NEWS DIGEST, MID-DAY
06 Aug 2018:23 Ziqada 1439: Vol:10, No:81
INDIA
Special status of J&K: SC says Will examine if Article 35A affects ‘Basic Structure’ of Constitution
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/will-examine-if-article-35a-affects-basic-structure-of-constitution-supreme-court/article24613023.ece?homepage=true
New Delhi: CJI Dipak Misra, heading a Bench, on Monday orally observed that the Supreme Court will consider whether Article 35A, which gives special status to the State and people of Jammu and Kashmir, is violative of the ‘Basic Structure’ of the Constitution. ‘Basic Structure’ is a collective term coined by a 13-judge Bench in the historic Keshavananda Bharati case to include a catena of fundamental rights, including the right to equality, non-discrimination, liberty, life and dignity, enshrined and preserved in Constitution.Centre, represented by Attorney General KK Venugopal, persisted that the case should be adjourned, as an interlocutor was carrying on dialogues with the State’s stakeholders.The State of J&K, represented by Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, also sought an adjournment.However, the Bench comprising Justice AM Khanwilkar was missing its third member, Justice DY Chandrachud. He is on leave. CJI Misra explained that since the issue was being heard by a 3-judge Bench and one of them is absent, the case should be adjourned.“The challenge to Article 35A is being heard by a three-judge Bench. The Bench will determine whether the case should be referred to a Constitution Bench. Today, as you see, the other judge is absent and so we have to hear the case another day,” he addressed the petitioner lawyers who objected to an adjournment.One of them even complained that J&K was virtually shut down before every Supreme Court hearing. To this, CJI Misra said the challenge is to a provision, Article 35A, which has been implemented for over 60 years and the petitions were filed only in 2014. The case had progressed to the extent of the question of reference by a three-judge Bench to a Constitution Bench.The Bench posted the case for hearing to the week commencing Aug.26.thehindu
SC adjourns hearing on Article 35-A, CJI says 3-judge bench to decide on refering case to Constitution bench
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/sc-adjourns-article-35-a-hearing-5293832/
Article 35A row: Mehbooba Mufti says there is anxiety and panic
https://www.newsx.com/national/article-35a-row-mehbooba-mufti-says-there-is-a-wave-of-anxiety-and-panic-amongst-the-people-over-supreme-courts-hearing
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday took to Twitter to express her thoughts on Article 35A controversy. Mehbooba Mufti, in her tweet, made it clear that there is anger among the people of Jammu and Kashmir over Article 35A hearing in the Supreme Court. On Twitter, she said, “Even though the deferment of hearing on Article 35 A is not a solution, it has brought interim relief to the people of JK. But with uncertainty looming over its status, it has unleashed a wave of anxiety and panic amongst the people of J & K.”NewsX
Repealing Article 35A would end India's relationship with Jammu and Kashmir: IAS officer Shah Faesal
https://scroll.in/latest/889416/repealing-article-35a-would-end-india-s-relationship-with-jammu-and-kashmir-says-ias-officer
IAS Officer Shah Faesal on Sunday said that repealing Article 35A of the Constitution will end Jammu and Kashmir’s relationship with India, comparing it to a nikahnama, or marriage deed. Article 35A grants special rights to permanent residents of J&K.“I would compare Article 35A to a marriage-deed/ nikahnama. You repeal it and the relationship is over. Nothing will remain to be discussed afterwards,” he tweeted on Sunday. Faesal is currently in the US on a Fulbright scholarship.scroll.in
Supreme Court: CJI Misra likely to take up matter of Justice KM Joseph’s seniority with Centre
https://scroll.in/latest/889426/supreme-court-cji-dipak-misra-likely-to-take-up-matter-of-justice-km-josephs-seniority-with-centre
Chief Justice Dipak Misra is likely to take up Justice KM Joseph’s seniority question with the Union government after a few judges raised the matter with him today, sources in the Supreme Court with knowledge of the matter told Scroll.in. The chief justice is also likely to consult Attorney General KK Venugopal on the matter.The appointment notification of 3 judges – Indira Banerjee, Vineet Saran and KM Joseph – has placed Joseph in third position, despite the fact that he was recommended for elevation way before the other 2. The SC judges discussed the matter with Justice Misra just before the Supreme Court sat for its routine proceedings on Monday morning. Persons in the know said the judges wanted Joseph to get his due position in the seniority list.The Supreme Court collegium had recommended Joseph for elevation in Jan. But the Centre returned his file, arguing that he was junior to several other High Court chief justices who were waiting for a call to the SC. It also said Joseph’s parent HC of Kerala is already adequately represented.scroll
