NEWS DIGEST, EVENING
19 May 2019: 13 Ramazan 1440:Vol: 11, No:205
INDIA
Live: General election concludes with phase 7 recording over 60% turnout;
https://www.thehindu.com/elections/lok-sabha-2019/general-election-phase-7-live-updates-may-19-2019/article27172356.ece?homepage=true
The seventh and final phase of Lok Sabha election 2019 was held on May 19 in 59 constituencies, including in Varanasi where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking to retain the seat.Over 10 crore people were eligible to vote in the phase which saw 918 candidates across seven States and one Union Territory. Polling was held in all 13 seats in Punjab and an equal number of seats in Uttar Pradesh, nine in West Bengal, eight seats each in Bihar and MP, four in Himachal Pradesh, three in Jharkhand and the lone seat Chandigarh. Repolling was held in in seven booths in Kerala's Kannur and Kasaragod Lok Sabha constituencies today following the Election Commission’s finding that bogus voting took place in the booths on April 23.Besides the Lok Sabha seats, bypolls were held four Assembly seats in Tamil Nadu and one in Goa.Among the prominent candidates are PM Modi and Ravi Shankar Prasad of the BJP, and Shatrughan Sinha and Manish Tewari of the Congress.For all 59 constituencies, the turnout figure stands at 61% till 5 pm as against 64.63% in 2014. Punjab: 60% till 5 pm against 71.28% in 2014, Himachal: 65.5% till 5 pm compared to 65.06% in 2014, M.P.: 59.38% ill 3 pm compared total 66.87% in 2014, Jharkhand: 68.27% till 3 pm as against 68.87% in 2014, West Bengal: 65.59% till 4 pm compared to a total of 79.15 % in 2014, Bihar: 50.86% turnout till 5.30 pm compared to total of 51.49 % in 2014. Thehindu
Exit Poll Results Lok Sabha elections LIVE: First polls call it for NDA
https://indianexpress.com/elections/lok-sabha-elections-exit-poll-results-2019-live-updates-pm-modi-bjp-rahul-gandhi-congress-5735966/?pfrom=HP
As the intense election battle came to a close with the conclusion of the seventh phase of Lok Sabha elections, three exit polls predicted that the BJP-led NDA will win more than 300 seats and return to form its second successive government. In the 2014 elections, the NDA together won 336 seats.India TV predicts a landslide 7 out of 7 seat win in Delhi for the BJP. Three exit polls have predicted a big win for NDA. Two exit polls said the BJP-led NDA will win more than 300 seats and return to form its second successive government. Times Now-VMR says NDA will win 306 and UPA 132 seats. According to India Today-Axis, YSR Congress is expected to win anywhere between 18 to 20 seats in Andhra Pradesh while TDP will be down to 4 to 6 seats. In 2014 elections, N Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP had bagged 16 and emerged as the single largest party with a vote share of 40.8 per cent. The second-biggest party was the Jaganmohan Reddy-led YSR Congress Party, which won 8 seats with 45.7 per cent votes. Republic C-Voter has predicted more than 300 of 543 seats for BJP-led NDA.However, exit polls have often proved to be unreliable in the past. For instance, exit polls on the 2004 Lok Sabha polls wrongly predicted BJP-led NDA coalition winning again,while in 2009 they underestimated Congress-led UPA’s seat share.In 2014, however, most of the exit polls turned out to be accurate with BJP securing a majority of its own. Indianexpress
BJP, Allies To Cross 300, According To Poll Of Polls
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/lok-sabha-elections-2019-who-will-win-this-election-what-exit-polls-predict-2039794?pfrom=home-topscroll
Exit Poll Live: NDA set to return to power with 306 seats, predicts Times Now-VMR exit poll
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/lok-sabha-election-exit-polls-2019-live-updates/liveblog/69398360.cms
Voters in this UP village allege BJP workers inked their fingers to stop them from voting
https://indianexpress.com/elections/chandauli-uttar-pradesh-lok-sabha-2019-bjp-5735644/?pfrom=HP
New Delhi :Residents of Tara Jivapur village in Uttar Pradesh’s Chandauli district alleged that three men who claimed to be from BJP had “forcefully” applied ink to their fingers and gave them Rs 500 on Saturday in a bid to prevent them from voting in Sunday’s seventh and final phase of Lok Sabha elections.One of the villagers told ANI: “They were from BJP and asked us if we’ll vote for the party. They told us now you can’t vote. Don’t tell anyone.”Taking note of the allegations, Chandauli SDM KR Harsh said villagers are eligible to vote and action will be taken against the accused based on the complaint.“Complainants are present at police staion. We will take action as per the complaint they file. They are still eligible to cast votes as elections hadn’t begun then. They will have to mention in the FIR that ink was forecefully applied,” he told ANI.Chandauli is among the 13 Lok Sabha seats in which polling began on Sunday morning. UP BJP chief Mahendra Nath Pandey is seeking reelection from Chandauli.indianexpress
