NEWS DIGEST, MID-DAY
18 Sept. 2018: 07 Muhram 1440: Vol: 11, No:06
INDIA
Defence Minister Sitharaman Suppressing Rafale Deal Facts: former defence minister Antony
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/defence-minister-nirmala-sitharaman-suppressing-facts-on-rafale-deal-says-ak-antony-1918340
New Delhi: Senior Congress leader A K Antony today accused Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman of suppressing facts on the Rafale deal and asked why the government was shying away from setting up a joint parliament committee to probe it.He also accused the government of being "guilty" of "gravely compromising" national security in the Rafale fighter jet deal.Addressing a press conference, Mr Antony rejected as "completely false" the charges of Sitharaman that an unprecedented intervention by him in 2013 put the "final nail in the coffin" when the cost negotiation committee was giving final touches to the deal. The former defence minister accused Ms Sitharaman of trying to tarnish the image of public-sector Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) both nationally and internationally.He also asked if the price of the Rafale fighter jets were cheaper than that negotiated by the UPA and why it did not buy 126 aircraft instead of 36 from the French manufacturer."The Congress party demands that the Modi government publish the price of the Congress-UPA's deal of 126 aircrafts and the price of its 36 Rafale deals, including per aircraft price of the same to clear the doubts of the people of India, let the Nation decide who is correct." "Since, there is a growing perception that the Modi government's Rafale purchase deal has more skeletons in its closet, let there be Joint Parliamentary Probe (JPC) to bring the truth out in the open," he told reporters.
AK Antony accuses Sitharaman of 'supressing facts'; asks why Narendra Modi changed need for 126 fighter jets to 36
https://www.firstpost.com/india/ak-antony-accuses-nirmala-sitharaman-of-supressing-facts-asks-why-narendra-modi-changed-need-for-126-fighter-jets-to-36-5207721.html
Supreme Court adjourns hearing on PIL to stay Rafale deal to Oct. 10
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/supreme-court-adjourns-hearing-on-pil-to-stay-rafale-deal-to-october-10-5362323/
New Delhi :The Supreme Court Tuesday adjourned hearing on a plea seeking a stay on the Rafale fighter jet deal between India and France. A bench of Justices Ranjan Gogoi, Navin Sinha and K M Joseph adjourned the matter till October 10 after petitioner advocate M L Sharma told the bench that he wanted to file some additional documents in the case and sought adjournment in the matter.“You yourself circulated a letter seeking adjournment on the ground of ill health. Now you are saying that you want to file additional documents. We are simply adjourning the matter to October 10,” the bench said.In his petition, Sharma has alleged discrepancies in the fighter jet deal with France and sought a stay on it.Sharma has said in his plea that the inter-government agreement to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets must be quashed as it was an “outcome of corruption” and not ratified by Parliament under Article 253 (Parliament has power to make any law for implementing any inter-govt deal) of the Constitution.The petition has also sought lodging of an FIR and prosecution of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former defence Minister and present Goa CM Manohar Parrikar, business tycoon Anil Ambani and French armament firm Dassault, along with recovery of the amount.PTI
Supreme Court stays death penalty of man convicted in rape-murder of 4-year-old in Madhya Pradesh
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/supreme-court-stays-death-sentence-of-man-convicted-for-raping-minor-madhya-pradesh-5362017/
New Delhi :The Supreme Court Tuesday stayed the death sentence awarded to a man convicted in the rape and murder of a four-year-old in Madhya Pradesh, ANI reported. Madhya Pradesh recently enacted a new anti-rape law that awards death penalty to those convicted of raping girls aged 12 or less.According to ANI, the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s Jabalpur bench in its judgment had sentenced the convict to death. Ever since the Bill was introduced in December last year, the state has witnessed 12 death sentences being awarded in rape cases of minors. The state government passed the Bill after the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report showed that MP witnessed the highest number of rape cases in the country in 2016. The minimum punishment, the Bill stated, would be a 14-year rigorous imprisonment or life term till death. This would go up to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment in cases of gangrape of girls aged 12 or less.Following Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Arunachal Pradesh passed similar legislation, while J&K and Delhi resolved to do so. Even as MP’s Bill was pending with the President, in April this year, the Centre issued an ordinance providing death for the rape of minors, including many provisions of MP’s legislation. In July, the Lok Sabha passed the Bill, which also puts a two-month deadline on the trial of rape cases, a six-month time limit for disposal of appeals, and says there will be no provision for anticipatory bail for a person accused of rape or gang rape of a girl under 16 years of age.
