NEWS DIGEST, EVENING
17 Sept. 2019: 17 Muharram 1441: Vol: 12, No: 15
INDIA
Modi didn’t ask for Zakir Naik’s extradition: Malaysia PM Mahathir
https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/modi-didnt-ask-for-zakir-naiks-extradition-says-malaysia-pm/article29439070.ece?homepage=true
Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamad today said that his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi did not request the extradition of Zakir Naik, wanted in India for money laundering and terror-related charges, and his country is looking for a place to send the preacher. Naik, left India in 2016 and subsequently moved to Malaysia, where he was granted permanent residency. Mahathir said that Modi, whom he met in Russia during an economic forum earlier this month, made no extradition request for the televangelist despite official notice from New Delhi. Briefing reporters on PM’s bilateral meeting with Mahathir, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale had said that Modi raised the issue of Naik’s extradition with the Malaysian premier.“Not many countries want him. I met with Modi. He didn’t ask me for this man,” Mahathir said when asked about Naik’s extradition.He also said that Malaysia was looking for a place to send Naik who has made racially sensitive comments against Hindu and Chinese Malaysians recently. Mahathir then reaffirmed that Naik will no longer be allowed to publicly speak in Malaysia following his racially divisive remarks.“Well, he’s not a national of this country. He has been given, I think by the previous Govt, permanent residence status. A permanent resident isn’t supposed to make any comments on this country’s systems and politics. He has breached that. He is now not allowed to speak.“We are trying to find some place he can go to but at the moment, no one wants to accept him,” he said.PTI
‘India relentlessly pursuing Zakir Naik extradition’: Foreign Minister Jaishankar rebuts Malaysian PM
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/we-want-zakir-naik-foreign-minister-s-jaishankar-rebuts-malaysian-pm/story-aLGk6gfDnTDDw0q8F7QxuM.html
India has been “persistently and relentlessly” pursuing extradition of Zakir Naik, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said on Tuesday, firmly rebutting Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamad. “Let me make it very clear for record. “There is an extradition request (sent in Jan.2018). We want Naik back and that is what we are working on,” Jaishankar told reporters today to outline the foreign ministry’s achievements in first 100 days of the govt. Jaishankar said expectation that Naik should be extradited to India was communicated at meeting of 2 PMs earlier this month.HT
ED seeks fresh NBW against Zakir Naik
https://www.asianage.com/metros/mumbai/170919/ed-seeks-fresh-nbw-against-dr-zakir-naik.html
Enforcement Directorate (ED) has moved an application before the special PMLA court, seeking a fresh non-bailable warrant (NBW) against Zakir Naik. ED filed the application as the court last week refused to grant 2 months’ time to Dr Naik to comply with the summons issued by it, asking him to appear before it. Special public prosecutor Sanjana Sharma moved the application before Prevention of PMLA Judge Prashant Rajvaidya, seeking issuance of a fresh NBW against Naik on grounds that he had failed to appear before the court despite the latter issuing summons to that effect. The plea was made in backdrop of last week’s rejection of Naik’s application seeking 2 months’ time to comply with the summons issued by the court asking him to appear before it. On Sept.13, advocate Taraq Sayed, on behalf of Naik, moved a plea before the court seeking 2 months’ time for him to appear before court.asian age
Office bearers, members of NGOs must declare they weren't involved in faith conversion:Home Ministry
https://thewire.in/Govt/members-of-ngos-must-declare-they-werent-involved-in-faith-conversion-says-home-ministry
Office bearers, key functionaries and members of NGOs receiving foreign funds will have to declare before the Govt that they were not prosecuted or convicted for converting anyone from one faith to another, the home ministry said.In a notification, ministry announced the changes in Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Rules, 2011, which includes that individuals receiving personal gift valued up to Rs 1 lakh need not inform the Govt about it anymore.It has been made mandatory for every key member of NGO “office bearers and key functionaries and members” to certify that they have not been “prosecuted or convicted” for “conversion” from one faith to another and for creating “communal tension and disharmony”, according to the notification.Earlier, as per FCRA 2010, only the applicants such as directors who were seeking permission to receive foreign contribution were required to make such a declaration. In addition, every member of an NGO must also now, under oath, through an affidavit, certify that they have never been involved in “diverting” foreign funds or propagating “sedition” or “advocating violent means”. This declaration, too, needs to be given to all members of an NGO. Earlier, this declaration was to be only given by the applicant of an NGO.Individuals receiving personal gift valued up to Rs 1 lakh need not inform the Govt about it anymore, the home ministry said on Monday as it amended FCRA.Earlier, threshold value was Rs 25,000, as per the market value of the gift item in India. Centre amended the rules governing the FCRA, 2011, and notified this change alongside some other modifications.In case of emergent medical aid needed during a visit abroad, the acceptance of foreign hospitality has to be intimated to the Govt within a month of such receipt, according to the amended rules. The intimation should contain full details including the source, approximate value in Indian rupees and the purpose for which and the manner in which it was utilised.Permission to receive foreign contribution has been taken away from nearly 18,000 NGOs which were found to be violating the various clauses of the FCRA.PTI
Govt tightens religious conversion rule for NGOs in foreign funding tweaks: HT report
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/no-need-to-declare-foreign-gifts-up-to-rs-1l/story-IO2BATHICu92LFblZyY0iN.html
J&K ISSUE
European Parliament set to debate ‘Kashmir issue’ today, first time in 11 years
https://theprint.in/diplomacy/european-parliament-to-debate-kashmir-issue-tomorrow-first-time-in-11-years/292113/?fbclid=IwAR22hu-iB9Q0CP3sBGKeuB-k8y4K3ZDIdEa9mCFaWQXeCjHFnjv1JWtI23E
Strasbourg-based European Parliament is expected to debate on the Kashmir issue and human rights situation in the Valley, due to a communication blockade, today. This will be the second time since 2008 that the European Parliament General Assembly is likely to discuss Kashmir.Pakistan, meanwhile, is planning to move a resolution on Kashmir at the ongoing (9-27 September) 42nd meeting of UNHRC in Geneva. The deadline for Pakistan to move the resolution is 19 Sept. European Parliament, which is an important forum for political debate and decision-making of the EU, has decided to debate the recent steps taken by the Modi Govt of abrogating Article 370 that gave special status to J&K and the ongoing communication blockade in the Valley. The current presidency of European Parliament is held by Finland and it will decide on who makes the final remarks on the Kashmir debate, following which the issue will be opened for discussion, sources said.