Politicians Caution against Manual Vote Tabulation
http://caravandaily.com/politicians-caution-against-manual-vote-tabulation/
Mumbai:Opposition parties have been apprehensive about glitches in EVMs, but a new spectre looms large ahead of May 23 when the counting of votes begins.With the verdict of millions of voters in the 2019 elections sealed inside EVMs, there are fresh fears of foul play and potential manipulation that could result from alleged loopholes in the counting processes of the Election. Commission of India (ECI), warns an expert on election laws. In order to avoid this, there is a clamour that the ECI must provide a printout of the votes cast in each EVM to all candidates or their counting agents, which can be later tallied with the final vote-count.In the EVM era, for reasons best known to it, the ECI continues the old and faulty “manual recording and tabulation” of votes, where there is scope for manoeouvring, said eminent Nagpur-based lawyer Vinod Tiwari, a BJP leader. He has raised the issue with ECI since 2009 but said the election body was “reluctant to take any steps to improve the systems, which can benefit the entire electoral process”.IANS
‘Deleted’ Stamped on Names of Muslim Voters in Electoral Rolls in UP’s Ballia
http://caravandaily.com/deleted-stamped-on-names-of-muslim-voters-in-electoral-rolls-in-ups-ballia/
Lucknow; Samajwadi Party will reportedly approach the Election Commission over alleged deletion of names of Muslim voters in Chandauli, Uttar Pradesh. Names of several Muslim voters were reportedly deleted from the electoral rolls at a booth in Ballia Lok Sabha constituency in the state as well.As per Times Now journalist Prashant Kumar, the names have been allegedly deleted at booth number 334, 335, 336 in Mughalsarai. Mughalsarai falls under Chandauli Lok Sabha constituency in Chandauli district .As per Uttar Pradesh.ORG News, “deleted” was stamped over several Muslims names at Murli Manohar Town Inter College booth in Ballia constituency. caravandaily
Ashok Lavasa note pushes poll panel to rethink clean chit to NITI, PMO
https://indianexpress.com/elections/lavasa-note-pushes-poll-panel-to-rethink-clean-chit-to-niti-pmo-5735520/
New Delhi :Election Commission (EC) has decided to revisit its clean chit to the NITI Aayog and PMO over an alleged violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), at Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa’s insistence. Last week, the poll panel had disposed of a Congress complaint alleging misuse of the NITI Aayog by the PMO for gathering information on Gondia, Wardha and Latur ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s election rallies there. Speaking at a press conference on May 12, Deputy Election Commissioner Sandeep Saxena had informed journalists that EC had found no merit in the complaint as PM, by virtue of an instruction issued on Oct.7, 2014, is permitted to combine his official and electioneering visits.The clean chit, Sunday Express has learnt, was given despite Lavasa’s request on file for further clarification from NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant on whether the govt think tank had indeed sought information from the collectors of Gondia, Wardha and Latur, and if the information was used for the PM’s visit. The complaint was dismissed as Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora and Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra felt the exemption granted to PM on Oct.7,2014, rendered the allegation infructuous.Lavasa is learnt to have subsequently questioned how the matter was decided without obtaining complete facts. Following his objection to the process followed, EC wrote a second letter to Kant on Thursday asking him to clarify whether NITI Aayog had sought information from the collectors and if the information collected was used for the PM’s election-related visits.Kant hasn’t been given any deadline to respond by.Congress had filed its complaint to the EC on May 1. In it, party had claimed that NITI Aayog was used by PMO to collect information in advance about places where Modi was scheduled to campaign.Quoting from a news report in scroll.in, Congress complaint alleged that in March, NITI Aayog wrote to collectors in Maharashtra seeking basic statistics and demographics of Gondia, Latur and Wardha. Similar information was sought from officers of all Union territories on local culture, history, heroes and the areas Modi was to visit.This, Congress said, was a violation of EC’s instructions prohibiting misuse of govt resources in poll campaigning.indianexpress
