.باسمہٖ تعالیٰ
Evening NEWS DIGEST
31 March 2018:11 Rajjab 1439:Vol:9, No:154
INDIA
BENGAL VIOLENCE: TOLL MOUNTS TO 5, BABUL SUPRIO BOOKED FOR VIOLATING PROHIBITORY ORDERS
http://caravandaily.com/portal/asansol-violence-toll-mounts-to-5-babul-suprio-booked-for-violating-prohibitory-orders/
ASANSOL:2 FIRs have been filed by the West Bengal Police against Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Union minister Babul Supriyo for violating prohibitory orders in violence-hit Asansol.On Thursday, two fresh deaths were reported from the town, taking the toll to five, as administration officials continued to struggle to restore peace in the trouble zones. Communal violence broke out in Ranigang area of Asansol during Ram Navami celebrations four days ago.The two persons killed on Thursday have been identified as Sibtullah, 17, and Pratima Devi, 45. While three deaths were reported from West Burdwan, one each from Purulia and North 24-Parganas. The Asansol town on Thursday wore a deserted look immediately after the news of 2 deaths were reported. Special commandos conducted a route march in the trouble areas.Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who was in Delhi, cut short her visit and rushed back to the state. She headed to the Secretariat directly from the airport and held an emergency meeting of the senior officials.CM also holds the Home portfolio.LN Meena, Commissioner of Asansol-Durgapur Police, said that citing security reasons, police had stopped the car of Union Minister Babul Supriyo when he tried to enter the Railpar area in the district on Thursday afternoon. But the minister indulged in a scuffle with the cops, saying it was his duty to meet people of his constituency. Supriyo represents Asansol constituency in the Lok Sabha. A group of people also raised slogans against him, demanding he should go back, leading to an angry outburst by the minister.caravandaily
Four Indians killed in communal clashes at Hindu festival
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/03/indians-killed-communal-clashes-hindu-festival-180330122720303.html
My son has lived his life, do not bring sorrow to other homes:Imam Who Saved Not Just Asansol, But Perhaps India From Burning
http://www.thecitizen.in/index.php/en/NewsDetail/index/2/13412/The-Imam-Who-Saved-Not-Just-Asansol-But-Perhaps-India-From-Burning
NEW DELHI/ASANSOL: Imam Imadadul Rashidi’s voice was matter of fact when contacted by The Citizen, as if what he had done was what any one would do. Asansol was in the grip of violence threatened by a tornado as the Muslims started gathering to retaliate against the violence triggered by Ram Navami processions. Why? Because the Imam’s 16 year old son had been brutally beaten to death by a communal mob, and the news of the incident had spread like wildfire across the town.The crowds gathered, with now the police and the state government aware of their own helplessness, when the Imam addressed a congregation of thousands at the funeral prayers of his son Sibtullah Rashidi who had just appeared for teh Class X Board examinations. With his son’s body lying before him, the Imam pleaded for peace in a short address that had the entire crowd in tears, with all then dispersing for their respective homes.As he told The Citizen this morning, all he said was, “my child has lived the life that Allah ordained for him. Now please ensure that no one else’s child is killed, that there is peace and amity. If you love him, and me, do not turn to violence, but keep peace.”Asked how difficult a statement this was Imam Rashidi said quietly, “ no it was not, it was clear to me that my child had died, there was nothing we could do about that, and it was thus my duty to ensure no other child died, no house was torched, no family bereaved.” He said he was responding to the anger in “my” Asansol, where people were bent on taking revenge. “I knew I had to stop this, I knew this was necessary for harmony in my shahr (town) and in my country” he said.“I knew my child has lived the life Allah had marked for him, I pleaded with the people not to kill anyone else’s child, “ he said. The Imam made it clear to the congregation that “if you do not listen to me I will leave Asansol and go away.” He said he was firm about that, as he could not bear the thought of more violence and bloodshed.The Imam said that he told the people exactly what he believed. “Islam is a religion of peace and amity, it does not preach violence and revenge,” he said. Asked what he would like to convey to the country where communal harmony is currently under stress, he said, “ I would only say please do all you can to ensure there is peace and unity. And no one is able to break that.”Local Asansol Councillor Nasim Ansari said that he had attended the prayers like everyone else. There was not a dry eye after the Imam spoke for “maybe just seven or eight minutes”. He said they could see the anger being replaced by deep sorrow as the congregation dispersed and all made their way peacefully home.Ansari told The Citizen that the Imam spoke in measured tones but from the heart. His words “tore through the anger” and diffused it. He said that there was deep worry across the administration and the state as the Muslims reacted to the brutal death of young Rashidi, and a realisation that the storm if it burst would not be controlled easily. The Chief Minister had replaced police officers in the district, bringing back those who enjoyed a better rapport with the people at large. Even so the murder of the Imam’s teenage son seemed to be a turning point, with the Muslims after four long years, prepared to face the consequences of retaliatory violence.