Modi Govt tried to ‘crush Amnesty’ for J&K criticism: Amnesty International chief
https://scroll.in/latest/937618/modi-Govt-tried-to-crush-amnesty-for-j-k-criticism-claims-human-rights-organisations-chief
The chief of Amnesty International has alleged that the Indian Govt was intimidating the rights group for voicing its concerns about the situation in Kashmir.“The Modi Govt has made a very big attempt to crush Amnesty in India,” Kumi Naidoo, Amnesty International’s secretary-general, told AFP in an interview.Naidoo added that the rights group would not be silenced. “On Kashmir question, on various human rights questions in India itself, we are not intimidated,” he said. “While our colleagues in our Indian office are under stress, they are as committed, motivated and courageous as ever, if not more, as a result of the repression that we face.”scroll.in
Muslim nations ask Pakistan to engage in backdoor diplomacy with India: Report
https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/india/muslim-nations-ask-pakistan-to-engage-in-backdoor-diplomacy-with-india-report-4440451.html
Some influential Muslim nations have asked Pakistan to engage in backdoor diplomacy with India and requested PM Imran Khan to tone down his rhetoric against his Indian counterpart to de-escalate tensions between the two nations over Kashmir, according to a media report on Monday.When Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir and UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Al-Nahyan travelled together to Islamabad on Sept.3, they came with a "message" on behalf of their leadership as well as some other powerful countries, Express Tribune reported.They asked Pakistan to engage in backchannel diplomacy with India.They met PM Khan, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa during their day-long trip."The discussions were so confidential that only top officials of the foreign ministry were allowed to sit in those meetings," an official told Express Tribune requesting anonymity.According to official, both Saudi and UAE diplomats conveyed their willingness to play a role in defusing tensions between Pakistan and India, the report said. One of the proposals on the table was to encourage both countries to hold backdoor talks with each other.PM Khan was requested to tone down his verbal attacks against his Indian counterpart Modi, the report said.However, Pakistan has turned down the requests and made it clear that it would only engage with India through quiet or conventional diplomacy after New Delhi was persuaded to meet certain conditions, officials privy to development told the paper."These conditions include lifting of the curfew and other restrictions imposed in Kashmir,” paper reported. Kashmir issue is expected to figure prominently during Khan's 2-day trip to Saudi that will start from Sept.19.PTI
Kashmir may not be ‘major topic’ during Modi-Jinping meet: Chinese foreign ministry
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-china-modi-jinping-meeting-kashmir-border-issue-pakistan-6003902/
Beijing :Kashmir may not be a “major topic” during the informal talks between PM Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping scheduled next month in India, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said Tuesday. Instead, border issues between India and China and issues that encompass more “strategic thinking” may be part of the talks, she said. Last week, a face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in Ladakh was diffused after senior Army officers on both sides held discussions on the same day.“For this kind of informal summit, I think it is better to leave the leaders much time to discuss whatever they would like to discuss. Those issues of strategic thinking of broad sense of the picture. I think for those things like Kashmir, I don’t think it will be a major topic occupying the talks, that is my understanding. But for the leaders, they will be free to talk about whatever they like, that is my understanding,” Hua said during an interaction with journalists at Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs here. Though reports have said that the second informal summit between Modi and Xi is likely to take place between Oct.10-12 near Chennai, Hua said she was not in a position to reveal the details of the meeting.Hua was responding to questions about the tensions between India and Pakistan which spiked after New Delhi scrapped special status accorded to Kashmir. “I hope since both India and Pakistan are good neighbours of China, they could be in peaceful terms with each other and mostly India and Pakistan can try their best, make their best efforts to resolve issues peacefully through negotiations. We don’t want to see any war. As you mentioned, US relations with Iran, we hope the Indian relations with Pakistan could be much better than US and Iran. Because they are neighbours, there is no reason why they cannot get along with each other very well. We hope the issue can be resolved in a peaceful way and not through war,”she said.indianexpress
Donald Trump says he will meet Modi, Imran Khan soon; claims the two countries have ‘made progress’
https://scroll.in/latest/937554/donald-trump-says-he-will-meet-modi-imran-khan-soon-claims-the-two-countries-have-made-progress
President Donald Trump has said he will meet PM Narendra Modi and Pakistan PM Imran Khan soon, and maintained that tensions between the countries over the Kashmir dispute has reduced, PTI reported.“I’ll see PM Modi and I will – we’ll – be meeting with [PMs of] India and Pakistan,” Trump told reporters at the White House. Trump claimed a “lot of progress has been made in reducing tension” between India and Pakistan, without mentioning Kashmir dispute.Trump will address the Indian diaspora in Houston at the “Howdy Modi” event on Sept. 22 along with Modi. However, it is not clear where or when Trump will meet Imran Khan. According to the president’s schedule, he might meet Khan on the sidelines of UN General Assembly Session in New York later this month. scroll.in
We hope to one day have physical jurisdiction over PoK: Jaishankar
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/we-hope-to-have-physical-jurisdiction-over-pok-says-jaishankar/article29440038.ece?homepage=true
Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar today said that the Govt hopes to one day have physical jurisdiction over PoK.Speaking at a press conference to mark 100 days of Modi Govt, Minister said that PoK is a part of India and “we hope one day we will have physical jurisdiction over it”.“International community understands our objective in Article 370. It was arbitraged by a narrow set of people. Separatism helped cross-border terrorism from Pakistan,”he said. thehindu
Curfew during funeral of J&K Jamaat leader Gundna
Kishtwar:To stop huge congregation of people at the funeral procession of a senior J&K Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), leader Ghulam Nabi Gundna, at Kishtwar on Monday, curfew was imposed in the town on Sunday night by the administration. Gundna had died after prolonged illness at a Ludhiana hospital and his mortal remains were brought to his home in Masjid Mohalla, Kishtwar town, Sunday evening. The septuagenarian leader was also associated with Hurriyat Conference.Family had fixed his funeral prayers at 11 am on Monday, so in apprehension of any protest, administration had imposed curfew and people were told to stay indoors. Family members were told to offer the funeral prayers at Jamia Masjid and this morning at the stipulated time prayers were held at Jamia Masjid, Kishtwar, where only locals could participate. “After offering prayers, people took the body to graveyard and tried to enter the Chowgan ground, the place where usually funeral processions are held, but the administration and police didn’t allow them to enter ground. Thereafter, second funeral prayers were held outside the Chowgan ground on road and the body was taken for burial,” a relative of Gundna said. tribune india
Kashmiris dying a slow death:CPI(M) leader Tarigami
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kashmiris-are-dying-a-slow-death-says-cpim-leader-tarigami/article29439533.ece?homepage=true
In an emotional appeal, CPI(M) leader and ex J&K MLA Yusuf Tarigami said that “Kashmiris don't ask for heavens, they only ask for a chance to march together”. Tarigami is first Kashmiri politician among those detained who could reach Delhi. He met reporters at the party headquarters in the national capital. HE said that BJP claims that not a single bullet has been fired and no one has been killed but “truth is that the Kashmiris are dying a slow death.We also want to live, a Kashmiri, a Hindustani is saying this. This is my appeal, please listen to us too,”he said with tears in his eyes.thehindu
Centre's move to gut Arti.370 lifts beef ban from J&K
https://thewire.in/law/jammu-and-kashmir-article-370-beef-ban
Jammu: An unexpected outcome of Central Govt’s decision to read down Article 370 and Article 35A of the constitution is that 157-year-old beef ban in J&K has been lifted.Despite Muslims constituting 68.3% of J&K’s population, according to Census, beef has been banned in the state since 1862. Because of J&K’s special status, it had separate rules and laws under Ranbir Penal Code (RPC). RPC contained almost all sections of IPC, barring a few.Under RPC, intentionally killing or slaughtering a cow or similar animal (like ox or buffalo) was a non-bailable offence. In 1862, Maharaja Ranbir Singh, enacted RPC with this provision putting a blanket ban on beef in the entire state. But with Article 370 being read down and J&K Reorganisation Act being brought in, RPC stands repealed.thewire
Millions of kids traumatised as Kashmir lockdown continues: nationalheraldindia
https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/india/millions-of-kids-traumatised-as-kashmir-lockdown-continues
Sporting a blue T-shirt and faded jeans, Tabish (10), a class IV student, is busy in playing cricket along with his school pals in an alleyway in Baramulla's old town, some 60 kms north of Srinagar.The team of 8 teenage boys play cricket well-nigh for 7 hours every day. They start their ‘innings’ at around half past ten in the morning and play till sundown, barring a few hours of lunch and tea break.“It is all play and no work for these kids in current situation,” says 27-old- Bilal Ahmad, a local resident.As the schools in the Valley remain shut, most children in Kashmir kill their time playing various sports, watching toons, painting or just visiting nearby relatives' houses. Academic activities in the Valley remain suspended since August 5. nationalheraldindia
OTHERS
Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas created with malicious intent, it has no locus in Babri case: Muslim parties
https://newsd.in/ram-janmabhoomi-nyas-created-with-malicious-intent-muslim-parties/
New Delhi: Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas was created in 1985, with a malicious intent, in order to damage the title of Nirmohi Akhara, the Muslim parties argued in the Supreme Court on Monday, trying to draw a wedge between the Akhara and other Hindu parties associated with Ayodhya title dispute.Advocate Rajeev Dhavan, appearing for Muslim parties, sharpened his attack on the suit filed by Devki Nandan Agarwal as the next friend of Ram Lalla. “The outer portion of the disputed site was illegally acquired by Vishwa Hindu Parishad which was backed by then BJP Govt,” he contended. UP Sunni Central Waqf Board does not accept Ram Janmabhoomi as a juridical person, having legal rights. Terming Agarwal’s suit malicious, Dhavan also levelled the charge that Rs 25 crore was donated to usurp the temple. “Nirmohi Akhara is the Shebait, a devotee taking care of the deity, and they have full right to repair the temple, whereas Agarwal has no locus standi in this dispute,” Dhavan told the court.At one stage in the argument, Dhavan posed a query, asking the court as to who will get the title of the disputed land if it were not to be handed over to either the Akhara or Waqf Board. “Lord Ram is not the litigant. He cannot be,” he argued, asking how can a birthplace be converted into a juridical personality.At this, Justice S.A. Bobde, one of the judges on the bench, asked Dhavan: “What is the deity, and are you suggesting form is necessary?”As Dhavan replied that there has to be a manifestation, judge noted: “God has to be formless”. Dhavan then affirmed that form is not necessary, otherwise people will be claiming all over the place.Dhavan then argued on legal consequences of the deity’s recognition as a juridical person, as the entire disputed land will be held by the deity.