Tribunal to adjudicate ban on SIMI conducts hearing: First public witness opposes ban, says knowledge based on news reports, books
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/tribunal-to-adjudicate-ban-on-simi-conducts-hearing-first-public-witness-opposes-ban-says-knowledge-based-on-news-reports-books-5735629/
Aurangabad: Anjum Inamdar (53), the first public witness deposing before the tribunal constituted by the central government to ascertain whether there was sufficient cause to extend the ban on SIMI, on Saturday said all his knowledge and opinion about the banned outfit was based on reports in newspapers and information in books. Inamdar, president of Pune-based organisation Muslim Mulnivasi Manch (MMM), also submitted an affidavit before the tribunal, which is currently conducting hearings in Aurangabad. The tribunal is presided by Justice Mukta Gupta. The only other public affidavit received by the tribunal is from a former general secretary of SIMI in Uttar Pradesh.Inamdar told Justice Gupta that during the hearings in Pune earlier this month, police “submitted incomplete information” before the tribunal about two terror cases in the city – German Bakery Blast of Feb.13, 2010, and the Faraskhana bomb blast on July 16, 2014.2 officials from Telangana, including Police Inspector J Venkateshwarulu and Police Sub-Inspector G V Narayana, also deposed before the tribunal on Saturday. indianexpress
The history behind the ban on SIMI, and why the tribunal is reviewing it
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/the-history-behind-the-ban-on-simi-and-why-the-tribunal-is-reviewing-it-5735659/
3 killed in JK encounter:Cops say 1 was ‘active aid of terrorists’,family says he was not militant
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/three-killed-in-shopian-encounter-police-say-one-was-active-associate-of-terrorists-family-says-he-was-not-militant/
Shopian:Hours after police said that 3 militants were killed in an encounter in Shopian, a J&K Police release clarified that one of them was an “active associate of terrorists”. His family, however, maintained that he had nothing to do with militancy.Ishtiyaq Ahmad Bhat’s body was among the three bodies recovered from Handew area after an encounter between militants and security forces in the village on Thursday evening. Initially,J&K Police said that three militants were killed in the operation.In another release, issued by J&K Police spokesperson at midnight, they said that the militants had been identified. The release said that as per police records, Ishtiyaq was an “active associate of terrorists” and criminal cases were earlier registered against him, including one for militant activities. “His complicity in the instant incident is under probe,” the spokesperson said. Army spokesperson on Thursday night had said that only two militants were killed in the encounter. It did not mention Ishtiyaq’s killing.At Ishtiyaq’s two-storey house in Handew village, the family appeared shocked. “How was he killed and how did he reach there? Only god knows what happened. But I can assure you he was not a militant, he had nothing to do with militancy. He was a civilian,” Ishtiyaq’s father Mohammed Dawood Bhat said.That afternoon, Ishtiyaq reportedly returned home with firewood from his orchard, and then left to spend time in the neighborhood. An hour later, his family received news that he was killed in an encounter in a nearby orchard.When the firing started in the village, Bhat said he immediately called on Ishtiyaq’s mobile. “But his phone kept ringing, and was later switched off. I started worrying,” he said. It was only after the Army took some locals to take the bodies out after the operation that one of them was identified as Ishtiyaq, said Bhat.The family admitted that Ishtiyaq was arrested earlier this year. “He was in jail for about a month. As he was regularly going to the police station, he developed good relations with the police and would often play cricket with them,” said another relative of Ishtiyaq. “Whenever he got a call from the local police station, he would meet them.”indianexpress
SIT formed to probe cattle trader’s death in J&K, curfew continues for third day
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/jammu-kashmir-cattle-trader-murder-sit-bhaderwah-curfew-5735091/
