional police force was deployed in the area to avoid any untoward incident, said a senior police officer.SP, Hathras, Ghule Susheel said a case has been registered against 5 people — Mohd Alam, Saddam, Khalid, Sukail and Ashu. Saddam has been arrested.Susheel said further investigations were on. timesofindia
Mangalore VHP head justifies killing of Muslim man
http://www.newsnation.in/india-news/watch-mangalore-district-vhp-president-justifies-killing-of-muslim-man-article-191211.html
Bengaluru:A suo moto case was registered on Tuesday against the Mangalore district VHP President Jagadish Shenava for delivering a controversial speech during a book release programme held at the TV Ramana Pai Hall on Jan.28. On Jan.28, a b ook “Hadedavvana Shapa” was released at the TV Ramana Pai Hall. During the programme, Jagadish Shenava had said, “Basheer’s murder was revenge for Deepak Rao’s murder. We are not worried about Basheer’s murder. If Sharath Madival was murdered as a revenge for Ashraf’s murder why then Basheer cannot be assaulted for innocent Deepak’s murder?” Basheer, a Muslim man was attacked and killed in Mangaluru allegedly in retaliation for the murder of Deepak Rao, a Hindu man.Various organizations have demanded the arrest of Jagadish Shenava and submitted memorandums to the Deputy Commissioner. newsnation
Bhima Koregaon clashes: Judge recuses himself from hearing Hindutva leader’s anticipatory bail plea
https://scroll.in/latest/867067/bhima-koregaon-clashes-judge-recuses-himself-from-hearing-hindutva-leaders-anticipatory-bail-plea
Justice Bhushan Gavai of Bombay High Court recused himself from hearing the anticipatory bail plea of Milind Ekbote (pictured above), the leader of the Hindutva outfit Samasta Hindu Aghadi, which is accused of inciting violence in Bhima Koregaon on Jan.1.Ekbote’s lawyer will mention the matter again before another bench,ANI repeorted.Ekbote, whose anticipatory bail application was rejected by a court in Pune on Jan. 23, had approached the HC on Monday. Scroll.in
Shopian army firing: Third civilian dies of bullet injury
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/shopian-army-firing-third-civilian-dies-of-bullet-injury/story-gNoj3vyciBi7fU2ahgzRLL.html?li_source=LI&li_medium=recommended-for-you
Srinagar:A 23-year-old man, who was hit by a bullet allegedly after army soldiers fired on protesters in south Kashmir’s Shopian district last week, died at a hospital in Srinagar early on Wednesday, officials said, taking the toll in the incident to three. Rayees Ahmed Ganai of Narpora village was shifted in a critical condition with a bullet injury in the head to the SKIMS in Srinagar. Suhail Lone and Javid Bhat, both in their 20s, were killed on Saturday.hindustantimes
Villagers allege army fired first on Shopian protesters, political tussle brews
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/villagers-allege-army-fired-first-on-shopian-protesters-political-tussle-brews/story-Gv8TMoCct3eDxFmO0dh63L.html
Terror funding case: Delhi court dismisses bail plea of Kashmiri separatist leader Shabir Shah
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/terror-funding-case-delhi-court-dismisses-bail-plea-of-kashmiri-separatist-leader-shabir-shah-5046285/
New Delhi: Delhi’s Patiala House court dismissed the bail plea of Kashmiri separatist leader Shabir Shah in an alleged money laundering case related to terror funding. ED is probing a case of terror funding against Shah based on a case first registered by Delhi Police’s Special Cell after arrest of an alleged hawala dealer named Aslam Wani, who reportedly claimed that he passed on Rs 2.25 crore to Shah. indianexpress
Kerala: 2,000 self-help groups embrace Islamic banking model to offer interest-free loans: newindianexpress
http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2018/jan/30/2000-self-help-groups-embrace-islamic-banking-model-to-offer-interest-free-loans-1765338.html
Kozhikode: Islamic banks are yet to gain traction in Kerala, but nearly 2,000 self-help groups (SHGs) in eight districts have been operating on the lines of Islamic banking under Sharia norms, offering interest-free loans to its members.According to Interest Free Associations’ Coordination Committee (INFACC), a society working to bring all SHGs under one roof for promoting zero-interest microfinance, more than 40,000 members have been benefiting from the scheme, which is aimed at helping people escape from the clutches of the blade mafia and loan sharks.