Extradite Zakir Naik, India tells Malaysia
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/extradite-zakir-naik-india-tells-malaysia/articleshow/63551541.cms
NEW DELHI:Indian government has sought extradition of Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, accused of inciting youth to take up jihad, from Malyasia. The external affairs ministry has sent a request for Naik's extradition to the Malaysian authorities after the NIA completed all formalities including collection of evidence, filing of charge-sheet, sources told TOI.A court in Kuala Lumpur is likely to hear India’s request.The development comes at a time when Malaysia, where Naik has taken refuge, has already said it is ready to extradite him. Malaysian deputy PM Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had said in Nov.2017 that Naik will be extradited if a request is sent by the Indian government under the mutual legal assistance treaty.A source said that CDs and DVDs of his speeches spreading hatred will be shared with prosecutors when the extradition case comes up for hearing in Malaysia. “There is strong evidence against Naik that he was using his NGO Islamic Research Foundation and company Harmony Media Pvt Ltd for anti-national activities,” said an official requesting anonymity.timesofindia
Halala not Islamic, polygamy not compulsion:AIMPLB
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/halala-not-islamic-polygamy-not-compulsion/articleshow/63544549.cms
LUCKNOW:“There is no such thing as Nikah-e-Halala in Islam and polygamy is a provision in Islamic Shariah, not a compulsion for men to follow,” All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has clarified.This comes after the Supreme Court recently decided to examine the validity of polygamy and certain forms of Nikah followed within the Muslim community. The board has also urged the Central government to present the clarity in the SC on the two subjects in the context of personal law as a right provided to all under the Indian constitution.AIMPLB general secretary and spokesperson, Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani, while clearing the Islamic stand on the two subjects, also said that board would legally defend personal law in court, as it has been doing in the issue of allowed forms of divorces in Islam. He also said that the writ petitions filed in SC to look at the two subjects are highly misleading intrusions in personal law which is “unacceptable to Muslims”.“Nikah-e-Halala has no existence in Islam, nor does Shariah even mention any form of Nikah done on that concept or in that name,” said Maulana Rahmani in a press statement. He also added: “After divorce, Nikah ends and the man and woman become illegitimate for one another. If then the wife marries another man, and under some reasons, the second marriage also gets dissolved, she can remarry the former husband and become legitimate for one another again. All this is co-incidental and cannot be done, nor is done, under any intention, which some sections of media are portraying.”Maulana Rahmani also clarified that it is a misconception that polygamy is a compulsory notion in Islam. “It is only a provision. It so happens that the rate of death in men is more, so to safeguard the woman morally and support her, more than one marriages can be done. But not as compulsion.” He said if needed, AIMPLB will do court interventions and defend the issue legally.