Muzaffarpur shelter home case: SC stays Patna HC order for fresh CBI team
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/muzaffarpur-shelter-home-case-sc-stays-patna-hc-order-for-fresh-cbi-team-5362270/
New Delhi :The Supreme Court Tuesday stayed a Patna High Court order asking the CBI special director to set up a fresh team to probe Muzaffarpur shelter home sexual abuse case.Patna High Court had on August 29 ordered that a fresh team of investigators be constituted by the Special Director of CBI in the case in which incidents of alleged rape and sexual assault of women inmates over a period of time had come to light in an NGO-run shelter home at Muzaffarpur.A bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta said changing CBI team at this stage will be detrimental to the ongoing investigation.indianexpress
SC verdict on homosexuality will question values India has been holding for centuries, Muslim organisations say
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/madurai/sc-verdict-on-homosexuality-will-question-values-india-has-been-holding-for-centuries-muslim-organisations-say/articleshow/65841195.cms
MADURAI: All India Imams Council (AIIC), SDPI, PFI and Muslim League representatives jointly staged a demonstration at Goripalayam in Madurai on Monday, urging the Supreme Court (SC) to repeal its recent verdict on Section 377 of Indian Penal Code. AIIC state secretary Arshad Ahmed Altaf termed the verdict a historic flaw that will spoil the family structure of India. Altaf said India has a 3,000-year-old culture and that the country is an example to the world. “This verdict will question all the values we have been holding for centuries. We earnestly urge CJI Dipak Misra to reconsider the historically flawed judgement. AIIC is ready to elaborate learned judges the differences between protecting individual rights and protecting the culture,” he added. “We have not gathered here to abuse the court like BJP national secretary H Raja, but to make an appeal to court to protect the country’s culture and its people. It is proven that one of the main reasons for spread of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases was same-sex relationships. The government would have come up with the popular ‘Pulli Rajaku AIDS Varuma’ campaign once again,” SDPI state speaker Syed Ibrahim said. He said a few decades ago parents were afraid that their son would marry a girl belonging to another caste. “Now they pushed to a situation wherein they ask their son to get married to some girl and not to a boy,” he said. They raised slogans urging the Prime Minister to take steps to save the country from the judgement.TOI
Property gift by a Muslim won’t require registration in Maharashtra
https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/property-gift-by-a-muslim-wont-require-registration-in-maharashtra-5361602/
Mumbai:A gift of an immovable property by a Muslim will not need registration in Maharashtra.It will be applicable to all gifts executed as per the Mohammedan Law, including cases where the gifting has been carried out orally.BJP government in Maharashtra has stated that a gift of an immovable property, whether oral or written, under the Muslim law will be considered as a valid one, even if the deed in this regard has not been registered. Confirming the move, government sources said that the state’s revenue department will now issue directives to tahsildar and district level revenue department officials across Maharashtra,asking them to take even the valid but unregistered gift deed under the Mohammedan Law on record while mutating property records. Simultaneously,officials from the stamps and registrations cell of the department would be given directives, asking them not to insist on payment of stamp duty and registration fees on such gifts.Even as the Transfer of Property Act (1882) and Maharashtra Stamp Act(1958) mandate registration of a gift, the Maharashtra government has cited a 2015 ruling of the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court to rule that the condition was not to be applied in the case of the Muslim donor. Citing provisions of the Mohammedan Law, the court had earlier ruled the condition should not be applied to a Muslim donor gifting his property under provisions of the Mohammedan Law. “There is no provision in TP Act (1882) for levying stamp duty on oral gift made by any Mohammedan of sound mind, in favour of the donee,” the court had earlier said, while hearing an individual petition where a donor had challenged levying of the stamp duty by government officials.Citing the same court order, the government has also stated that “a gift under the Mohammedan Law” need not be through a written instrument. It can be oral as long as it is accompanied by a declaration of gift by the donor, acceptance of the gift by the donee, and the delivery of possession of the property.Gifting of a property under the Mohammedan Law is referred to as ‘Hiba’. While the gifting instrument is called ‘Hibanama’.indianexpress