“We can truly say that this is a successful model of Islamic banking at micro level, promoting zero-interest microfinance. Though we launched the project to promote the microfinance model in 2012, it was only in the last two years that we could penetrate at the grassroot level and bring SHGs from Kasargod, Kannur, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Wayanad, Thrissur, Ernakulam and Alappuzha under one roof to coordinate their activities. In due course, we will expand our operations to other districts of Kerala,” said INFACC chairman TK Hussein. Each SHG has 20 members or more and the working capital is raised from the money that they contribute.“Once a sufficient fund is raised, a member can avail a loan after finalising a repayment period. The model has become successful as the people can rely on their SHG for money in case of an emergency and that too without any hassle. As the SHGs are managed by people of their respective localities, they know the economic background of each member and their repayment capacity.Loans are sanctioned only by a committee after analysing the merit of each application,” Hussein added.As per a study, there has been a big spike in the number of institutions offering interest-free loans since 1990. Between 1970 and 2010, Malappuram registered the highest number of such institutions with 165, followed by Kozhikode(72) and Ernakulam(32), study shows.
Give info on Haj applicants in 65-70 age group who never got chance: Supreme Court to Centre
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/give-info-on-haj-applicants-in-65-70-age-group-who-never-got-chance-supreme-court-to-centre-5045503/
New Delhi: Supreme Court has asked the Centre to furnish details of Haj applicants aged between 65 and 70 years who have not been able to go for the pilgrimage despite applying four times. The direction came on a plea by the Kerala Haj Committee seeking an all-India draw of lots to decide the Haj quota. A bench of CJI Dipak Misra and Justices AM Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud asked the Centre to file its response by Feb.19. The top court clarified that it was only an ad-interim measure. “Purely as an ad-interim measure, it is directed that Pinky Anand, Additional Solicitor General, shall file a statement with regard to the fifth time applicants, who have crossed the age of 65 years and are below 70 years and have never been able to go for the pilgrimage,” the bench ordered.Appearing for the petitioner, advocate Harris Beeran said under the previous Haj policy, those who had not succeeded despite applying four times were automatically considered eligible the fifth time. But this had been dropped, he said. indian express
After indictment by in-house probe, Allahabad HC judge Narayan Shukla goes on leave
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/medical-council-of-india-case-supreme-court-allahabad-hc-judge-narayan-shukla-impeachment-goes-on-leave-5045563/
New Delhi : All judicial work has been withdrawn from Justice Shri Narayan Shukla of the Allahabad High Court following his indictment by an in-house inquiry committee that probed allegations against the judge in the Medical Council of India (MCI) case. Justice Shukla has proceeded on 90 days leave which was sanctioned by the Governor of UP over the weekend. His leave application followed the CJI’s move on the report of the in-house inquiry committee, which contained adverse remarks against the judge for alleged “judicial impropriety” in his judgments in the GCRG Institute of Medical Sciences case.This was different from the criminal case of Prasad Education Trust in which CBI had filed an FIR and the CJI had denied CBI the permission to include Justice Shukla’s name in the FIR. But as the two cases involve the same judge and are related under the Medical Council of India (MCI) ban order, the CBI is keen on renewing its application seeking CJI’s permission to file an FIR against Justice Shukla.indianexpress
Reply to contempt plea on cow vigilantism, SC tells UP, Rajasthan, Haryana
http://twocircles.net/2018jan29/420380.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Twocirclesnet-IndianMuslim+%28TwoCircles.net+-+Indian+Muslim+News%29
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has sought responses from the Chief Secretaries of UP, Rajasthan, and Haryana on a contempt plea filed by Tushar Gandhi, great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, for their failure to curb violence by cow vigilantes in violation of top court’s orders. A bench of CJI Dipak Misra, Justice AM Khanwilkar, and Justice DY Chandrachud issued the notice on Tushar Gandhi’s plea that instead of putting down activities of cow vigilante groups, there was a multi-fold increase in their attacks.IANS
SC seeks Maharashtra’s response on Malegaon blast accused Colonel Purohit’s plea
http://twocircles.net/2018jan29/420368.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Twocirclesnet-IndianMuslim+%28TwoCircles.net+-+Indian+Muslim+News%29