CBSE PAPERS WERE LEAKED FROM PATNA, ABVP LEADER ARRESTED
http://caravandaily.com/portal/cbse-papers-were-leaked-from-patna-abvp-leader-arrested/
PATNA: The question paper of CBSE for Mathematics (Class X) was leaked from Patna and 12 people arrested from Bihar and Jharkhand in this connection include a Jharkhand leader of ABVP, the student wing of BJP-RSS combine. This information was revealed by Akhilesh B Variar, Superintendent of Police, Chatra district (Jharkhand) in a press conference on Saturday.The question paper of Economics (Class XII) was also leaked. The exams were held on 28th March and after reports about the leak, the CBSE has since cancelled the two papers.Addressing a press conference, the SP said that the leaked question paper had reached Chatra from Patna through Whatsapp. Twelve people have been arrested in this connection. They include a leader of ABVP who is also owner of a coaching centre in Chatra. The arrested persons include 9 minor students who have been sent to a remand home in Hazaribagh.ABVP leader has been identified as Satish Pandey who is Chatra district coordinator of the saffron outfit and owner of a local study centre ‘Study Vision’. District Police chief Akhilesh B Variar said it was Pandey who took money from students for the leaked questions. He had sent the 28th March question paper to students through Whatsapp on 27th March itself.The SP also said that Pandey had helped in sneaking in solved questions in a prestigious school where CBSE exam was being conducted on 28th March. This resulted in cheating in the exam hall at the school.caravandaily
Days After Suing Media Houses For Linking Najeeb With ISIS, Family Gets Shocker From CBI
http://caravandaily.com/portal/days-after-suing-media-houses-for-linking-najeeb-with-isis-family-gets-shocker-from-cbi/
NEW DELHI/BADAUN — Just couple of days after suing some media houses for linking their son with terrorist group ISIS, the family of missing JNU student Najeeb Ahmad has got an unexpected shocker from theCBI, the federal agency that is probing the post-graduate student’s mysterious disappearance from the university hostel one and half years ago.On Thursday night, Najeeb’s younger brother got two pictures on his Whatsapp number from CBI’s Investigating Officer and then his mother got a call from the same officer asking her to identify if the youth in the pictures was her son Najeeb. The pictures were actually screenshots – one from Times Now TV channel’s news dated 20th September 2017, and another from a facebook post of one Rajeev Sharma. Both carried image of a bearded youth identified as Najeeb from Kerala. Times Now’s screenshot clearly read: “Kerala’s Najeeb declares his love for the caliphate | ‘Hear broken’ mother puts India first”.The other screenshot was from Facebook status of a person named Rajeev Sharma who used a politically biased language in the post along with the photo. ““Pehchano isey, arey ye apna Najeeb JNU wala Najeeb !!! Azadi gang ka Najeeb Congress ka dulara, JNU ka honhaar chatra!!! JNU sey direct placement hua hai ISIS mein!!! Syria sey Rahul aur Kejriwal ko Salaam bheja hai” (Recognize this! this is our JNU wala Najeeb!!! Najeeb of Azadi gang, Dude of Congress, Brilliant student of JNU!!! He has got direct placement in ISIS from JNU!!! He has sent Salaam to Rahul and Kejriwal)Interestingly, the profile of Rajeev Sharma seems to have been deleted now.Caravan Daily
COMMUNAL VIOLENCE ERUPTS IN RAJASTHAN TOWN
http://caravandaily.com/portal/communal-violence-erupts-in-rajasthan-town/
JAIPUR: While the states of West Bengal and Bihar are yet to overcome the communal violence erupted during the Ram Navami procession there last week, communal clashes have now erupted during the Hanuman Jayanti procession in the Pali district of Rajasthan on Saturday.The district administration has banned gathering of people, communal sloganeering and display of weapons.Images and videos coming from the Jaitaran town show smokes billowing out of residential areas and roads. Besides, some vehicles have been torched on the road.The procession was passing through the Jaitaran town when the clashes erupted, leading to violence.“During the Shobha Yatra of Hanuman Jayanti, law and order situation was created. There is high tension in the area. It is necessary to ensure law and order and communal harmony,” said District Magistrate Sudhir Kumar Sharma.caravandaily
Aurangabad Clash: BJP Worker Flees Away From Police Custody
https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/aurangabad-communal-clash-bjp-worker-flee-away-from-police-custody/310207
BJP worker Anil Singh, who was arrested in connection with the recent communal clash in Bihar's Aurangabad, has escaped from the police custody.Singh, who was one of the central figures among the 148 persons booked in the matter fled away on Thursday.A clash broke out between two communities during Rama Navami celebrations on March 25.The situation became tense in the evening when rioters set ablaze more than 20 shops and pelted stones at those participating in the Rama Navami procession through Nawadih Colony.As per reports, nearly 50 shops were torched by rioters, while nearly 60 persons, including 20 policemen were injured due to stone pelting by miscreants.The situation further intensified on Monday, which thereby led to a curfew being imposed in the vicinity, ANI reported.