A few SC judges upset at change in Justice Joseph’s seniority
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/sc-judges-upset-at-change-in-justicejosephs-seniority/article24609876.ece?homepage=true
UP govt wants to bring madrassas in mainstream education: Minister
https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/india/up-govt-wants-to-bring-madrassas-in-mainstream-education-minister-2806491.html
Uttar Pradesh government wants to bring madrassas into the mainstream education system, Minister of State for Minority Affairs Mohsin Raza said. The minister also favoured introducing a "new dress code" for students at madrassas (Islamic schools) across the country and added that he will take up the issue with the Centre. However, Raza did not elaborate on what should be the new dress code in these institutes, where students currently wear white kurta-pyjama.He rued that no leader from his community has till date thought about standardising the madrassa system. "Our government in Uttar Pradesh wants to bring madrassas in the mainstream education system. And why only in UP, I think all these religious institutions across the country should be brought into mainstream," he told PTI.Raza said he intends to discuss the issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi."I would meet Modiji in this regard and seek his advise on how we can have a formal education system in madrassas in the country. Regrettably, so far, no Muslim leader has ever thought about standardisation and formalisation of madrassa education system," he said."We plan to modernise madrassas and have introduced NCERT curriculum for them. We want to see a computer in one hand and the Koran in the other hand of madrassa students as envisioned by our prime minister,"he said.Raza, ex Ranji cricketer, termed incidents of violence by cow vigilantes as a "conspiracy" against BJP by its opponents. "These are the outcomes of a conspiracy hatched by our opponents. But the good thing is that governments (at the Centre and states) and courts have taken a tough stand against(such incidents) and no one will be spared," he said.PTI
ABP proprietor told me not to name Modi, I&B official said ‘anything can happen’, says PP Bajpai
https://scroll.in/latest/889379/abp-proprietor-told-me-not-to-name-modi-i-b-official-said-anything-can-happen-says-pp-bajpai
Journalist Punya Prasun Bajpai has claimed that his former employer, ABP News, had asked him to avoid references to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his criticism of government policies during his prime-time show Masterstroke. His team was also asked to avoid using pictures and video footage featuring Modi, he wrote in an article for The Wire on Monday.Bajpai’s allegations come on the heels of his and ABP News Managing Editor Milind Khandekar’s resignations, following criticism from senior ministers for airing a report that claimed that a woman in Chhattisgarh had been tutored to make false claims that her income had doubled during a video interaction with the PM. After the report appeared in July, Bajpai said he received a call from a government official who warned him of consequences. Soon after, ABP News began to experience disturbances with its satellite signals and its advertisers were threatened, he claimed.After he resigned, the satellite signals of ABP News got restored and advertisements were back, he said.Bajpai quoted a conversation he claimed he had with the editor-in-chief, who is also the proprietor, of ABP News on July 14:“Is it possible that you do not use Narendra Modi’s name? Use his ministers’ names if you want. You can report on the wrongs in govt policies – name even the ministers, but please do not mention Narendra Modi.” scroll.in
Exclusive: Punya Prasun Bajpai Reveals the Story Behind His Exit From ABP News
https://thewire.in/media/punya-prasun-bajpai-abp-news-narendra-modi/amp/?__twitter_impression=true
AMU yet to decide on removal of Jinnah portrait, Parliament told
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/aligarh-muslim-university-yet-to-decide-on-removal-of-jinnah-portrait-parliament-told-5294242/
New Delhi:Months after violence erupted over a portrait of Pakistan founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah hanging at AMU’s students’ union office, Parliament was told Monday that AMU was yet to take a decision on the portrait’s removal. HRD Minister of State Satya Pal Singh said this in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, PTI reported.“The students’ union has been dissolved and any decision on the issue can only be taken by the newly-elected union when formed,” Singh said. The controversy was stoked in early May after Aligarh BJP MP Satish Gautam wrote to AMU V-C seeking removal of Jinnah’s portrait from the campus. Some Hindu Yuva Vahini members later barged into the campus demanding that the portrait be pulled down. A function to grant life membership of the students’ union to former vice-president Hamid Ansari, scheduled on the same day, was called off and Ansari had to return to Delhi.indianexpress