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has sought the Maharashtra govt’s response on a plea by Malegaon bomb blast accused Lt. Col. Prasad Shrikant Purohit.In the plea, Purohit challenged the proceedings against him under UAPA by NIA Court in the absence of valid sanction from the competent authority.IANS
Godhra Train Burning: Accused Held After 16 Years
http://www.news18.com/news/india/godhra-train-burning-accused-held-after-16-years-1646227.html
Ahmedabad: On the run for the last 16 years, an accused in the 2002 Godhra train carnage was on Tuesday arrested by Gujarat Police, an official said.Yakub Pataliya (63) was arrested from Godhra by a team of B Division police in the town after they received a tip-off that he was spotted in a locality on Tuesday morning, the official said.Pataliya's brother, Kadir Pataliya, was also arrested in 2015, and he died while being in jail while undergoing trial.His other brother, Ayub Pataliya, is serving life imprisonment in Vadodara Central Jail.In a judgement passed in Oct.2017, the Gujarat High Court had commuted the death sentence of 11 to life imprisonment, while upholding the life sentence of 20 other convicts.A trial court had convicted 31 and acquitted 63 accused. The HC had upheld the acquittals.PTI
UP India’s most polluted state: Greenpeace report
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/uttar-pradesh-india-s-most-polluted-state-greenpeace-report/story-LImyc14fG0CAftggJeVXzI.html
Lucknow:With 15 of its cities among 30 cities with highest levels of toxic air in the country, UP is India’s most polluted state, says a Greenpeace India report. Report - Airpocalypse II - is based on air pollution related data collected from Central and State Pollution Control Boards’ and Committees’ annual reports and their websites and through applications under RTI wherever data was unavailable or gaps existed in the available data.The report brought out the list of most polluted cities in the country based on particulate matter data of PM10 levels for 280 cities during 2016 and in some cases also 2015, covering large parts of the country.PM Narendra Modi’s constituency Varanasi turned out to be the worst polluted city of UP. Countrywide, it came sixth, a rung above than Ghaziabad. New Delhi topped list while Lucknow was 18th among the 30 most polluted cities and towns of the country.Other towns and cities in UP on the list are Hapur, Bareilly, Firozabad, Kanpur, Agra, NOIDA, Allahabad, and Mathura where PM10 levels were way above permissible limits.The report reveals that none of the 280 cities with 630 million people comply with the PM10 levels in the air as fixed by WHO at 20.Among some of the most polluted cities are Varanasi (PM10 level at 236), Ghaziabad (236), Hapur (235), Bareilly (226), Firozabad (223), Kanpur (217), Lucknow (211), Agra (197), NOIDA (195), Moradabad (192), Allahabad (191) and Gajraula (172).HT
‘I wonder who they voted for’: Indians facing identity crisis in US under Trump
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/i-wonder-who-they-voted-for-indians-facing-identity-crisis-in-us-under-trump/story-YM3yGRow8pNazHwDLYyx6K.html
Mumbai:A college student has shaved off his beard. A techie with a work visa is afraid he’ll never get another job. A young woman says she will never see Republicans the same way.It’s a confusing time for Indians in America. And while there is support within their neighbourhoods, and often outrage against the ‘tell them to go home’ attitudes surfacing in pockets of the country, the sense of being different, of standing out from the crowd, has become heightened since the start of the Trump administration.Take Sushovan Sircar, a student at Georgetown University in Washington DC. He used to sport a luxuriant beard that completed his hipster look. Last month, the 28-year-old student of cybersecurity policy decided to shave.“I have become acutely aware of my skin colour in the last few months, after the rise of alleged hate crimes against Indians and Indians mistaken for ‘Arabs’,” he says. “The last two months have seen three violent attacks against people of Indian origin in Kansas city, Kent and South Carolina, which resulted in two deaths. I didn’t want to stand out any more than I already do, and my family back home has been worried too. So I shaved off my beard, and the absurdity of this fear is saddening,”he adds.Development professional Apala Guhathakurta, 24, describes New York as a “safe bubble”.At work, she says she and her colleagues watched in distress as Hillary Clinton lost to Donald Trump, who had run a campaign built largely on anti-immigrant, anti-outsourcing rhetoric."After results, our entire organisation mourned,” says Guhathakurta, who works in the field of public health, with a special focus on women and girls. “We already had indications of how our work would be affected. We also mourned for the pure misogynistic, nationalistic, and manipulative way he won the election.”HT