Bhagalpur clashes: Court rejects bail plea of Union minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey's son
https://scroll.in/latest/874014/bhagalpur-clashes-court-rejects-bail-plea-of-union-minister-ashwini-kumar-choubey-s-son
A court in Bihar’s Bhagalpur district on Saturday rejected the anticipatory bail petition of Union minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey’s son in connection with communal clashes in the district, PTI reported.A case against Arijit Shashwat was filed on March 19, and a Bhagalpur court had issued an arrest warrant against him five days later, but he has not been arrested yet. He had moved an anticipatory bail plea on March 27.“The court pronounced a one-line order that Arijit Shashwat’s anticipatory bail petition is rejected and fixed a date for pronouncing order for 8 other accused persons’ bail plea,” Shashwat’s advocate Viresh Kumar Mishra told PTI.scroll.in
Tejashwi Yadav links communal riots to Mohan Bhagwat's 14-day Bihar trip
http://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/bihar-communal-clahses-over-idol-vadalism-in-nawada-lalu-prasad-attacks-nitish-kumar-top-10-developments-118033000411_1.html
New Delhi:Normalcy was restored in Bihar on Friday after communal clashes erupted in the state on Thursday night between two religious communities over the vandalism of a Hanuman idol in Nawada. Heavy security has been deployed in the state after the police fired ten rounds of bullets in the air.“It was a matter of an idol being vandalised by some miscreants, which led to the communities coming face-to-face; situation is now under control,” said the Nawada District Magistrate Kaushal Kumar.Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) commandos of Bihar Police also conducted a flag march today in Nawada to restore normalcy, according to media reports.Some youths targeted the media, by damaging cameras and microphones of some media persons.business-standard
Fresh communal flare-up in Bihar, rioters go on rampage in Nawada
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/fresh-communal-flare-up-in-bihar-rioters-go-on-rampage-in-nawada-1201505-2018-03-30
New Delhi:In yet another incident of communal flare-up in Bihar, scores of vehicles were today vandalised and a hotel was set ablaze in this district, where members of two communities clashed following reports of desecration of an idol, an official said.Trouble erupted in Godapur village under the Town police station area, where an idol was found vandalised, following which the members of two communities indulged in heavy stone-pelting, District Magistrate (DM) Kaushal Kumar said.He added that an enraged mob also went on a rampage on National Highway 31, hurling stones at the vehicles and leaving scores of them damaged. The mob also set a hotel on fire, the DM said.The police fired 10 rounds in the air to quell the mob that also allegedly manhandled a number of local journalists, who had gone to the spot to cover the incident.The situation was brought under control, though tension prevailed in the area, the DM said, adding that a heavy deployment of police was in place. No arrest was made in this connection so far, he added.Nawada is located at a distance of around 70 kms from state capital Patna.PTI
‘Violence not Bengal’s culture’: People across faiths tie rakhis, condemn communal stir
http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/kolkata/violence-not-bengals-culture-people-across-faiths-tie-rakhis-condemn-communal-stir-5117892/