Agnivesh tells people not to fall for Sangh propaganda; compares Modi to Hitler
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/agnivesh-tells-people-not-to-fall-for-sangh-propaganda-compares-modi-to-hitler/article24613946.ece?homepage=true
Social activist Swami Agnivesh on Sunday accused the Sangh Parivar of propagating communal hatred and urged the people to come together and fight the ‘menace’.Addressing a seminar with the theme “Standing up to hatred;Violence and intolerance in contemporary India” in Thiruvananthapuram, he said people should be told not to fall victim to the “narrow Hindutva propagated by the Sangh Parivar.”Agnivesh, who was attacked allegedly by a group of BJP affiliated youth wing workers in Jarkhand last month, said this was the time to take up the challenge to fight communal forces. “Today we need to come together, close our ranks, fight the menace of communalism in the great spirit of saving democracy, Indian constitution and saving the greatest Hindu civilisation,”he said.Attacking PM Narendra Modi, the social activist claimed that he along with BJP chief Amit Shah had captured the party and RSS. “In a way everything, he (Modi) is like a dictator like Adolf Hitler... Hitler also came to power through democracy and not by a army coup,”Agnivesh said.thehindu
CPM worker stabbed to death allegedly by BJP-RSS men in Kerala
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/cpm-worker-stabbed-to-death-allegedly-by-bjp-rss-men-in-kerala-5293213/
A CPI (M) worker was stabbed to death allegedly by BJP-RSS men at Manjeswaram in Kasaragod district late on Sunday night. Police said Aboobacker Sidique, 21, a native of Songal village under Manjeswaram police limits, was stabbed by a bike-born gang when he was returning home at 11 pm. Although local people rushed Sidique to a hospital in Mangalore, he succumbed to his injuries.A strong contingent of police was deployed in the region, bordering Karnataka, in the wake of the killing, said police. CPI (M) alleged RSS-BJP men were behind the killing. The party called for a hartal in Manjeswaram taluk in the afternoon.indianexpress
Why does PM Modi refuse to wear Muslim skull caps, asks Shashi Tharoor
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/why-does-pm-modi-refuse-to-wear-muslim-skull-cap-asks-shashi-tharoor-1306115-2018-08-06
Congress Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor has asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi why he categorically refuses to wear Muslim skull caps and the colour green.Speaking at an event in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday, Tharoor said, "Why does the PM, who wears all sorts of headgears from across the world, refuse to wear a Muslim skull cap? Why does he refuse to wear the colour green, which in his view is a colour of Muslims and wearing the colour amounts to Muslim appeasement? "Tharoor was speaking during a seminar titled 'Standing up to hatred: Intolerance and violence in contemporary India'.In his speech, Tharoor blamed BJP and right-wing organisations for the rising cases of cow vigilantism and attacks on minorities.Blaming the PM for his silence after such incidents, he said not once has the PM spoken about the acts of cow vigilante groups."Not once has the PM spoken immediately after these incidents (attacks on minorities in the name of protecting cows) to assure people that he disapproves of this violence. The perception that then goes out is that if the PM does not speak, he does not mind these things. This emboldens the perpetrators," Tharoor said.indiatoday
Maharashtra ATS takes leaf out of experts' books in anti-terror fight
https://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/mumbai/other/maharashtra-ats-takes-leaf-out-of-experts-books-in-anti-terror-fight/articleshow/65282872.cms
Mumbai: Maharashtra Police are preparing a set of Marathi books to help its personnel tackle radicalisation, extremism and terrorism, in a first such initiative, an official has said. The exercise involves compiling in Marathi the gist of experts' writings on terrorism in various languages, including English, to train policemen in handling such cases, a senior official of ATS said.The initiative, that envisages compilation of 3 books in Marathi on terrorism-related subjects, has also come in praise from Union Ministry of Home Affairs, he said.A 350-page book, first in the series, was published last week, the official said, adding that it draws on as many as 30 books on contemporary terrorism in English and other languages, widely read all over the world.These books cover issues such as psychology of a terrorist, training methods of militant outfits, accounts of some major attacks, and how the youth should be deradicalised. One of these books is "The Islamist- Why I Joined Radical Islam in Britain, What I Saw Inside and Why I Left", written by UK-born Ed Husain.The memoir, published in 2007, is about Husain's five years as an Islamist activist."The other two books in the series will be published soon. These series will contain a gist from at least 100 books on terrorism," state ATS chief Atulchandra Kulkarni said.The books ATS is publishing are meant for circulation only within the police department. They will be provided to the anti-terror cell personnel in all districts, he said.Apart from English, the ATS also pored over books on terrorism in Urdu, Hindi and Marathi to prepare the series.PTI