“Lord Ram was installed in Ram Janmabhoomi temple….and the Nyas maliciously encroached on the rights of Nirmohi Akhara,” he insisted.Dhavan also sought to nullify one of the Hindu parties’ arguments, pinning down the birthplace of Ram by relying on various religious historical texts, arguing that the idea of birthplace has been held on two strands – a belief and the other recognization of that area as deity to establish its distinctness.“Consequences of this will be the area will become impregnable,” he said, stating that if this situation were to arrive, then there can be no more claim for title and ownership. “Next friend is only Shebait by default,” he argued.IANS
Nyas has no locus in Ayodhya case: Wakf Board
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/ayodhya-hearing-janmabhoomi-nyas-has-no-locus-in-ayodhya-case-says-sunni-wakf-board-6001430/
Hindu, Muslim parties to Babri Masjid case reject renewed mediation efforts: New Indian Express
http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2019/sep/16/hindu-muslim-parties-to-ayodhya-case-reject-renewed-mediation-efforts-2034531.html
Lucknow: Amid reports of renewed mediation efforts allegedly initiated by Sunni Waqf Board and Nirvani Akhara in the Ayodhya dispute case, both the Hindu and Muslim parties engaged in litigation pertaining to the title suit of the Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case have rejected any such attempt, calling it a “delaying tactic” here on Monday. 3 weeks into the day-to-day hearing in the vexed issue by 5-judge constitutional bench of the SC, Sunni Waqf Board and Nirvani Akhara have reportedly expressed their willingness for an out of court settlement of the dispute.Both parties have reportedly approached the mediation panel headed by retired Justice FMI Kalifullah once again by writing a letter to 3-member panel which was appointed by the SC in March 2019 with the mandate to find an amicable out-of-court settlement of the issue between warring Hindu-Muslim parties. Responding to the renewed mediation efforts, Iqbal Ansai, son of the main litigant late Hashim Ansari, batted for court to decide the matter which he claimed was already delayed due to a number of reasons.
Tabrez lynching: IIM-B faculty, students write to Modi for fresh probe
https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/tabrez-ansari-lynching-iim-b-faculty-students-write-to-modi-for-fresh-probe/article29438566.ece?homepage=true
Bengaluru:A section of faculty, staff and students of IIM-Bangalore has written to PM Narendra Modi expressing concern over how Jharkhand police have handled the lynching of Tabrez Ansari. They have demanded that he direct the State Govt to institute a fresh probe.The email addressed to PM expressed shock and dismay over how the Jharkhand police had handled the lynching. “We urge you to act swiftly and decisively by directing the State Govt to institute a fresh probe. It is the constitutional duty of the State to protect the life and liberty of all citizens,” the letter to PM stated.On Sept.12, a professor circulated an email to IIM-B students, staff and faculty and said that as “an academic community, it is important that we stand up to the impunity with which the State has abrogated its Constitutional duty.”thehindu
Civil society activists, student leaders demand release of Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad
https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/india/civil-society-activists-student-leaders-demand-release-of-bhim-army-chief-chandrashekhar-azad
A prominent group of civil society activists and student leaders held a press conference on Monday at the Press Club of India to protest alleged discrimination and attacks against Dalits, and demanding the release of Dalit activists, mostly belonging to the Bhim Army led by Chandrashekhar Azad. Senior Advocate Mehmood Paracha contended that RSS members and ‘brahminical forces’ were behind the vandalising of Ambedkar's statue in Saharanpur on September 10. He said that when Dalits organised a protest against this and demanded an FIR against the perpetuators, the police instead booked 750 of them, including Azad’s family and Kamal Singh Walia, General Secretary of Bhim Army, in false cases. “This is an undeclared emergency,” he said.Other panellists present at the press conference included Prashant Bhushan, Senior Advocate and human rights advocate lawyer; Pyare Lal Jatav and Ravindra Bhatti, Central Working Committee, Bhim Army; Chaudhary Harsh Kumar, National General Secretary, Jannayak Janata Party; Aishe Ghosh, JNUSU President; Sucheta De, national President, AISA; and Afreen Fatima, Elected Councillor JNUSU and former President, Women’s College AMUSU.nationalheraldindia
3 students charged for raising call against wearing skull caps, burqas at an Aligrah college
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/aligarh-college-students-charged-muslims-burqa-skull-caps-dress-1599804-2019-09-16
Aligarh district in UP has been making headlines lately. When DS College, Aligarh appealed for a ban on skull caps and burqas inside the college capmus, administration immediately came into action and filed charges of instigating communal tension against three students. The complaint was filed on the behalf of the police post incharge Sub-Inspector Govind Singh.DS College students told India Today that this case is a violation of the right to expression and the district administration has filed this case against the three students under pressure of AMU Students' Union. 3 students who have been charged are identified as Amit Goswami, Aditya Pandit, and Sonu Thakur. According to the available information, recently a memorandum had been given to Dharma Samaj Mahavidyala chief proctor Mukesh Bharadwaj that DS College is not a Muslim madrasa and students from all communities study here. Despite a dress code being effective in the college, some Muslim students deliberately flout that dress code by wearing skull caps and burqas, forcing disparity among students. If a ban on these "extraneous" items is not placed within 3 days, Hindu students will also start coming to college wearing "bhagwa" clothes.indiatoday