Forces trying to divert our attention from real issues, but we aren't fools, says Prakash Raj as hundreds come together to promote harmony in Mysuru
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/forces-trying-to-divert-our-attention-from-real-issues-but-we-aren-t-fools-says-prakash-raj-in-karnataka-s-mysuru-1157950-2018-01-31
Bengaluru:Indians won't be fooled by forces trying to divert their attention from real issues, actor Prakash Raj said Tuesday at a Mysuru event where citizens formed a human chain to promote peace and communal harmony. The "human chain for harmony," to which Prakash Raj invited his Twitter followers, was organised on Martyr's Day, the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.The veteran artiste said the event was "a warning bell to those inciting violence in the name of religion, caste and language."The organisers of the Karnataka for Harmony event said it was all about forging human solidarity and transcending party affiliations. indiatoday
Hundreds come together to promote harmony in State
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/hundreds-come-together-to-promote-harmony-in-state/article22598763.ece
WORLD
Saudis say $107bn recovered from graft, 56 still held
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/656725/saudi-Govt -says-its-seizing.html
Riyadh:Saudi Arabia's attorney general said on Tuesday $107 billion has been recovered so far in a major crackdown on high-level corruption and that 56 suspects were still being investigated. Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb said he has completed inquiries into 381 high-profile corruption suspects and decided to keep 56 in custody and free the rest.Those released include individuals proven not guilty but also others who had agreed financial settlements with the Govt after admitting corruption charges, he said.Total settlements with the suspects had topped 400 billion riyals in various forms of assets handed over that included property, securities and cash.AFP
11 countries speed up funding for Palestinians after US cuts
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/11-countries-speed-up-funding-for-palestinians-after-us-cuts/articleshow/62713810.cms
Geneva: The head of UN agency for Palestinian refugees said Tuesday that Russia, Kuwait and nine European countries have agreed to speed up their contributions to help fill a shortfall left by the Trump administration's decision to greatly reduce crucial US funding.Commissioner General Pierre Krahenbuhl of the UN Relief and Works Agency also said it has received no specifics about reforms sought by the United States, suggesting politics- notably surrounding US decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital- were at play.AP
Israel to ask international donors to fund $1bn plan for Gaza
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180131-israel-to-ask-international-donors-to-fund-1bn-plan-for-gaza/
Israel will ask international donors to fund a $1 billion plan for the occupied Gaza Strip, intended to alleviate the territory’s humanitarian crisis, reports Haaretz.Israeli officials will put forward the proposal today at an emergency meeting of donor states in Brussels.According to Haaretz, “plan’s centrepiece will be Israeli assistance in building infrastructure projects, including desalination plants, electricity lines and a gas pipeline, as well as upgrading the Erez industrial park on the Israeli-Gazan border.”The occupied Gaza Strip has been under a crippling Israeli blockade for more than a decade, restrictions denounced by international rights and aids groups as collective punishments.middleeastmonitor
Poll: Majority of Israelis back deportation of African migrants: middleeastmonitor
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180131-poll-majority-of-israelis-back-deportation-of-african-migrants/
A majority of Israelis back the planned deportation of non-Jewish African migrants, according to a new poll conducted by Israel Hayom and New Wave Research.As reported by Arutz Sheva, 58% of Israelis polled agreed that Israel needs to deport Eritrean and Sudanese migrants, compared to 23% who disagreed.The poll also found that 51 % of respondents believed the migrants to be “job seekers”, while 37% believed them to be asylum seekers.Meanwhile, 59 % of Israelis do not believe that Israel has a “moral obligation” towards non-Jewish African migrants, compared to 24 % who believe Israel does.