24 girls allegedly sexually abused in U.P. shelter home rescued, 18 missing
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/24-girls-rescued-from-up-shelter-home-after-sexual-abuse-allegations-18-inmates-missing/article24613900.ece?homepage=true
Deoria:24 girls were rescued from a shelter home in Deoria, Uttar Pradesh, and 3 people arrested following allegation of sexual exploitation of the inmates. 18 inmates, however, were missing, , police said.“24 girls were rescued on Sunday from the shelter home on station road in the name of Ma Vindhyawasini Mahila Prakishan Evam Samaj Sewa Sansthan and 18 inmates are missing. We have sealed it,” SP Rohan P. Kanay said.The matter comes in the backdrop of the alleged sexual abuse of girls at a State-funded shelter home in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur which led to a public outcry. Sexual abuse of 34 inmates out of 42 was confirmed in medical examination.PTI
NIA arrests suspect Habibur Rahman at Delhi airport
https://scroll.in/latest/889441/nia-arrests-suspected-lashkar-e-taiba-handler-habibur-rahman-at-delhi-airport
New Delhi: NIA arrested Habibur Rahman, LeT suspect, at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on Sunday. He was returning from Riyadh. The agency produced Rahman in the Patiala House Court on Monday and appealed to take him into custody, officials said. Rahman, a former resident of Odisha, is believed to be the handler of Lashkar-e-Taiba militant Shaikh Abdul Naeem, who was arrested in 2007 for trying to send militants to India via Bangladesh. He escaped in 2014 but was again arrested in November 2017. Naeem is believed to have used the assistance of his handlers to identify several vulnerable locations to target across India. He assumed several fake identities to conduct his reconnaissance, the agency said.scroll.in
Kashmiri youth held from Delhi-bound bus, Independence Day ‘terror attack foiled’
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/independence-day-youth-held-from-bus-bound-for-delhi-terror-attack-foiled-5293008/
Jammu :Security agencies claimed to have foiled a major terror attack in the national capital ahead of Independence Day celebrations, with arrest of a Kashmiri youth late Sunday night from a Delhi-bound bus in Jammu. The youth, they claimed, was carrying explosives.Though he had no past record as a militant, sources said he was on the radar of security agencies when he reached Jammu from the Valley.He boarded the Delhi-bound bus from General Bus Stand area in Jammu around 11 pm and when the vehicle reached Gandhi Nagar, security agencies stopped it and arrested him.indianexpress
If only Hindus are natural citizens, it is a blow to India’s idea of citizenship: political theorist Niraja Gopal Jayal
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-times/all-that-matters/if-only-hindus-are-natural-citizens-it-is-a-blow-to-indias-idea-of-citizenship-says-political-theorist-niraja-gopal-jayal/articleshow/65273321.cms?from=mdr
Who belongs in India, and who does India belong to? Political theorist Niraja Gopal Jayal, author of ‘Citizenship and its Discontents: An Indian History’, speaks to Amulya Gopalakrishnan about how our foundational principles of citizenship are being undermined. On Assam's NRC, Niraja said, it seems to me that we are moving towards a situation in which those who are second-class citizens today — whether by virtue of their religion, their language or just poverty — are robbed of the dubious dignity of even being second-class. They are being deprived of citizenship altogether. Sudden chorus of demand, by BJP leaders in Delhi, Mumbai and elsewhere, for an Assam-like National Register of Citizens illustrates perfectly the purpose of, and the problem with, the NRC: it fuels xenophobia and could potentially contribute 4.5 million people to the world’s population of 10 million stateless persons. This is not an achievement to be proud of, whatever the transient political benefits might be." She continued, "charge of illegal foreigners cannot be reliably validated because it is so heavily dependent upon documentation. We are not historically a highly documented society; even birth certificates are a relatively recent phenomenon. So genuine citizens may have no documents to prove their ancestry, while illegal migrants could have them, as documentary citizenship has been notoriously easy to purchase or obtain through kinship networks. Mere possession of documents is not, therefore, foolproof evidence of citizenship. In the present exercise, the ‘family tree’ has proved to be a disaster, with some members of a family being recognised as citizens and others not. Women have been especially discriminated against. When even affluent applicants for Overseas Citizenship of India engage companies to prove their ancestry, what chance do these poor