Uttarakhand CM says will talk NRC with cabinet, implement if needed
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/uttarakhand-cm-trivendra-singh-rawat-says-will-talk-nrc-with-cabinet-implement-if-needed-6001215/
Describing the implementation of NRC in Assam an “important” move to prevent infiltration, Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat has said the need of such an exercise in Uttarakhand will be assessed and if found necessary, such an exercise may be carried out in the state.Rawat made the remark while speaking to the media after taking part in a cleanliness campaign as part of Sewa Saptah that the local BJP unit has organised to mark the birthday of PM Narendra Modi. Rawat said that he will discuss the issue with the cabinet.indianexpress
‘Petrol, diesel prices may shoot up by ₹5-6 a litre’
https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/national/petrol-diesel-prices-may-shoot-up-by-indian-rupee5-6-a-litre
Following the largest ever-disruption of crude production in Saudi Arabia amid drone attacks on its key facilities, prices of petrol and diesel in India may shoot up by ₹5 to 6 a litre in next fortnight, experts said .A recent report by Kotak said that in light of the sharp rise in international crude oil prices, Indian oil marketing companies (OMCs) may increase the retail price of diesel and gasoline by ₹5 to 6 per litre in following fortnight.Oil prices soared as much as 20% to above $71 a barrel as markets reopened after a major attack on Saudi Arabia's oil infrastructure.Attack immediately erased out 5.7 million barrels."These attacks resulted in production suspension of 5.7 million barrels of crude oil per day," Saudi Aramco said.Oil prices, experts said, could spike in the next several days as a result of the attack on Saudi Aramco, the second-largest oil producer in the world.IANS
Delhi transporters chant, ‘Down with Modi’, call for a total strike on Thursday
https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/india/delhi-transporters-chant-down-with-modi-call-for-a-total-strike-on-thursday
When was the last time the national capital heard people chanting ‘ Modi, Hai, Hai’ ( Down with Modi ?) Possibly for the very first time in his five year plus term as PM, slogans directed against him rent the air on Monday at Jantar Mantar in the heart of New Delhi.To be precise, the slogans also included the Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari as well. ‘Modi-Gadkari Hai…Hai’ was the slogan the transporters in Delhi raised under the banner of United Front of Transport Associations (UFTA) to protest the exorbitant hike in penalties announced by the Govt in the Motor Vehicles Act 2019.The transporters have also called for a strike on Thursday, September 19. There will be no auto, cab or state transport vehicle on the road and Azadpur Mandi will also be closed down, they declared ominously. The protest was supported by transporters from Faridabad, Gurgaon, Noida, Ghaziabad and Rajasthan.nationalheraldindia
No evidence against Chidambaram in INX Media case:N. Ram
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/no-evidence-against-chidambaram-says-n-ram/article29425263.ece
Chennai:A “monstrous injustice” has been done to former Union Minister P. Chidambaram by sending him to jail despite the fact that there is no material evidence against him in INX Media case other than the statement of the “murder accused” (Indrani and Peter Mukherjea), N. Ram, Chairman, THG Publications Pvt. Ltd. said in Chennai on Sunday.“The only intention behind those who have orchestrated this [arrest] and unfortunately the highest courts of the land have fallen victim to this,is to deny him liberty as long as possible. That’s the whole intention,” Ram said at a meeting of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) to condemn the arrest of ex Union Finance Minister.He said the response of the higher judiciary, especially the Delhi High Court, had to be sharply criticised. “They have virtually adopted the case of the prosecution. For 7 months, judgment was reserved. Just before the judge retired, the judgment came out depriving Chidambaram of any opportunity to appeal,” he said, adding that lawyers then went to the Supreme Court.“There are many factual mistakes in the order by Justices Banumathi and Bopanna rejecting bail. For example, they say P. Chidambaram’s assets have been confiscated — [this is] completely wrong,” Ram said adding that there is a need to quickly move a review petition before the same Bench or file a curative petition that will go before five judges.“There is no basis at all except the statement by the two murder accused….there was no danger of documents being suppressed or tampered with, no threat to any of the witnesses.... It is a great shame that justice was not delivered in this case,” Ram said.Congress MP, K. Jayakumar alleged that Chidambaram was being targeted by BJP. Congress leader Peter Alphonse termed it a “political fight, and not a legal fight”. Thehindu
6 Rajasthan BSP MLAs join Congress
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/six-rajasthan-bsp-mlas-join-congress/article29437906.ece?homepage=true
Jaipur:All 6 BSP MLAs in Rajasthan joined Congress on Tuesday, taking the ruling party’s tally in Assembly to 106. After deciding to merge with Congress, BSP MLAs handed over a letter to Speaker C.P. Joshi around midnight. The merger has come as a major boost to Congress ahead of the municipal election in November this year and panchayat poll early next year. BSP MLAs were earlier supporting the Congress from outside after the party won 100 seats and its ally Rashtriya Lok Dal won one seat.BSP MLA Rajendra Gudha said the party members had taken the decision to ensure stability of Govt and work for development of the State.MLAs who have joined Congress are Gudha (Udaipurwati), Jogendra Singh Awana (Nadbai), Wajib Ali (Nagar), Lakhan Singh (Karauli), Sandeep Yadav (Tijara) and Deepchand (Kishangarh Bas).During CM Ashok Gehlot’s earlier tenure in 2008-13, six BSP MLAs had defected to Congress which was five short of a clear majority in the 200-member House.thehindu