‘United Against Hate’ stages protest; demands de-sealing of masjid in Gurgaon
https://www.siasat.com/news/united-against-hate-stages-protest-demands-de-sealing-masjid-gurgaon-1408136/
New Delhi: Strong anger prevails among Muslims against sealing of Madina Masjid located at Sheetla colony, Gurugram. Protests are staged at various placed with the demand to de-seal the masjid.A protest was also staged in New Delhi outside Haryana Bhawan, where dozens of activists of United Against Hate shouted slogans against Haryana government and central government.Addressing the protestors, social worker Mehdi Hasan said the central government wants to divide the citizens of India on the basis of religion to cover its failures. They demanded that the Masjid is de-sealed otherwise they will again stage protest against the central government.Madina Masjid in Sheetla Colony in Haryana’s Gurgaon was sealed by Civic officials on Wednesday over alleged proximity to IAF ammunition base. siasat
There was Buddhist temple before the Ram Mandir and Babri Masjid in Ayodhya: Ramdas Athawale
https://netive.in/there-was-buddhist-temple-ramdas-athawale/
Ramdas Aathawale made this statement while having a conversation with the journalists at the Pink City Press Club in Jaipur. ‘You will find the remains of the Buddhist temple if the excavating happens in that place. Meanwhile, he has predicted that BJP will get more than 300 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.’During a visit to Jaipur, Ramdas Athawale said, “I am not suffering from rising fuel prices as I am a minister. I may suffer if I lose my ministerial post. The minister, however, acknowledges the fact that the common man is suffering due to the hike in fuel prices. “It’s understandable that people are suffering from rising fuel prices and it’s the duty of the government to reduce them,” said the Union Minister Ramdas Athawale.netive.in
Valley woman tells trapped militant-son not to surrender, police say it’s a one-off
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/valley-woman-tells-trapped-militant-son-not-to-surrender-police-say-its-a-one-off-5361550/
Srinagar:Police in J&K are calling it a one-off but an audio clip of a phone conversation in which a woman can be heard telling her militant-son not to surrender to the security forces is now doing the rounds on social media in the Valley.The phone call between 16-year-old Zahid Ahmad Mir, one of 5 militants killed last Saturday in Kulgam, and his mother starts with both greeting each other. “What do you think?” asks the mother.Zahid tells her: “We think we have to fight, Inshallah.” She then tells him:“May god give you courage, power and success… may god accept your martyrdom.”He tells his mother to seek forgiveness from people at his funeral. “At my funeral, please ask people to forgive me. I would often appear for a gun salute (at funerals), and sometimes get emotionally charged,” he tells her. The mother replies “No, don’t worry, don’t they (people) know it?”Zahid says SP has been calling them to surrender. “No, no, why will you surrender? Tell him you will not surrender,” the mother says. She asks him if other militants trapped with him have spoken to their families.“Yes, everyone has spoken to their families,” Zahid tells her.His parents live 15 km from Chowgam village, the site of the gunbattle. Police say all 5 militants were given a chance to surrender, but they refused.SSP Kulgam Harmeet Singh said he had spoken to the militants and asked them to surrender: “Family members of the house owner were inside when the firing began. When I came to know that the family is trapped inside, I spoke to one of the members on the phone and then asked the militants to let the family come out.”He said he was told that all the militants were locals, and he asked them to surrender. “But they didn’t agree, and firing soon started from both sides,” Singh said.Asked about the woman telling her son not to surrender, ADGP (L&O) Munir Khan said: “Even if the clip is authentic, it is only one case. In most cases, the families tell us to motivate their sons to surrender… (this is) a new strategy of militants to circulate such clips on social media.”“Whenever we find local militants are present, our first preference is to offer them a chance to surrender. In several operations, we have even brought families to the encounter sites to motivate them. In some cases, we are successful, and in some cases we are not. There are different kinds of situations. It is not same all the time during encounters,” Khan said.Zahid’s mother Haseena Bano said her son called around 1 am Saturday. Zahid, the family said, was a 14-year-old, studying in Class X, when he left home 2 years go to join the Hizbul Mujahideen. indan express