labouring people have?The language of detention, deportation, infiltration makes one cringe, for these are not criminals, and many of them are not even migrants."She further said, "Our founders chose the inclusive principle of citizenship by birth, rather than by blood or descent. The Constitution strengthened this progressive impulse with universal and equal citizenship, the most appropriate conception for a plural society. From the mid-1980s, after Assam Accord, the idea of citizenship by descent started creeping into the law on citizenship, diluting its religion-neutral character. Until now, the shift away from the birth-based principle was covert; now it is overt. This is why it is imperative to read the NRC alongside the pending Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016, which offers fast-track citizenship to people belonging to six religions — excluding only Muslims — from three countries, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, on the grounds that they are minorities in those countries. If the law on citizenship does not remain religion-neutral, and if only Hindus are natural citizens, the constitutional idea of citizenship will be dealt a body blow."TOI
Watch! Delhi BJP MLA calls Muslim AAP MLA ‘terrorist’ inside assembly, Kejriwal questions BJP’s links with Pak
http://www.jantakareporter.com/india/delhi-india/shameful-delhi-bjp-mla-calls-muslim-aap-mla-terrorist-inside-assembly-kejriwal-questions-bjps-links-with-pakistan/201523/
Delhi BJP MLA OP Sharma on Monday addressed a Muslim MLA from Aam Aadmi Party as ‘terrorist’ during a debate inside the assembly.In an incredibly disparagingly tone, Sharma told AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan, “If you indulge in bad deeds, then you will go to jail. Why are you talking like a terrorist?” He didn’t stop here. Continuing his rant, Sharma said, “Oye, why are you talking like a terrorist. Talk like a human being…Don’t act smart. Don’t behave like Fanney Khan. Don’t try and pick a fight. Sit quietly like a human being. Sit down. Shut up. I’ve seen many people like you.” Sharma’s intimidation continued even as Speaker Ram Niwas Goel helplessly tried to pacify him. Moments later, an angry Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia expressed his disgust on Sharma’s religiously divisive comments adding that the ‘assembly will not tolerate statements calling Muslims terrorists.’“He should apologise to the nation. How can he say such things?”asked Sisodia. Sisodia’s boss and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal later tweeted saying that BJP was pushing the agenda of Pakistan. He wrote, “Just look at this BJP MLA. Shameful BJP wants to divide India into Hundu and Muslim. This is precisely what Pakistan wants.The is working on the agenda of Pakistan. Why did Modi go to Pakistan? Why was ISI called to Pathankot for probe? What is secret links of BJP with Pakistan.”jantakareporter
WORLD
Speculation abounds over possible Hamas-Israel truce
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/speculation-abounds-over-possible-hamas-israel-truce/1223903
Gaza City:A truce between Hamas and Israel could be imminent, raising hopes that Israel’s ongoing blockade of the Gaza Strip may soon be eased, according to Palestinian political analysts. The deal is reportedly being brokered by UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Nickolay Mladenov, along with Egyptian and Qatari officials.Last Thursday, members of Hamas’s political bureau -- including several who are based abroad -- met in Gaza for the first time to discuss prospects for a ceasefire.Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Palestinian political analyst Tayseer Hasan Mahasen pointed out that Thursday’s meeting coincides with stepped-up political and diplomatic activity pertaining to the Palestine-Israel file.According to Mahasen, Cairo is keen to play a lead role in the mediation process in hopes of retaining its historical status as chief arbitrator in Palestine-Israel negotiations.He went on to note that the Ramallah-based Fatah movement of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had not responded positively to recent Egyptian proposals for Hamas-Fatah reconciliation. Mahasen believes that Egypt presented Hamas with a proposed truce agreement with Israel in order to bypass foot-dragging by Fatah and the thorny issue of Hamas-Fatah relations. “Egypt proposed the gradual dismantlement of the [Israeli] blockade [on Gaza]," he said, adding that Hamas was expected to provide Egypt with a response to the truce proposal later Monday.Fatah, however, Mahasen said, “may seek to obstruct the truce deal’s implementation”. On Sunday, Fatah criticized what it described as Hamas’s “shameful negotiations” with Israel.The truce proposal, Fatah said in a statement, was aimed at “separating Gaza from the homeland [i.e., the West Bank] and establishing a statelet [in Gaza], which would represent the nail in the coffin of our national project”.Hamas responded by accusing Fatah of attempting to undermine efforts to achieve Palestinian national unity and end Israel’s 11-year blockade of Gaza.Mustafa al-Sawaf, a Palestinian writer and political analyst, said that, in return for any easing of the blockade, Hamas would be expected to halt all resistance activity along the Gaza-Israel buffer zone.“All Israel wants from Hamas is a state of calm [along the Gaza-Israel buffer zone],” al-Sawaf said.In recent weeks, Palestinian activists have been flying flaming kites and balloons over Israeli territory as part of ongoing rallies along the Gaza-Israel buffer zone.According to Israeli officials, the improvised aerial weapons have caused a number of fires inside Israel, causing significant material damage but not resulting in any deaths or injuries.Anadolu Agency