New Delhi:A 5-member SIT was constituted on Saturday to probe the death of a 50-year-old cattle trader, which had triggered communal violence in J&K’s Bhaderwah town of Doda district.“A five-member SIT headed by Superintendent of Police, Bhaderwah, Raj Singh Gouria has been constituted to probe the killing of Shah,” PTI quoted senior Superintendent of Police, Doda, Shabir Ahmad Malik as saying.On Saturday, Gouria, along with with other members of the SIT, and a team of Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) visited the scene of the incident at Kachi Nalthi village and collected fresh evidence.“We are at the scene as part of the investigation after the setting up of the SIT although the probe of the case has already started soon after the incident,” PTI quoted Gouria as saying.Naeem Ahmad Shah (50), a resident of Qilla Mohalla in Bhaderwah, was walking home from Basti village with two others, when he was shot by some people at Nalthi bridge around 2 am on Thursday. When the men reached near Nalthi bridge, they noticed some people hiding behind the bushes. These people allegedly started abusing them and accused them of being cattle smugglers.Meanwhile, curfew continued in Bhaderwah town and its outskirts and mobile internet services remained suspended across Doda district for the third day on Saturday. indianexpress
‘This is cold-blooded murder’: Family alleges RSS-BJP workers killed cattle trader in Jammu
http://twocircles.net/2019may19/431385.html
J&K youth selected for UN AYIMUN conference
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/jk-youth-selected-for-ayimun-conference/article27177923.ece?homepage=true
Bandipora youth Mudasir Nazir Wani has been selected for the coveted Asia Youth International Model UN (AYIMUN) conference. He was selected from more than 33,000 applicants across the globe. Mudasir is one of the 2,500 delegates who would be participating in the conference.AYIMUN is an annual conference wherein young leaders from all over the world sit together in an assembly called Meeting Session and each of them plays the role as a diplomat, representing the country they are assigned to.This year’s AYIMUN is plotted to be the greatest MUN conference in Asia-Pacific. It will be held in Putrajaya International Convention Centre, Malaysia from August 25 to 28, 2019 with 2,500 delegates across the globe.The theme of the conference is “Human security agenda in the globalised world, moral, ethical and ideational foundations of politics”.thehindu
Doctor held for ‘posts against Brahmins, Hindus’: ‘Equating Brahmanvaad with Hinduism a problem’
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/doctor-held-for-posts-against-brahmins-hindus-equating-brahmanvaad-with-hinduism-a-problem-5735476/
Mumbai:Dr Sunil Kumar Nishad is a compulsive ‘Facebooker’, especially when on leave. On the surface, his barbs are aimed at anything — from EVMs to Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur. However, for Nishad, belonging to the Nishad community, which falls under the OBC, ‘Brahmanvaad’ is the avowed enemy that has to be countered and called out. And he sees himself as a crusader on this issue on social media.However, last week, some of his posts led to an FIR at Parksite police station, in Mumbai’s eastern suburbs, following which Nishad was arrested, spent a night at the police lock-up before being released on bail on Thursday by a local court.“The biggest problem is that people are equating Brahmanvaad with the Hindu religion. Brahmanvaad, like Manuvaad or Ambedkarvaad,are philosophies. I am against Brahmanvaad, which is a discriminatory philosophy encouraging practices like untouchability and considers one group of people superior to others on the basis of their caste. I am a Hindu myself but Brahmanvaad has nothing to do with any religion,” Nishad said.“I am just following the principles of Jyotiba Phule,Shahu Maharaj and Dr BR Ambedkar, which talk about equality, fraternity and justice. Any philosophy that is against these principles, like Manuvaad, where a woman has to die because her husband has died, needs to be called out. What I post does not come from a place of hatred but for creating awareness. If anything, you are only improving your religion by doing this,” Nishad said. “I am, however, not a bhakt.”“There is no point in becoming a devotee of someone. I am a follower of the thoughts of these great people. When Jyotiba Phule and Savitribai Phule started a school for girls, people at that point had said that it was wrong, and harassed them. It was Fatima Shaikh and her brother who gave them a place to start their school. This is how people who follow a similar ideology — like educating girls in this case — come together. It has nothing to do with any religion,” he added.Nishad, who originally hails from Noida, was born and brought up in Mumbai. indian express
PMO, Prez, other VVIPs owe Air India Rs 600 crore:RTI
https://scroll.in/latest/924023/prime-ministers-office-president-and-other-vvips-owe-air-india-rs-600-crore-says-rti