Assam cops arrest Hizbul Mujahideen man’s elder bro, 4aides
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/assam-cops-arrest-hizbul-mujahideen-mans-elder-bro-four-aides/articleshow/65850045.cms
LUCKNOW: With the arrest of alleged Hizbul Mujahideen accused Qamar-uz-Zama’s elder brother and 4 of his aides on Monday, the probe agencies claimed that they were planning to supply AK-47 assault rifles for operations in Assam. The four arrested by Assam police on Monday are Shafiqul-Islam, elder brother of Zama, and his three aides — Riyazuddin, Bahirul-Islam, and Zainul Ahmad. After their arrest, Assam police officials claimed that Riyazuddin had planned to distribute AK-47 to Zama and his other aides in Assam, itself. “But they could not arrange the weapons due to tight security,” said UP ATS officials. The central intelligence agencies are probing the links between United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), a separatist wing in Assam, and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM). They would also be coming to interrogate Zama in Lucknow and also his aides arrested in Assam. TOI
Parents allege crackdown on Islamic teachings as 2 private schools get derecognised in Srinagar
https://www.ibtimes.co.in/parents-allege-crackdown-islamic-teachings-2-private-schools-get-derecognised-srinagar-780789
The department of school education, Kashmir has de-recognised two prominent private schools in downtown Srinagar on Sept.15.However, the decision has turned out to be controversial as parents of the schoolchildren claim that it could damage the academic career of their kids. The schools facing the axe are RP School and Green Valley Educational Institute located in Malla Bagh, an area in downtown Srinagar.Although the reason mentioned by the education department officials behind the de-recognition is the exorbitant fee charged by the school management, a section of the parents allege that the decision by the administration could be a crackdown on schools that are teaching Islamic moral education.The posts on social media in support of the school administrations have now gone viral. This indicates that the present state administration may be opposed to the idea of teaching Islamic education in valley schools.Social media users posted pictures of the students offering Namaz (Islamic prayers) and women teachers and students clad in Hijab and Burqa on school premises. They also claimed that the state administration under the garb of exorbitant fees did not want the preaching of Islamic practices among students."Fee hikes are a norm in all big schools. But singling out a school where Islamic education in being taught, where zuhr prayer is a must. It is disgraceful. In RP we trust. I am proud I have spent few of my years in RP. My future daughter is going to RP," Aafan Hakak tweeted.A post which lays down fees sturucture of various eminent schools in the state, which includes Christian missionary schools besides others, said that the two schools which faced de-recognition comparatively charged lesser fees.ibtimes.co.in
Shambhulal Regar, Who Hacked Muslim Man on Camera, May Contest Lok Sabha Polls From Agra
https://www.news18.com/news/india/shambhulal-regar-who-hacked-muslim-man-on-camera-may-contest-lok-sabha-polls-from-agra-1880263.html
New Delhi: Shambhulal Regar, the man accused of burning and hacking to death a Muslim man in Rajasthan's Rajsamand, is all set to contest 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Agra. Uttar Pradesh Navnirman Sena, a lesser known political outfit in UP, has offered Regar a ticket and has also claimed that he has accepted the offer."Uttar Pradesh Navnirman Sena has decided that for Agra Lok Sabha seat, the party's candidate will be Shambhulal Regar. He will contest the election from inside Jodhpur jail, where he is currently lodged," Amit Jani, National President of Uttar Pradesh Navnirman Sena, told News18.Agra is a seat reserved for members of Scheduled Castes and is currently represented by BJP's Ramshankar Katheria, Chairman of National Commission of Scheduled Castes (NCSC). Last year in December, Regar had hacked to death a Bengali migrant worker, Mohd Afrazul who was working in Rajsamand. Since a video of the act went viral and Regar has been put in jail, his popularity among the Hindus in the state has skyrocketed. Some even took out tableaus in his honour.When asked if Regar had accepted the offer, Jani said, "I have been in touch with him for a long time now and I am pleased to say that he has agreed to be out candidate from Agra. We want only Hindutva faces to contest elections on our party's tickets and there can be nobody better than him. We will soon make a formal announcement."News18