UN investigation into Israel’s ‘nation-state’ law
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180806-un-investigation-into-israels-nation-state-law/
UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues, Fernand de Varennes, has started official proceedings to investigate a complaint against Israel, submitted by the High Follow-Up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel regarding the recent ‘Nation-State’ law.In May, de Varennes participated in the Second Human Capabilities Conference, organised by the Follow-Up Committee in the city of Tayibe.The conference discussed the threats posed by the of the ‘Nation-State’ bill to the Arab citizens of Israel, as an indigenous community. After the bill became law, the Committee submitted an official complaint against Israel which focused on the ‘Nation-State’ law’s discriminatory and exclusionary articles against the Palestinian people in general and especially against the Arab citizens of Israel.Knesset Member Dr Yousef Jabareen, head of the International Relations Committee in the “Joint List” bloc, said that Nationality Law threatens the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination in their homeland, as well as the situation and rights of Arab citizens of Israel. He mentioned that the Arab citizens of Israel are a national and ethnic minority. International treaties guarantee their collective, national, cultural, linguistic and religious rights, which the ‘Nation-State’ law has violated, flagrantly.middleeastmonitor
Israel launches military exercises in Golan Heights
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180806-israel-launches-military-exercises-in-golan-heights/
Israeli occupation army said on Sunday that it had launched a one-week-military-exercise in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, Anadolu Agency reported.In a statement, the Israeli army said: “Today, a military exercise started in the Golan Heights and Galilee and it will last for one week. It is part of the annual training plan for 2018 that aims to maintain readiness of our forces.”The exercise is slated to continue throughout the week, with the sound of explosions and some movement of security forces throughout the region expected during this period.Last Thursday, the Israeli occupation army announced that it had ended a military exercise that simulates a war in the northern front, which includes Syria and Lebanon.MEMO
Freedom Flotilla activist: Israel soldiers beat us, stripped us, then robbed us
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180805-freedom-flotilla-activist-israel-soldiers-beat-us-stripped-us-then-robbed-us/
Founding trustee of Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) Dr Swee Ang was on board the Al-Awda boat sailing to break the illegal Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip when occupation forces commandeered the vessel.In a personal testimony Ang outlines the violent treatment the unarmed activists received at the hands of heavily armed Israeli soldiers in international waters.After boarding Al-Awda, occupation forces were “twisting the arms of the participants”, “lifting” and “throwing” others out of their way and tasering those they could not manhandle, Ang explained.Al-Awda was taken over by Israeli forces on 29 July, after it was surrounded by them and had its crew detained. The captain was severely beaten, Ang describes how soldiers were:"…throwing Herman against the wall of the wheel house and punching his chest."“If we were Palestinians,” however she argues, “it would be much worse with physical assaults and probably loss of lives. The situation is therefore dire for the Palestinians.”middleeastmonitor
A Palestinian Father Wonders Why the Israeli Army Had to Kill His 14-year-old Son:Israeli daily
https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/palestinians/a-palestinian-father-wonders-why-the-idf-had-to-kill-his-teen-son-1.6341442