Israeli army shoots dead Palestinian teen in West Bank
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/01/israeli-army-shoots-dead-palestinian-teen-west-bank-180130184741444.html
Israeli forces have shot dead a Palestinian teenager in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian Ministry of Health has confirmed. Layth Abu Naim, 16, was shot in the head with live ammunition during a confrontation with the Israeli army in the village of al-Mughayir, northeast of the occupied West Bank town of Ramallah. According to local media, Abu Naim - a high school student-was shot at point-blank range.The confrontations reportedly erupted after Israeli forces raided the village. aljazeera
Egyptian opposition calls for boycott of 'absurd' poll
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/01/egyptian-opposition-calls-boycott-absurd-poll-180131064805978.html
A coalition of Egyptian opposition groups have called for an election boycott, calling the vote an "absurdity bordering on madness" after all serious candidates were either arrested or subjected to a campaign of intimidation.In a joint statement, eight Egyptian opposition parties and 150 pro-democracy public figures urged Egyptians to stay away from the March polls in protest, accusing the Govt of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of preventing "any fair competition"."It is not right for us to surrender to what has become an absurdity bordering on madness," said Abdel-Geleel Mustafa, a veteran opposition figure, at a news conference in Cairo.Hamdeen Sabahi, Sisi's only rival in the 2014 presidential elections, launched the campaign under the slogan, "Stay at home."Aljazeera
Indonesian Muslim flight attendants told to wear headscarves
http://www.theweek.in/news/world/indonesia-conservative-aceh-orders-headscarves-muslim-flight-attendants.html
Banda Aceh:Authorities in the Indonesian province of Aceh have ordered Muslim flight attendants to wear headscarves when flying into the ultra-conservative Islamic region, officials confirmed on Wednesday. Aceh is the only province in the predominantly Muslim country to implement Islamic law. Muslims elsewhere practice a moderate form of the religion, leaving women free to choose whether to cover their heads.The regional Govt , allowed greater autonomy under a 2001 peace deal with the central Govt , sent a letter to national carrier Garuda Indonesia and budget carriers, such as Malaysia’s AirAsia and Firefly.“All female stewardesses must wear a ‘jilbab’ (headscarf) Muslim fashion in accordance with the rules of sharia,” the authorities said in the letter.Non-Muslim flights attendants were not required to wear headscarves, but Muslim staff would be asked to wear them on flights in and out of Aceh, said Mawardi Ali, chief of the Aceh Besar region where the airport is located.Reuters
Malaysia’s Top Court Favours Hindu Woman, Voids Conversion of Kids to Islam by Ex-Husband
http://www.news18.com/news/world/malaysias-top-court-favours-hindu-woman-voids-unilateral-conversion-of-kids-by-ex-husband-1645121.html
Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia's top court said in a landmark decision that both parents must consent to the religious conversion of a minor, ruling unanimously in favor of a Hindu woman whose ex-husband converted their 3 children to Islam without telling her.The ruling ended a nine-year legal battle for M. Indira Gandhi, whose former husband became a Muslim and converted their 3 children in 2009. He also snatched one of the children, then 11 months old, from the family home.She won custody of the three children and challenged their conversions in civil courts in Malaysia's dual-court system. A lower court annulled them, but the Court of Appeal overturned the ruling, saying civil courts had no jurisdiction over Islamic conversions. The ruling was appealed to the nation's highest court.AP