Custody of 4 ‘linked to terror plot’ extended till Sept.25
https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/custody-linked-to-terror-plot-extended-till-september-25-gauri-lankesh-murder-case-5361478/
Mumbai :A special court extended the custody of 4 men, booked for their alleged role in a terror plot involving Hindutva groups, till Sept.25.Sujeeth Kumar and Bharat Kurne, named as accused in the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh in Karnataka, along with two others, Vasudev Suryavanshi and Leeladhar Lodhi, were produced before a special court on Monday. ATS claimed none had cooperated in the probe. Chief Public Prosecutor Jaysingh Desai told the court that based on the disclosures made by Suryavanshi, ATS team had travelled over 2,500 km over the last week, adding that Suryavanshi was constantly misleading police.According to Desai, Suryavanshi had revealed he had dismantled a motorcycle and the ATS wanted to probe into why this was done and whether it was because it was used in another offence.Desai added that Sujeeth had changed 48 handsets in a year and a probe was needed to find the SIM cards he had used and their locations. Defence advocate Sanjeev Punalekar said these handsets were shown to have been seized from all the accused arrested in the Lankesh murder case and not Sujeeth alone.indianexpress
Nala Sopara terror conspiracy case: Court sends 4 accused to police custody till Sept 25
https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india-nala-sopara-terror-conspiracy-case-court-sends-4-accused-to-police-custody-till-sept-25-463721
Police involved in 1997 Coimbatore riots, says BJP ex-MP
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/coimbatore/police-involved-in-1997-coimbatore-riots-says-bjp-ex-mp/articleshow/65848976.cms
Coimbatore: Senior BJP leader and chairman of the Coir Board C P Radhakrishnan stoked a fresh controversy by alleging that police were involved in the Coimbatore riots of 1997 that followed the murder of traffic police constable R Selvaraj. Radhakrishnan represented the Coimbatore Lok Sabha constituency for two terms between 1998 and 2004. He said BJP and Hindu outfits did not expose the police role in the riots all along. Radhakrishnan said traffic police constable Selvaraj had stopped 3 people who were travelling in a 2 -wheeler and did not allow the triple ride. So, he was brutally murdered in the day light in November 1997. “All that followed were not done by BJP or Hindu Munnani. It was all done by police personnel who could not bear the murder of Selvaraj. But we did not expose the involvement of the police at any situation.But Hindutva people who were not involving in any riots, were spending their days behind the bars. Exposing the police is equal to betraying the nation,” said Radhakrishnan. TOI
One manual scavenging death every 5 days: Official data
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/official-data-shows-one-manual-scavenging-death-every-five-days-5361531/
New Delhi : SINCE JAN.1, 2017, one person has died every five days, on an average, while cleaning sewers and septic tanks across the country, according to numbers collated by the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis (NCSK), the statutory body that was set up by an Act of Parliament for the welfare of sanitation workers.The data, which is based mostly on newspaper reports and numbers supplied by a few state governments, is the first such official attempt to account for the deaths of sewer and septic tank cleaners. According to NCSK, 123 people employed in hazardous forms of manual scavenging lost their lives while at work since Jan.2017. The last one week alone has seen a total of 6 deaths in the National Capital Region. Officials involved in the exercise admit, however, that even this number could be a gross under-estimation, considering the lack of data.indianexpress
Dehradun gangrape: Nine, including four students, arrested; school forced survivor to abort, say cops
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/dehradun-school-gangrape-5362528/
Dehradun :Over a month after the alleged gangrape of a 16-year-old girl at a boarding school in Dehradun, police have arrested four minor boys on rape charges, and five members of the administration for destroying evidence. The four boys, and 5 members from the school administration – the director, the principal, an administrative officer along with his wife, and a hostel caretaker — all named in the FIR, were arrested Monday.“The girl did inform the school administration about the gangrape by the four boys and the pregnancy, but instead of informing the police and the family of the girl, the school administration gave her various medications to end the pregnancy. The school officials later took the girl to a nursing home for an abortion,” a police official said, adding that the school administration had put “immense pressure on the girl so that she doesn’t tell anyone about the incident”.indianexpress
Maha BJP MLA asks state govt to provide quota to Muslims
https://www.theweek.in/wire-updates/national/2018/09/17/bom25-mh-bjp-muslim-quota.html
Nagpur:Disgruntled BJP MLA Ashish Deshmukh has slammed the Maharashtra government for failing to provide reservation to the Muslim community.Addressing a function recently at Katol, a taluka in Nagpur district, BJP MLA said that lack of reservations was depriving the community of good education. "There is an urgent need for Muslim reservation. It will allow the community to progress if they get reservation in jobs and education," Deshmukh said. Previous Congress-NCP government in the state had issued an ordinance in Oct.2014 announcing 5% quota in jobs and education for Muslims and 16 per cent for Marathas. After the decision was challenged, the Bombay High Court scrapped the entire Maratha reservation along with 5% Muslim reservation in jobs. However, it allowed the 5 per cent Muslim quota in education."But Devendra Fadnavis government has not implemented 5 per cent reservations for Muslims in education," Deshmukh said, claiming that the community would not get quota till it showed its strength.He said that intellectuals and prominent citizens from the community must come together to press for reservation, adding that the community's condition was worse than that of the Dalits.PTI
Sadhguru: No bombings in Modi era. Fact: 400 plus in 2016 alone
http://caravandaily.com/portal/sadhguru-no-bombings-in-modi-era-fact-400-plus-in-2016-alone/
New Delhi — In his another comment that shows he has seemingly launched campaign for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his BJP government ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, founder of Isha Foundation, on Sunday said that no bombings took place during the last four years of the Modi government at the centre. Within 48 hours of his comment, however, an analysis of the govnt statements shows bombings took place in the period – and more than 400 in 2016 alone.Talking to reporters in Hyderabad on Sunday, Sadhguru said Indians must appreciate that no bomb blasts have occurred in the country in the last four years, barring border areas and thanked security forces for making a determined effort to tackle terror. “We must know and acknowledge and appreciate and enjoy one thing… that in the last four years there have been no bomb blasts in the country…Whatever is happening is only in the border area and unfortunately in Kashmir,” Sadhguru told reporters.Sadhguru’s claim is completely false caravandaily
WORLD
Russia: Syrian missiles shot down Russian aircraft in crossfire
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/09/russia-military-jet-vanishes-radar-syria-14-aboard-180918045210361.html
A Russian military aircraft was brought down by a Syrian missile over the Mediterranean Sea, killing all 15 people on board, the Russian defence ministry said.Moscow blamed Israel for the crash, saying the reconnaissance plane was caught in the crossfire as four Israeli fighter jets attacked targets in northwestern Syria."The Israeli pilots were using the Russian aircraft as a shield and pushed it into the line of fire of the Syrian defence," ministry spokesperson Major General Igor Konashenkov said in a statement on Tuesday.Russia said it would make an "appropriate response" to Israel.The Russian military said the Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft was hit 35km off the Syrian coast as it was returning to its home base nearby.An Israeli military spokesperson when asked about both the reported Israeli attack and the Russian plane said: "We don't comment on foreign reports."For several years, Israel and Russia have maintained a special hotline to prevent their air forces from clashing in the skies over Syria.Israeli military officials have previously praised its effectiveness.Around the time the plane disappeared, the Syrian coastal city of Latakia - near the Russian Khmeimim airbase to which the Il-20 was returning - came under attack from "enemy missiles", and missile defence batteries responded, Syrian state media reported.Russian military said Israel did not warn it of its operation over Latakia province until one minute before the attack, which did not give the Russian plane enough time to escape.Al Jazeera's Rory Challands, said the latest development will test Russia-Israel relations.aljazeera
Russia blames Israel for indirectly causing its military plane to be shot down over Syria
https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/russia-blames-israel-for-indirectly-causing-its-military-plane-to-be-shot-down-over-syria/article24976802.ece?homepage=true
Turkey, Russia agree on demilitarized zone in Syria’s Idlib
https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/turkey-russia-agree-on-demilitarized-zone-in-syrias-idlib/article24976109.ece?homepage=true
Moscow:The leaders of Russia and Turkey agreed on Monday to establish a demilitarized zone in Syria’s Idlib region, the last major stronghold of anti-government rebels where fears had been running high of a devastating offensive by government forces.The zone will be established by Oct. 15 and be 15-20 km deep, with troops from Russia and NATO-member Turkey conducting coordinated patrols, President Vladimir Putin said at the end of a more than 3-hour meeting with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Sochi.The deal marked a significant agreement between the 2 leaders and effectively delays an offensive by Syria and its Russian and Iranian allies, one that Turkey fears would create a humanitarian crisis near its border.Putin said “radical militants” would have to withdraw from the zone. Among them would be those from the al-Qaida-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham Arabic for Levant Liberation Committee. Group denies it is linked to al-Qaida.AP
Iran hails Russia-Turkey agreement on Idlib buffer zone
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/09/iran-hails-russia-turkey-agreement-idlib-buffer-zone-180918070652074.html
Iran's foreign minister has hailed an agreement between Turkey and Russia to avert an assault on the Syrian rebel-held Idlib province, as an example of "responsible diplomacy".On his Twitter account, Zarif wrote: "Intensive responsible diplomacy over the last few weeks-pursued in my visits to Ankara & Damascus, followed by the Iran-Russia-Turkey Summit in Tehran and the meeting (in) Sochi-is succeeding to avert war in #Idlib with a firm commitment to fight extremist terror. Diplomacy works." aljazeera
Two Palestinians killed in Israeli air attack in Gaza
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/09/palestinians-killed-israeli-air-strike-gaza-180918070037383.html
Two Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli air attack near the fence between Gaza and Israel in the southern Gaza Strip, the health ministry said.The two men, who were later identified as Ibrahim al-Najjar and Mohammed Khidr, were taken to the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis after their bodies were discovered on Monday night by Red Crescent medics.In a statement, the Israeli army said they targeted a group of "terrorists" who were seen near the fence acting in a "suspicious" way.aljazeera
Myanmar army should be removed from politics: UN probe
https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/myanmar-army-should-be-removed-from-politics-un-probe/article24976138.ece?homepage=true
Yangon:Myanmar’s powerful army should be removed from politics, UN investigators said on Tuesday, as they released the final part of a damning report reiterating calls for top generals to be prosecuted for “genocide” against the Rohingya Muslim minority.A brutal military crackdown last year forced more than 700,000 Rohingya to flee over the border to Bangladesh.UN’s 444-page probe called for the military’s top leadership to be replaced and for the institution - locally known as the Tatmadaw -- to have no further influence over the country’s governance.Myanmar’s military dominates the Buddhist-majority country, holding a quarter of seats in parliament and controlling three ministries.But the report said that the country’s civilian leadership “should further pursue the removal of the Tatmadaw from Myanmar’s political life”, referring to the nation’s armed forces.AFP
FLASH VIEWS & NEWS
India’s macroeconomic framework is based on an antiquated belief that the economy is closed:Jahangir Aziz
https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/indian-economy-rupee-vs-dollar-gdp-5361304/
Indian intellectuals hate Rahul Gandhi as much as they hate Narendra Modi:KUMAR KETKAR
https://theprint.in/opinion/indian-intellectuals-hate-rahul-gandhi-as-much-as-they-hate-narendra-modi/119332/
Pune Police On Bhima Koregaon: 22 FIRs Uninvestigated, Eyewitness Statements Unrecorded And A Main Conspirator On Bail:SAGAR
http://www.caravanmagazine.in/society/crime/pune-police-bhima-koregaon-22-firs-uninvestigated-eyewitness-statements-unrecorded-main-conspirator-bail
How Courts and Kin Failed 5 Muslim Rape Survivors in Muzaffarnagar:thequint
https://www.thequint.com/news/india/2013-muzaffarnagar-riots-muslim-rape-victims-change-statements-court
Criminalising the mere espousal of an ideology under the UAPA is unconstitutional:Nandita Rao
https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/unlawful-activities-prevention-act-arrests-sedition-supreme-court-5361305/
Compiled and edited by Anwarulhaq (Released at: 6:49 PM)
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