For Arkan Muzhir’s 15th birthday on August 20, his father Thaer planned to buy him a phone. The elder Muzhir uses the Hebrew word for cellphone, pelefon.But 4 weeks before his son’s birthday, during a raid on the Deheisheh refugee camp before dawn on Monday July 23, an Israeli soldier shot Arkan. He hit him “exactly in the right corner of his heart,” Muzhir said, pointing to a photograph of his dead son, his T-shirt folded and showing a child’s chest.“We have 180 photographs of Arkan; show me one where he’s not smiling,” Muzhir said at the beginning of the week, sitting in the diwan – the neighborhood guest room – in a narrow alley where the family’s house is also located.The three official mourning days had passed, but the men in the camp continued to come to the diwan to express their condolences, sit on a chair in the room, listen to Muzhir talking about his boy who is gone, and add memories of their own. And of course move on to political conversation.“The boy enrolled at a vocational school for the next school year,” Muzhir said. “He wanted to study electrical engineering for cars or car mechanics. Everyone – his friends, his teachers, his sisters – say how pleasant he was, well-liked, ready to help.”haaretz
HRW: Rohingya must be moved to safer areas in Cox's Bazar
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/08/hrw-rohingya-moved-safer-area-cox-bazar-180806025619412.html
Cox's Bazar:Rohingya refugees living in a severely overcrowded mega camp should be relocated by the Bangladeshi government to safer areas, HRW said .A 68-page report by the New York-based group highlighted the dangers the Rohingya face from flooding and landslides during the monsoon season as they wait to return to their homeland in Myanmar, as well as the heightened risks of communicable diseases, fires, community tensions, and domestic and sexual violence to which the densely packed refugees are subjected.These refugees "should have sturdier shelters and adequate education for their extended stay", said the report titled, Bangladesh Is Not My Country: The Plight of Rohingya Refugees from Myanmar.It called on Bangladeshi authorities to transfer the Rohingya to smaller, less-congested camps on flatter, proximate land in the same Ukhiya sub-district where the mega camp is located.aljazeera
Protesters injured as Bangladesh police fire tear gas on students
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/08/bangladesh-officials-restrict-internet-student-protests-180805071428323.html
Violent clashes have continued in Bangladesh's capital as authorities fired tear gas at students and shut down mobile internet connections after a week of youth protests over road safety following the death of 2 teenagers who were mowed down by a speeding bus.Thousands of students from various schools and colleges on Sunday started controlling traffic in Dhaka, for the eighth consecutive day.Bangladeshi police fired tear gas at students occupying an intersection in central Dhaka."It was a peaceful rally but suddenly police fired tear gas shells aimed at us [that] left several injured," Mohammad Atikur Rahman, one of protesters,told DPA news agency.aljazeera
Report: Saudi-UAE coalition 'cut deals' with al-Qaeda in Yemen
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/08/report-saudi-uae-coalition-cut-deals-al-qaeda-yemen-180806074659521.html
A military coalition battling Houthi rebels secured secret deals with al-Qaeda in Yemen and recruited hundreds of the group's fighters, a news report said on Monday.For more than two years, a Saudi-led alliance - backed by US logistical and weapons support - claimed it crushed al-Qaeda's ability to carry out attacks from Yemen.However, an investigation by The Associated Press found the coalition has been paying some al-Qaeda commanders to leave key cities and towns while letting others retreat with weapons, equipment, and wads of looted cash. Hundreds of al-Qaeda members were recruited to join the coalition as soldiers, the report said.aljazeera
Saudi freezes new trade with Canada, expels envoy over criticism of arrests
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/saudi-freezes-new-trade-canada-expels-envoy-urging-release-activists-459090230
Saudi Arabia suspended new trade and investment with Canada after that country's foreign ministry urged Riyadh to release arrested civil rights activists, it said in a statement released by the official Saudi Press Agency on Sunday.It also gave the Canadian ambassador 24 hours to leave the country and recalled its own ambassador to Canada, the statement by the Saudi foreign ministry said, according to Reuters.The move followed vigorous calls by Canada for the immediate release of human rights activists swept up in a new wave of detentions, AFP said.The Canadian embassy in Riyadh had said it was "gravely concerned" over the wave of arrests of rights campaigners in the kingdom, including award-winning women's rights activist Samar Badawi, the sister of jailed dissident blogger Raif Badawi.Raif Badawi's wife Ensaf Haidar lives in Canada and recently became a Canadian citizen."We urge the Saudi authorities to immediately release them and all other peaceful #humanrights activists," the Canadian embassy tweeted on Friday.The Saudi foreign ministry later tweeted: "The kingdom of Saudi Arabia... will not accept interference in its internal affairs or imposed diktats from any country."It added that "the kingdom views the Canadian position as an affront to the kingdom's laws and judicial process, as well as a violation of the Kingdom's sovereignty." Canadian foreign ministry officials were not available for an immediate comment on Sunday.Saudi authorities last week arrested two prominent women rights activists, Samar Badawi and Nassima al-Saadah, and held them incommunicado, Saudi human rights groups said. The arrests followed a spate of detentions of women's rights activists in the run-up to the end of the ban on women driving in the kingdom in late June.middleeasteye