Even as Air India continues to sell property to raise money, the government of India owes the struggling airline Rs 598.55 crore, according to information released by Air India in response to a Right to Information application. Almost half of these dues are from the PMO, which has yet to pay the struggling airline Rs 297.08 crore, mostly for aircraft maintenance. “Payments of 2008 onward are still pending,” said retired Commodore Lokesh Batra who received the reply on March 31, 2019.“Media often reports that employees’ salaries get delayed, but why? At the end of the day, it is tax payers who pay for lapses of governance.”scroll.in
Nitish condemns Pragya Thakur’s remark, favours her expulsion from BJP
https://www.thehindu.com/elections/lok-sabha-2019/nitish-condemns-pragya-thakurs-remark-favours-her-expulsion-from-bjp/article27177438.ece
After exercising his vote Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday condemned his alliance partner BJP's candidate from Bhopal Pragya Thakur’s controversial remark that Nathuram Godse was a deshbhakt (patriot). “This is condemnable...Mahatma Gandhi is father of nation and people will not like if anyone talks about Godse in this manner”, Kumar said when asked about BJP’s Bhopal candidate Pragya Singh Thakur’s controversial remark that assassin of Mahatma Gandhi Nathuram Godse was a patriot.Kumar further said BJP should expel Ms Thakur from the party.“We should not tolerate such things”, he added while speaking to a news agency. When asked if Ms Thakur be expelled from the party, Kumar said, “it must be considered”. “But, it is an internal matter of BJP”, he added further.Kumar exercised his vote at a government school near Raj Bhawan and said that “elections should not be held over such long duration”.“A long gap was there between each seven phases of poll...I’ll write to leaders of all political parties to build a consensus on this that election should wrap up early for convenient of voters”, said Mr Kumar while speaking to journalists.thehindu
Godse assassinated Gandhi, but Pragya Thakur killed his soul;Kailash Satyarthi
https://scroll.in/latest/923930/godse-assassinated-mahatma-gandhi-but-pragya-thakur-killed-his-soul-says-kailash-satyarthi
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Kailash Satyarthi on Saturday criticised BJP leader and its Bhopal Lok Sabha candidate Pragya Singh Thakur for calling Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin Nathuram Godse a patriot. Gandhi is above power and politics, Satyarthi said, adding that people like Thakur were “killing the soul of India”.“Godse had killed Gandhi’s body, but people like Pragya are killing his soul, along with non-violence, peace, tolerance and the soul of India,” the child rights activist said in a tweet in Hindi. “Gandhi is above all power and politics.”
Blast outside MLA Munirathna’s residence in Bangalore kills one, police launch probe
https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/bangalore/blast-bengaluru-mla-munirathna-rrnagar-residence-kills-one-police-investigation-forensic-explosion-5735826/?pfrom=HP
Bangalore:A man was killed in a blast outside Karnataka Congress MLA Munirathna Naidu’s residence in Vyalikaval in Bangalore on Sunday. Police said they are investigating the cause of the blast which occurred at around 9.15 am.Bangalore City Police Commissioner T Suneel Kumar identified the blast victim as Venkatesh, a 45-year-old washerman. A forensic team has reached the blast site and further investigation is underway, Kumar said.According to eyewitnesses, the intensity of the blast was such that the victim’s body was mutilated. Police officials at the spot said the explosion took place next to parking area of the MLA’s house. indianexpress
In Varanasi, Media Made 2 RSS-Backed Muslim Women the Voice of the Community
https://thewire.in/politics/varanasi-muslim-women-rss
Varanasi: On March 11, 2017, the day the assembly election results were declared in Uttar Pradesh, a clip of Muslim women celebrating Narendra Modi’s victory in Varanasi was prominently featured on the media. ANI feed made its way to primetime news on almost every channel. Several people across the city would cite the images of a few burkha-clad women dancing and singing praises of Modi as proof that ‘even Muslims’ were supporting their ‘great leader’.A few months later, in May 2017, another ANI clip got much play. This featured Muslim women at Varanasi’s Sankat Mochan Darbar, reciting the Hanuman Chalisa, 100 times, to “get rid of the ill practice of triple talaq”.“Teen talaq ke ‘sankat’ se mukti ke liye Hanuman ji ki sharan mein Muslim mahilain (Muslim women seeks relief from Triple talaq at the Hanuman temple)” ran the headline in Amar Ujala. “Muslim Women for Reprieve from Triple Talaq” claimed TOI. On Diwali, the Times of India YouTube channel showed Muslim women performing the Ram Aarti in Varanasi. 