We are Hindu, Indira’s children declare confidently after Muslim conversion quashed
http://m.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/we-are-hindu-indiras-children-declare-confidently-after-muslim-conversion-q
US lifts ban on refugees from North Korea and 10 Muslim countries
http://www.freepressjournal.in/world/us-lifts-ban-on-refugees-from-11-high-risk-nations/1212665
Washington: US has lifted a ban on admissions to refugees from 11 countries whose applicants it designated “high-risk” and announced tougher vetting measures to weed out potential extremists and criminals.Trump administration refused to identify 11 ‘high-risk’ nations, citing “law enforcement sensitivities”. But officials with knowledge of the list said the countries included Egypt, Iran, Libya, South Sudan, Yemen, Sudan, Iraq, Mali, North Korea, Somalia and Syria.All but North Korea and South Sudan are Muslim majority.freepressjournal
6.1 magnitude quake rattles Afghanistan; girl killed in Pakistan's Quetta town
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/earthquake-strikes-afghanistan-tremors-felt-in-delhi/article22608044.ece?homepage=true
A 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck northern Afghanistan on Wednesday and tremors were felt as far India and Pakistan, where one girl was killed and 11 people were injured.The quake hit at 12:37 IST near Afghanistan’s northern border with Tajikistan in the Hindu Kush mountains at a depth of 191 km, the US Geological Survey said.PTI
Syria opposition rejects Sochi constitution plan
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/01/syria-opposition-rejects-sochi-constitution-plan-180130193416723.html
Participants of a Russia-hosted conference for peace in Syria have agreed to set up a commission to rewrite the war-torn country's constitution. Staffan de Mistura, UN Special Envoy for Syria, said on Tuesday that delegates at the two-day conference at the Black Sea resort of Sochi, agreed to include both Govt and opposition officials in the 150-member committee. De Mistura said the final agreement on the committee would be reached in the UN-led diplomatic process in Geneva based on UN Security Council Resolution 2254 - which serves as a framework for political transition in Syria.But the fate of President Bashar al-Assad, a key sticking point that has repeatedly caused ongoing negotiations to fail, was not mentioned in the final statement.Syria's major opposition groups, who boycotted the event, rejected proposal. aljazeera
UN appeals for emergency funds for Palestine, Syria
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/01/appeals-emergency-funds-palestine-syria-180131072406501.html
UN has launched an urgent financial appeal for its emergency programmes in Syria and the occupied Palestinian territories. UN's Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said on Tuesday it needs $800m to provide life-saving aid including food, water, shelter and medical assistance.Pierre Krahenbuhl, UNRWA's commissioner-general, said the funds were needed to enable the agency to "continue delivering desperately needed relief to those affected by deepening emergency situations". "However, the agency's critical financial crisis following the reduction in the US funds threatens our ability to deliver these vital services," he said.aljazeera
FLASH: VIEWS & NEWS
Ground report: Despite peace meet in riot-hit Kasganj, Muslim residents say they feel like targets:Abhishek Dey
https://scroll.in/article/866746/ground-report-despite-peace-meet-in-riot-hit-kasganj-muslim-residents-say-they-feel-like-targets
Tiranga of Hindutva Bikers in Kasganj is Not Mine:Apoorvanand
https://thewire.in/219052/tiranga-hindutva-bikers-kasganj-not-mine/
Compiled and edited by Anwarulhaq (Released at: 7:00 PM)
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