Saudi expels Canadian ambassador over criticism of arrests
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/08/saudi-arabia-expels-canadian-ambassador-criticism-arrests-180806050810633.html
7.0 quake rocks eastern Indonesia; 98 dead
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/70-quake-rocks-eastern-indonesia-98-dead/1223220
Jakarta;At least 98 people died while at least 200 were injured when a magnitude 7.0 earthquake shook eastern Indonesia on Sunday, said an official.Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman for Indonesian National Agency for Disaster Management (BNPB), in a statement confirmed the death toll in the earthquake and aftershocks on the island of Lombok. Nugroho said most of the casualties occurred on the northern part of the island.He also stressed that both domestic and foreign tourists were evacuated to safe zones on the Gili Islands, northeast of Lombok.The earthquake damaged over 1,000 houses, and search and rescue teams backed by helicopters are continuing their efforts in the area. Out of the 98 people who lost their lives, at least two were on the Bali Islands, west of Lombok.So far, 47 aftershocks with a smaller magnitude have been detected, said Nugroho in an earlier statement.Anadolu agency
Afghan leader confirms US official met Taliban in Qatar
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/afghan-leader-confirms-us-official-met-taliban-in-qatar/1223873
KABUL:In its first official reaction to contacts for peace between the U.S. and the Taliban, the Afghan government on Monday acknowledged the contacts, but rejected the idea of ceding any land to the Taliban."The Afghan government is aware of this matter, the main purpose of this [meeting] was to pave way for formal peace talks between the Taliban and the government,” said Abdullah Abdullah, the government’s CEO, adding that Kabul is aware of the meeting that took place last month in Doha, Qatar.Chairing a Cabinet meeting aired in part by state broadcaster RTA, Abdullah rejected the notion of handing over any territory in the country to the Taliban, an idea floated by former Mujahedeen leader, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, as a confidence-building move.Tolo News previously reported that Alice Wells, the U.S. principal deputy assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia, met with Taliban representatives last month to discuss ways to lay groundwork for peace talks. Their aim was to build on the momentum from June's three-day ceasefire for the Eid al-Fitr. Anadolu agency
Pakistan: Imran Khan’s party nominates him as next PM
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/pakistan-imran-khan-s-party-nominates-him-as-next-pm/1223909
Pakistan’s former cricket hero Imran Khan’s party has officially nominated him as its candidate for the country’s next prime minister, a party official said on Monday.“All the parliamentary party members unanimously approved the resolution to nominate Imran Khan as the parliamentary leader and nominee for the next country's premiership,” said Shah Mehmood Qureshi , vice chairman of the PTI.In the July 25 elections, the PTI emerged as the single largest party but fell short of simple majority in the National Assembly. The party will have to seek formal support from smaller parties or independents to get elected the prime minister of its choice."Finally we have achieved the required numbers for simple majority in the parliament and now Imran Khan will easily be elected as prime minister of Pakistan" Qureshi said. Anadolu agency
FLASH VIEWS & NEWS
Fear-mongering by media, politicians over Assam’s National Register of Citizens needs to stop:Walter Fernandes
https://scroll.in/article/889124/fear-mongering-by-media-politicians-over-assams-national-register-of-citizens-needs-to-stop
Cost of being a 'Muslim' rights activist, Ovais Khan coerced into resigning from ANHAD
http://www.milligazette.com/news/16373-cost-of-being-a-muslim-rights-activist-ovais-khan-coerced-into-resigning-from-anhad
Between strategic-energy interests with Iran and a flip-flopping US president, India must find its own balance: Vikram S Mehta
https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/donald-trump-russia-iran-nato-caatsa-international-relations-foreign-policy-an-unlovely-triangle-5292897/
NRC in Assam: Exercise to identify illegal migrants must not morph into anti-Muslim madness and affect other states: Srinivasa Prasad
https://www.firstpost.com/india/nrc-in-assam-exercise-to-identify-illegal-migrants-must-not-morph-into-anti-muslim-madness-and-affect-other-states-4902411.html
Compiled and edited by Anwarulhaq (Released at: 7:08 PM)
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