Thackeray family traces origin to Bihar:New Book
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/thackeray-family-traces-origin-to-bihar-says-new-book/article29424604.ece?homepage=true&utm_campaign=socialflow&fbclid=IwAR26AIuQuP5g83j1F9sGpE4pHh3gZ4fwjcSQPRUCkhuAu-w3Tlpzu_jD_kQ
New Delhi:A new book on Thackeray cousins, Raj and Uddhav, reveals that much in contradiction to the anti-north Indian political rhetoric deployed by both the Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Navanirman Sena (MNS), the patriarch of the family and father to Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray, the late ‘Prahodhankar’ Keshav Sitaram Thackeray, traced family origins to Bihar.The book, The Cousins Thackeray: Uddhav, Raj and the Shadow of their Senas (Penguin Random House) by journalist Dhaval Kulkarni makes this point fairly early on, quoting ‘Prabhodhankar’ Thackeray’s own book, Gramnyancha Sadyanta Itihas Arhat Nokarshahiche Bande (‘A History of Village Disputes or Rebellion of the Bureaucracy’) on the issue. The book unequivocally states that the Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu (CKP) community, to which the Thackerays belong, moved out of ancient Magadha (in present day Bihar) after Mahpadma Nanda, in the third or fourth century BC, deployed usury with regard to his subjects. The community migrated out of Magadha and “earned its living as warriors and scribes”. The anti-migrant political rhetoric of the Shiv Sena and the MNS therefore has a piquant and ironic twist.thehindu
36% of over 100 tribal children at Maharashtra health camp found malnourished
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/36-of-over-100-tribal-children-at-maharashtra-health-camp-found-malnourished/article29439196.ece?homepage=true
Around 36% of over 100 tribal children examined at a health camp in Jawhar area of Maharashtra’s Palghar district have been found to be severely malnourished, an official said.According to Vivek Pandit, the former MLA who heads a State committee on tribal welfare, said a total of 124 children were examined at the health camp conducted on Monday in the tribal-dominated Jawhar taluka.“Of these 124 children, 45 were diagnosed with severe malnourishment,” he told reporters here.PTI
Triple Talaq law enters a Bareilly university’s curricula, call made for more varsities to follow suit
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/triple-talaq-law-enters-a-bareilly-university-s-curricula-call-made-for-more-varsities-to-follow-suit/story-kQmICxVEvAlH8cSiWPpPxN.html
Days after UP CM Yogi Adityanath exhorted educational institutions to teach students about ‘triple talaq’ law and women empowerment, Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Rohilkhand University in Bareilly has introduced a course on the subject for its law students. Head of Law Department Amit Singh said the syllabus was revised to include triple talaq’ law from Sept.11, in perhaps “first” such move by any university following CM’s Teachers’ Day appeal asking for the path-breaking legislation to become part of curricula in state institutions. Singh expressed hope that studying the law would create awareness and a positive impact. “One of our students is already pursuing her doctorate on triple talaq,”he said. Farhat Naqvi, whose NGO frequently takes up ‘triple talaq’ cases, hoped that other universities will follow suit, she added that despite the ban, women in UP were getting ‘triple talaq’, even “by SMS”.According to police, western UP tops the list for ‘triple talaq’ cases ever since the act banning it was passed, with 26 registered cases in Meerut, 17 in Saharanpur and 10 in Shamli. HT
WORLD
Tunisia election: Outsider in lead stuns after most votes counted
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/09/tunisia-election-outsider-lead-stuns-votes-counted-190916165816387.html
Law professor and political outsider Kais Saied is leading Tunisia's presidential polls with 2-thirds of the votes counted, the electoral commission said, after the country's second free vote for head of state since the 2011 Arab Spring.Saied was on 18.9 % Monday night, ahead of imprisoned media magnate Nabil Karoui, who was on 15.5%, according to the electoral commission, ISIE.PM Youssef Chahed, a presidential hopeful whose popularity has been tarnished by a sluggish economy and the rising cost of living, could well turn out to be the election's biggest loser.ISIE figures showed him in fifth place with 7.4 %of the vote, trailing both Ennahdha party candidate Abdelfattah Mourou and former defence minister Abdelkarim Zbidi."The anti-system strategy has won," ISIE member Adil Brinsi told AFP, but added: "It's not finished yet. Mourou could very easily move from third to 2nd place."A smiling Saied, receiving journalists at a rented apartment serving as his campaign offices, said voters had "carried out a revolution within a legal framework...They want something new...new political thinking"."Tunisia has always been an open country. It's a moderate society. I am open to all modern ideas. We can discuss it," Saied said.aljazeera
Laarayedh says Ennahdha will support ‘candidates who will protect the revolution’
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190917-laarayedh-ennahdha-will-support-candidates-who-will-protect-the-revolution/
In Tunisia, According to opinion polls, independent candidate and constitutional law Professor Kais Saied is leading the results in presidential election, while Ennahdha announced its adherence to the official results of Independent High Authority for Elections. Ennahdha leader Ali Laarayedh commented on these results and stressed that the movement is waiting for “official results.” He went on to explain that after that, party will “determine our position on whether Abdelfattah Mourou will be our candidate in the second round.”He told Arabi21 that Ennahdha’s goal is “to support a candidate who is eager to protect the revolution and its objectives.” In response to a question concerning Ennahdha’s potential support of Kais Saied in case Mourou failed to reach the second round, Laarayedh stressed: “I do not want to mention names, but I would like to specify the criteria of the person we will support, which revolve around the candidate’s keenness on protecting the revolution, credibility, and honesty.” middleeastmonitor