6 months later, ANI had another story on Muslim women making rakhis to send ‘Modiji’, their true brother who had saved them from triple talaq. Most recently, in the run-up to elections 2019, Muslim women were shown campaigning for Modi in Varanasi.Most of the stories were picked up from the ANI feed. They were widely circulated, but had very few details. They failed to point out that these ‘Muslim women’ rarely numbered more than five, or that the two women at the centre of all the clips and images were always the same. Some reports mentioned the organisations they were linked to – the Muslim Mahila Foundation and the Vishal Bharat Sangh – but there was no mention of the fact that these organisations, though nominally independent, have RSS’s support. The impact of these stories is found in the many voices one hears in Varanasi that embellish praise for Modi with details of how he even enjoys the support of ‘Muslim women’. Thewire
WORLD
Saudi 'seeks to avert war, ready to respond with force'
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/05/saudi-arabia-seeks-avert-war-ready-respond-force-190519055552084.html
Saudi Arabia wants to avert war in the region but stands ready to respond with "all strength and determination" after last week's attacks on Saudi oil assets, a senior official said, adding that the ball was now in Iran's court.Riyadh has accused Tehran of ordering Tuesday's drone strikes on two oil pumping stations in the kingdom, claimed by Yemen's Houthi group.The attack came two days after four vessels, including two Saudi oil tankers, were sabotaged off the coast of the UAE.Iran has denied it was behind the attacks which come as Washington and the Islamic republic spar over sanctions and the US military presence in the region, raising concerns about a potential US-Iran conflict."The kingdom of Saudi Arabia does not want a war in the region nor does it seek that," Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir told a news conference on Sunday."It will do what it can to prevent this war and at the same time it reaffirms that in the event the other side chooses war, the kingdom will respond with all force and determination, and it will defend itself and its interests."Saudi's King Salman on Sunday invited Gulf and Arab leaders to convene emergency summits in Mecca on May 30 to discuss implications of the attacks."The current critical circumstances entail a unified Arab and Gulf stance toward the besetting challenges and risks," UAE foreign ministry said in a statement.Saudi Arabia's Sunni Muslim ally UAE has not blamed anyone for te tanker operation, pending an investigation.No one has claimed responsibility, but 2 US govt sources said last week that US officials believed Iran had encouraged the Houthi group or Iraq-based Shia militias to carry it out.aljazeera
Iran is not pursuing war: Revolutionary Guards chief
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-iran-guards/iran-is-not-pursuing-war-revolutionary-guards-chief-idUSKCN1SP05X
Iran is not pursuing war, the head of the elite Revolutionary Guards said on Sunday, according to the Fars.“The difference between us and them is that they are afraid of war and don’t have the will for it,” Major General Hossein Salami said.Reuters
Eurovision goes ahead in Israel despite pro-Palestinian protests
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/05/190518193411198.html
The Eurovision Song Contest finals got under way in Tel Aviv, as Israeli police threw a high-security cordon around the venue, amid pro-Palestinian protests urging fans to shun the event.Armed police stood at elevated positions around the Expo Tel Aviv complex on Saturday night, with patrol cars and police motorcyclists at junctions as fans passed through metal detectors and multiple security checks.Pro-Palestinian groups including the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement have called on artists and the public to stay away from the 41-country international singing competition to protest against Israeli policies and human rights breaches in the occupied West Bank and Gaza.No finalists or broadcasters have pulled out, but the organisers put security inside the hall in case activists tried to disrupt the live televised final or performers held an on-stage protest.aljazeera
PA ‘ready to talk’ about confederation with Jordan
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190518-pa-ready-to-talk-about-confederation-with-jordan/