Kolkata:In an expression of solidarity, people of various faiths in Raniganj and Asansol tied rakhis to each other on Friday, days after communal violence during Ram Navami celebrations left 2 dead and several injured.Bangla Sanskriti Mancha, an apolitical organisation, on Friday organised the event outside the Academy of Fine Arts in Kolkata. People belonging to various religious faiths participated to condemn the division of people along religious lines.“It is not Bengal’s culture to witness such violence between two communities. This is the land of Rabindranath Tagore and Nazrul Islam, who taught us lessons of communal harmony. Through this event, we want to send a strong message to people that we stand for unity between Hindus and Muslims. People belonging to these communities will tie rakhis on each other to send this message loud and clear,” said Samirul Islam, president of the Mancha.The organisation will organise similar events in Raniganj and Asansol on April 14 (Bengali New Year). Mancha general secretary Tanmoy Ghosh appealed to people to maintain peace in the state.Bhasha and Chetana Samiti general secretary and assistant professor at Bidhannagar College, Emanul Haque, who attended the event, said, “In West Bengal villages, Hindus rarely had lunch at their home on Eid. Similarly, during Hindu festivals, Muslims have lunch at pandals and Hindu households. This has been our tradition and we have to protect it. Even in Hindu marriage ceremonies, we find biryanis being served to guests. This is an example of how these two communities embraced east other…”indianexpress
BJP suffers from perception it is anti-Muslim, says Ram Vilas Paswan
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/bjp-suffers-from-perception-it-is-anti-muslim-ram-vilas-paswan-5117286/
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party is struggling to change a “perception” that it is against minority Muslims and lower-caste people, which could cost it votes in a general election due next year, said union minister Ram Vilas Paswan on Friday. BJP trounced the opposition at the last election in 2014, but it has lost a handful of recent by-elections after opposition groups banded together.Paswan, a federal minister and the chief of the Lok Jan Shakti (People’s Power) Party, which is allied with the BJP says it represents India’s socially backward classes, and predicted another term for Modi. But he said the BJP would have to work towards changing its image as a group that caters mainly to upper-caste Hindus.Reuters
India intensifies troop deployment to counter China’s assertiveness along border near Tibetan region
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-china-tibetan-region-arunchal-pradesh-doklam-xi-jinping-narendra-modi5118306/
New Delhi;Following the Doklam standoff, India has intensified patrolling and deployed more troops in the mountainous terrains of Dibang, Dau-Delai and Lohit valleys as part of a strategy to counter China’s rising assertiveness along the borders in the Tibetan region in Arunachal sector, PTI reported.“Post Doklam, we have increased our activities manifold. We are fully prepared to deal with any challenge,” said an army officer posted in Kibithu, the easternmost village on India’s border with China’s Tibetan region.Pointing out that India has been focussing on dominating the treacherous terrains which include snow-clad mountains at an altitude of over 17,000 feet and river passes, military officials stated that India is also strengthening its surveillance mechanism to keep an eye on Chinese activities along the borders in the strategically sensitive Tibetan region and has even been regularly deploying choppers to carry out recce.
Uzbekistan invites India to join deradicalisation programme
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/uzbekistan-invites-india-to-join-deradicalisation-programme/articleshow/63550631.cms
NEW DELHI: Uzbekistan has invited India to join wide-ranging deradicalisation initiatives including training of imams as part of the bilateral counter-terrorism partnership as it is worried over a growing network of the Islamic State (IS) in neighbouring Afghanistan. The Uzbek government has launched a training programme for imams to facilitate a correct interpretation of Islam that is being sought to be undermined by jihadists. The most populous country in Central Asia has also launched a community (makhallahs or mohallah) support programme aimed at preventing the youth from being misguided by a fundamentalist version of the religion that has lured many young men into joining terrorist groups including the IS. The government is promoting a school of thought that encourages study of science, art and literature based on the country’s rich history that includes creation of algorithm and first observatory in the northern hemisphere, said Vladimir Norov, director of Tashkent-based Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies, which functions under the aegis of the Uzbek President. economictimes
Jammu and Kashmir: Separatist leader Ali Shah Geelani offers prayers in Srinagar after 8 yrs
https://scroll.in/latest/873905/jammu-and-kashmir-separatist-leader-syed-ali-shah-geelani-offers-prayers-in-srinagar-after-8-years
Hurriyat Conference Chairperson Syed Ali Shah Geelani offered congregational prayers at the Jamia Masjid in Srinagar’s Hyderpora locality on Friday for the first time since 2010, the Kashmir News Service reported. Ashraf Sehrai, who succeeded Geelani at the helm of the Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, and other leaders of the party accompanied him.Geelani has been under house arrest for the past eight years and has not been allowed to offer Friday prayers at the mosque. Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police SP Vaid said on Thursday that Geelani and other separatist leaders such as Mirwaiz Mohammad Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik were free to go anywhere they wish to as long as they do not make “anti-national” speeches or create a law-and-order problem, Greater Kashmir reported.Geelani gave up leadership of the Tehreek-e-Hurriyat last week because of his failing health and “other political burdens”. He is often described as the “hardliner” among Kashmir’s separatist leaders. He is one of the most visible faces of Kashmiri separatist movement and has refused to hold talks with Delhi. His politics emphasises the role of religion in the political struggle. Geelani has also been the centrifugal force holding together separatist groups of various political hues.scroll
Hubballi: Group protests Joshi’s remarks on mosques
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hubballi/group-protests-joshis-remarks-on-mosques/articleshow/63550404.cms
HUBBALLI: A group of Muslims staged a protest here on Friday evening, demanding action against MP Pralhad Joshi for his alleged derogatory remarks against mosques of Hubballi.Jafersab Khazi and Mahmad Hanif Hullapadi, office bearers of Masjid Jamat in Saidar Street alleged that Joshi during his visit to slain Gurusiddappa Ambiger’s residence on Thursday, said that many mosques have illegally stored weapons. The MP’s statement can spread hate in society. “Though Ambiger died after personal rivalry, Joshi utilized the occasion to create hate between communities. Mosques in Hubballi are functioning as per the constitutional provisions. Being an elected representative, Joshi has tried to disturb communal harmony. He and his followers should be booked under the appropriate Acts,” they demanded.Mutuvallies of different mosques of Old Hubballi and members of different Jamats took part in the protest.
Indian Journalist Arrested for Posting Fake News On Muslim Attack
http://caravandaily.com/portal/indian-journalist-arrested-for-posting-fake-news-on-muslim-attack/
BANGALORE: Indian police have arrested the editor of a website for publishing a fake report that Muslims had attacked a monk from the Jain faith, officials said on Friday.Mahesh Vikram Hegde was arrested in southern Karnataka state on Thursday on charges of spreading fake and communally sensitive news on his right wing website, a senior police officer said.Hegde’s online Postcard news reported on March 18 that Jain monk Upadhyaya Mayank Sagarji was attacked by Muslims. Police said Sagarji was actually injured in a road accident.“We have arrested Hegde for posting a fake news on his news portal Postcard alleging that a Jain monk was attacked by Muslims,” Bangalore joint commissioner of police N. Satish Kumar said in a statement.The cyber crime police “have registered a case against the portal and its owner Hegde for the false news”, Kumar added.Hegde also shared the “news” on Twitter where Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is one of his more than 78,000 followers.The news item and tweet were later deleted, police said.AFP
Ishrat Jahan case: Special CBI court sets aside summonses to 2 IB officers
http://www.newsonair.com/news.asp?cat=state&id=ST3187
A special CBI court in Ahmedabad today set aside summonses issued to two Intelligence Bureau (IB) officers by a magistrate court in the Ishrat Jahan alleged fake encounter case. Special CBI Judge J B Pandya set aside the lower court order issuing summonses to Rajeev Wankhede and T S Mittal, who worked as assistant central intelligence officers when the alleged fake encounter took place in June 2004. The duo had challenged the summonses issued to them.The metropolitan magistrate court had also issued summonses to other two IB officers special director Rajinder Kumar and officer M S Sinha, but they have not moved the special CBI court challenging them.newsonair
WORLD
Israeli army kills 17 Palestinians in Gaza protests
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/03/israeli-forces-kill-3-palestinians-land-day-protests-180330100034136.html
Palestinian Authority has declared Saturday a day of national mourning after 17 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces as thousands marched near Gaza's border with Israel in a major demonstration marking the 42nd anniversary of Land Day.
"Schools, universities as well as all government institutions across the country will be off on Saturday, as per President Mahmoud Abbas' decision to declare a day of national mourning for the souls of the martyrs," a statement issued on Friday said.
More than 1,400 others were wounded after Israeli forces fired live ammunition at protesters and used tear gas to push them back from a heavily fortified fence, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
Friday's demonstration commemorated Land Day, which took place on March 30, 1976, when six unarmed Palestinian citizens of Israel were killed by Israeli forces during protests against the Israeli government's decision to expropriate massive tracts of Palestinian-owned land.
Organisers of Friday's march, dubbed the Great Return March, said the main message of the demonstration was to call for the right of return for Palestinian refugees.
Some 70 percent of Gaza's two million population are descendants of Palestinians who were driven from their homes in the territories taken over by Israel during the 1948 war, known to Arabs as the Nakba.
Protesters in Gaza gathered in five different spots along the border, originally positioned about 700 metres away from the fence.
Funerals begin for Palestinians killed by Israel army on Land Day
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/03/funerals-palestinians-killed-israel-army-land-day-180331064526623.html
UN fails to condemn Israel's use force on unarmed Palestinians
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/03/fails-condemn-israels-force-unarmed-palestinians-180331100718710.html
At Kuwait's request, the UN Security Council held an emergency meeting late on Friday, to issue a statement condemning Israel's use of force against Palestinians protesting in Gaza.
The US blocked it several times, and the council failed to agree on a joint statement.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an "independent and transparent investigation" and reaffirmed "the readiness" of the world body to revitalise peace efforts.
However, Mansour al-Otaibi, Kuwait's ambassador to the UN, issued a statement criticising the Security Council's for failing to take action against Israel.
aljazeera
Trump tells advisers he wants U.S. out of Syria - senior officials
https://in.reuters.com/article/usa-trump-syria/trump-tells-advisers-he-wants-u-s-out-of-syria-senior-officials-idINKBN1H703O
WEST PALM BEACH:President Donald Trump has told advisers he wants an early exit of U.S. troops from Syria, two senior administration officials said on Friday, a stance that may put him at odds with U.S. military officials who see the fight against Islamic State as nowhere near complete.A National Security Council meeting is set for early next week to discuss the US-led campaign against Islamic State in Syria, according to U.S. officials familiar with the plan.Two other administration officials confirmed a Wall Street Journal report on Friday that said Trump had ordered the State Department to freeze more than $200 million in funds for recovery efforts in Syria while his administration reassesses Washington’s role in the conflict there.Trump called for the freeze after reading a news report that the U.S. had recently committed an additional $200 million to stabilize areas recaptured from Islamic State, the paper said.The funding was announced by departing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in February at a meeting in Kuwait of the global coalition against Islamic State.The decision to freeze the funds was in line with Trump’s declaration during a speech in Richfield, Ohio, on Thursday, where he said it was time for America to exit Syria.Reuters
Compiled and edited by Anwarulhaq (Released at: 8:15 PM)
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