Israelis vote in poll seen as referendum on Netanyahu
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/09/voting-begins-israel-election-referendum-netanyahu-190917013312415.html
Israeli citizens are casting their ballots for the second time this year, in an electoral race that is widely seen as a referendum on PM Benjamin Netanyahu.About 68 %of the 5.88 million eligible voters in Israel and illegal settlements in occupied West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem are expected to take part in poll to choose the party that will lead country's 22nd Knesset or parliament. Voting opened at 7am local time at 11,163 polling stations, with 31 parties competing for the 120 seats. Counting will start shortly after the polls close at 10pm local time with exit polls and results expected to come in overnight. Israel's President Reuven Rivlin will then decide who will be given the mandate to form a new Govt based on the recommendations of the Knesset members. That person is usually the leader of the party that wins the most seats, but if Rivlin thinks this person is unlikely to garner enough support from smaller parties to control at least 61 seats of the Knesset, he may give the task to someone else.The leader of the party that wins the vote is therefore not necessarily the new PM. Once the final results are tallied and calculated, the 120 Knesset members are announced.It is the first time in Israel's history that two elections have been held in the same year, after Netanyahu failed to form a Govt following an election on April 9.aljazeera
Case of forcibly disappeared Palestinians in Saudi before Human Rights Council
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190917-case-of-forcibly-disappeared-palestinians-in-saudi-arabia-before-human-rights-council/
Euro-Mediterranean Human Right Monitor and IRDG expressed in their speech before the Human Rights Council during the 42nd Ordinary Session their deep concern over the Saudi authorities’ detention of dozens of Palestinians and cases of forced disappearance with no legal support.“Dozens of Palestinians have been victims of enforced disappearance in Saudi, though concealment is always a crime under international law,” said the 2 organisations in a joint statement. MEMO
Saudi has ‘another Hamas official’ in detention
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190917-saudi-arabia-has-another-senior-hamas-official-in-detention/
Saudi Arabia has another senior Hamas official in detention, political and family sources told Al-Resalah on Monday. Businessman Abu Obaida Al-Agha is apparently being held in Dahban Prison in Jeddah, where Saudi Govt keeps its political prisoners.Sources revealed that Al-Agha has been in prison for more than 18 months, during which time very little information had been made available about his condition. In 2015, the US Treasury claimed that he was the head of Hamas’ financial committee in Saudi Arabia.Al-Agha’s father, Khairi Al-Agha, was a prominent founder of Hamas who lived in Saudi Arabia, where he died in 2014. According to sources, Abu Obaida Al-Agha holds a Saudi passport and “there is no reason for his detention.”MEMO
Saudi is capable of responding to attacks: King
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/09/saudi-oil-attacks-latest-updates-190916102800973.html
Saudi King Salman said that Riyadh was capable of dealing with consequences of attacks on its installations.A statement issued after a meeting of Saudi Arabia's council of ministers said the cabinet had reviewed the damage caused by the attacks on the Aramco installations, and it called on the world's Govts to confront them "regardless of their origin".In the statement, council said the "cowardly" strikes on its oil facilities were an extension of "repeated attacks" on vital installations. "[The attack] has threatened freedom of shipping, and has affected the stability of the global economic growth," the statement said, as reported by state media.German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for a return to the 2015 international deal curbing Iran's nuclear activities as the only way to defuse tensions in the Middle East. Meanwhile, Iran will not hold talks with US and Washington's policy of maximum pressure on Tehran will fail, the country's Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei said.aljazeera
China signals veto in standoff over UN Afghan mission
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/09/china-signals-veto-standoff-afghanistan-mission-190917034526439.html
China and US are deadlocked over a UNSC resolution to extend world body's political mission in Afghanistan, with Beijing signalling it will cast a veto because there is no reference to its global Belt and Road infrastructure project, diplomats said on Monday.A planned vote by the 15-member Security Council to renew mission, known as UNAMA, was delayed from Monday to Tuesday to allow for further negotiations. The mission's mandate expires on Tuesday. To pass, a resolution needs nine votes in favour and no vetoes by the US, France, China, Russia and Britain. Ahead of the postponement, diplomats said China was expected to veto a resolution - drafted by Germany and Indonesia - that did not reference the Belt and Road project. hina's UN mission did not immediately respond to a request for comment.aljazeera
Ghani 'unhurt' as blast kills dozens at Afghan president's rally
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/09/bomb-blast-hits-afghan-president-ashraf-ghani-campaign-rally-190917080810578.html
At least 26 people have been killed and more than 40 wounded when a suicide bomber on a motorcycle targeted an election campaign rally by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who is reported to be safe and unharmed. Taliban claimed responsibility for Tuesday's attack in Charikar, the capital of Parwan province, north of Kabul. Nasrat Rahimi, spokesman for Ministry of Interior, said the death toll of 26 included four soldiers. The suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden motorcycle into the entrance of the venue hosting Ghani's rally.The president was present at the time of the explosion but is safe and unharmed, his campaign spokesman, Hamed Aziz, was quoted as saying by AP. Across Afghanistan, attacks have continued as the country prepares for a presidential election later this month.Taliban has warned that its fighters will intensify their campaign against the Afghan Govt and foreign forces to dissuade people from voting in the Sept.28 vote, when Ghani will bid for a second 5-year term. aljazeera
600,000 Rohingya face 'serious risk of genocide': UN
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/09/600000-rohingya-myanmar-face-risk-genocide-190916143753819.html
Rohingya remaining in Myanmar's Rakhine state face a "serious risk of genocide", UN investigators have said, warning that the repatriation of a million others already driven from the country by army remains "impossible".In a damning report released on Monday, a United Nations fact-finding mission also called for top Myanmar generals, most notably army chief Min Aung Hlaing, to face trial for the killings, gang rape and arson during the Rohingya crackdown. The mission, set up by UN's Human Rights Council in March 2017, doubled down on its findings published last year, in which it had labelled the 2017 crackdown as a "genocide". aljazeera
Ankara summit on Syria:'A win for Moscow,al-Assad'
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/09/ankara-summit-syria-win-moscow-assad-190917051916123.html
Leaders of Turkey, Russia and Iran have announced the formation of a committee to draft a new Syrian constitution as first step in a political solution to Syria's 8-year conflict.Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Monday hosted his Russian and Iranian counterparts, Vladimir Putin and Hassan Rouhani, for the fifth such summit since the trio launched the Astana talks nearly three years ago.The meeting in Ankara was billed as a chance to focus on Idlib, the final rebel stronghold where an offensive by Syrian Govt forces, backed by Russian airpower, has killed hundreds of civilians and threatened Turkey with a fresh exodus of refugees.Speaking after a day of talks, 3 leaders revealed formation of a constitutional committee comprising Govt, opposition and civil society members. Erdogan, who has backed various opposition groups during the war while Iran and Russia have supported President Bashar al-Assad, said that further initiatives would become apparent "in the following days". Meanwhile, Putin said: "We believe the work of the constitutional committee will be decisive in finally normalising the situation in Syria."Ahmet Evin, professor emeritus at Istanbul's Sabanci University, said the committee would benefit al-Assad.He said, "I think Moscow is right on target and it's a win for Moscow and [al-]Assad." aljazeera
Al-Baghdadi claims 'Daily Operations' Underway in Latest Audio Message: Reuters
https://www.news18.com/news/world/islamic-state-leader-al-baghdadi-says-daily-operations-underway-in-latest-audio-message-2311477.html
Cairo: Islamic State's media network on Monday issued an audio message purporting to come from its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi saying operations were taking place daily and urging freedom for women jailed in Iraq and Syria over their alleged links to the group."Daily operations are underway on different fronts," he said in 30-minute tape published by Al Furqan network, in what would be his first message since April.
Millions of US women say first sexual experience was rape
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/09/millions-women-sexual-experience-rape-190916185705930.html
The first sexual experience for one in 16 US women was forced or coerced intercourse in their early teens, encounters that for some may have had lasting health repercussions, a new study suggests.The experiences amount to rape, the authors say, although they relied on a national survey that didn't use the word in asking women about forced sex.Almost 7 %of women surveyed said their first sexual intercourse experience was involuntary; it happened at age 15 on average and the man was often several years older.Nearly half of those women who said intercourse was involuntary said they were held down and slightly more than half of them said they were verbally pressured to have sex against their will. Results were published in JAMA Internal Medicine.aljazeera
Flash: NEWS,views,Articles
Public? Safety? Move to book F. Abdullah under PSA shows arbitrariness:Indian Express Editorial
https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/editorials/farooq-abdullah-psa-detained-jammu-kashmir-6000960/
By Detaining Farooq, Centre Signals its Contempt for Kashmiri Representation:Manoj Joshi
https://thewire.in/Govt/farooq-abdullah-psa-kashmir
Kashmir: Place with no news even about ourselves:Murtaza Shibli in Anantnag
https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/kashmir-place-with-no-news-even-about-ourselves/cid/1705248?fbclid=IwAR0CIGsFz53FnqblNLsuC2mqmKZjO-_YZM-hyn-8USeUDh7292PIEOQ3KDY#.XX7KWCARrag.whatsapp
Abrupt move in Valley feeds into prevailing sense of alienation:Sharat Sabharwal
https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/jammu-kashmir-article-370-pakistan-6001004/
Ravish Kumar interview | ‘Zero credibility of news channels today’
https://indianexpress.com/videos/news-video/ravish-kumar-interview-zero-credibility-of-news-channels-today-videonews-6086867836001/
Aramco drone attack could derail Indian economy if petrol, diesel prices spike by Rs 5-6:S. Bhattacharya
https://www.news18.com/news/opinion/aramco-drone-attack-could-derail-indian-economy-if-petrol-price-spikes-by-rs-5-6-per-litre-2311997.html
In Harish Salve’s diagnosis of economic slowdown, a Supreme Court connection
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/in-harish-salve-s-diagnosis-of-economic-slowdown-a-supreme-court-connection/story-aOy9YBV6tVoqubhSPtP5ZN.html
Compiled and edited by Anwarulhaq,(Released at: 8:10 PM)
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