Palestinian Authority (PA) has said that it is ready to talk about the prospect of a confederation with Jordan, drawing fierce condemnation from the Kingdom.The PA’s Ambassador to Moscow, Abdel-Hafeez Nofal, said that the PA is “ready to talk about a confederal union” with Jordan, Al-Resala newspaper reported yesterday.S ecretary General of the Jordanian Popular Unity Party, Said Thiyab, condemned Nofal’s remarks, saying: “The PA’s remarks about its readiness to talk about a confederation with Jordan undermines Palestinian rights in favour of passing the deal of the century,” referring to the long-awaited US peace plan slated to be released after Ramadan.Thiyab stressed that Jordan’s stance regarding a confederation is clear, referring to a statement by Jordan’s King Abdullah in which he said: “There is no alternative to the two-state solution and the creation of an independent Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital.”middleeastmonitor
Sudan's military says talks to resume as barricades removed
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/05/sudan-military-resume-civil-talks-barricades-removed-190518171852752.html
Sudan's military council has announced plans to resume talks with protest leaders, paving the way for the two sides to iron out differences over an interim body to steer the country towards democratic elections.In a statement on Saturday, the Transitional Military Council (TMC) said negotiations with the Alliance for Freedom and Change will resume on Sunday.aljazeera
Australia's ruling coalition clinches election victory
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/australias-ruling-coalition-clinches-election-victory/1481685
Australian PM Scott Morrison declared his ruling coalition's victory following the general elections. As the counting is still ongoing, the unofficial results show that Morrison's conservative Liberal Party-led coalition-- which had been in power for 6 years -- received 41.6% of votes so far.Liberal-National party coalition won 74 deputies in 150-seat House of Representatives while the main opposition Labor Party secured to move 66 of their deputies to the parliament by receiving 33.4% of votes.In the election, Green Party won 1 deputy with 10.3 percent of vote, and the independent candidates won 5 seats.“I have always believed in miracles,” Morrison said in his victory speech.Anadolu
Bad news for Imran Khan, no oil and gas reserves found off Pakistan shore
https://indianexpress.com/article/pakistan/pakistan-stops-much-celebrated-offshore-drilling-as-no-oil-and-gas-reserves-found-5735940/?pfrom=HP
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s dream of the cash-strapped country becoming self-sufficient in oil has been dashed after no reserves were discovered in the Arabian Sea off the Karachi coast, media reports said Sunday.The drilling work at Kekra-1 well in deep sea near Karachi has been stopped after no oil or gas reservoir could be found, according to Special Assistant to Prime Minister Khan on Petroleum Nadeem Babar.Pakistan was hopeful of finding large oil and gas reserves in its territorial waters in the Arabian Sea. US oil giant Exxon Mobil, Italy’s ENI and a couple other companies were involved in drilling an ultra-deep oil well.Babar told Geo News that the process of drilling up to more than 5,500 meters was completed on Kekra-1 (Indus G-Block) off the Karachi coast.PTI
Flash: views & NEWS
If Modi returns to power, he might have to drop the Hindutva project: Tavleen Singh
https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/lok-sabha-elections-2019-bjp-pm-modi-varanasi-nyay-mamata-banerjee-democracy-is-hard-work-5735378/?pfrom=HP
What it means to be secular in India today, with Harsh Mander
https://indianexpress.com/audio/the-sandip-roy-show/what-it-means-to-be-secular-in-india-today-with-harsh-mander/5735646/?pfrom=HP
Viral video: Differently-abled man delivering food in a hand-pulled tricycle is inspiring all online
https://indianexpress.com/article/trending/trending-in-india/zomato-differently-abled-man-delivering-food-viral-video-5735885/?fbclid=IwAR0jeRy3aRnnp091I_ZyfuoRCg6Pb2DJSzN8e9c55pAqciyS30dTTu06bFw
In Lok Sabha elections campaign, we have seen an abundance of everything except debates on policies: P Chidambaram
https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/lok-sabha-elections-narendra-modi-bjp-amit-shah-rahul-gandhi-economy-unemployment-at-last-the-end-with-bitterness-5735379/?pfrom=HP
The General Elections Will Decide Bengal's Future Political Destiny:Monobina Gupta
https://thewire.in/politics/bengal-elections-2019-political-destiny
Dairy Farmer Killed for Being Muslim - No Justice for Umar Mohammad:Newsclick
https://www.newsclick.in/dairy-farmer-killed-being-muslim-no-justice-umar-mohammad
12 years of Makkah Masjid bomb blast: Justice still denied
http://twocircles.net/2019may18/431370.html
A new documentary examines how ‘viral videos’ spread hate against minorities
https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/the-ones-who-got-away-lynchings-rakbar-khan-5731259/
Compiled and edited by Anwarulhaq (Released at: 6:30 PM)
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment