12 SEPT. NEWS DIGEST, MID-DAY

INDIA

India attends intra-Afghan talks in Doha, Jaishankar says peace process must be Afghan-led

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-to-attend-intra-afghan-talks-in-doha-today-jaishankar-to-join-virtually-6592958/

India attended the start of the intra-Afghan talks in Doha on Saturday, where a senior official participated in-person and External Affairs minister S Jaishankar joined-in virtually. During the address, Jaishankar said that the peace process must be Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled. “Addressed the conference on Afghan peace negotiations at Doha today. Conveyed that the peace process must be Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled, respect national sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan, promote human rights and democracy, ensure interest of minorities, women and the vulnerable, effectively address violence across the country,” Jaishankar tweeted. “The friendship of our peoples is a testimony to our history with Afghanistan. No part of Afghanistan is untouched by our 400-plus development projects. Confident that this civilizational relationship will continue to grow,” he added.Joint Secretary (Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran) in Ministry of External Affairs, JP Singh, in Doha witnessed the ceremony. Singh, who has served in Afghanistan as First Secretary (political) and Pakistan as Deputy High Commissioner, is the govt’s point person on India’s ties with three countries — Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran.India had attended the signing of US-Taliban pact on Feb.29. At that point, Indian ambassador to Qatar P Kumaran had witnessed the event. But this time, a top Indian official has flown down to Doha and the Foreign minister is joining in virtually. This is a significant move, given India’s reticence in acknowledging power-sharing arrangements in Kabul. Earlier this week, Jaishankar had visited Iran and had discussed the situation in Afghanistan. Two days after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met his counterpart in Iran, External Affairs Minister had on Tuesday flown to Tehran and met Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and discussed the Chabahar port project and the situation in Afghanistan. indian express

 

Talks between Afghan govt and Taliban open in Qatar

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/09/peace-afghan-gov-taliban-arrive-talks-200911143549952.html

Doha:After nearly 2 decades of war that has killed tens of thousands, peace talks between the Afghanistan government and the Taliban have opened in Qatar's capital.Key speakers at Saturday's opening ceremony at a hotel in Doha included Abdullah Abdullah, chairperson of Afghanistan's High Council for National Reconciliation, Taliban deputy leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.The negotiations, where two warring sides will sit face-to-face for the first time, will start on Monday.For his part, Abdullah spoke about seeking a dignified and lasting peace."I believe that if we give hands to each other and honestly work for peace, the current ongoing misery in the country will end," Abdullah said, calling for a "humanitarian ceasefire".Baradar, meanwhile, repeated his group's demand for the country to adopt an "Islamic system"."We want Afghanistan to be an independent, developed country, and it should have a form of Islamic system, where all its citizens see themselves reflected."Pompeo, for his part, told the Afghan sides that "the choice of your future political system is, of course, yours to make" as he urged them to "seize the opportunity" to secure peace. Kicking off proceedings earlier on Saturday, Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said both parties must "rise above all form of division ... by reaching an agreement on the basis of no victor and no vanquished". Aljazeera

 

LAC standoff | Divergences remain between India and China despite 5-point plan

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/lac-standoff-divergences-remain-between-india-and-china-despite-5-point-plan/article32583586.ece?homepage=true

5 points agreed by India and China to reduce tensions along LAC are a template of the “principles of disengagement”, according to a senior official privy to the meeting between External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.However, deep divergences still remain in the positions taken by both sides after the meeting, as is clear from the subsequent notes released by Chinese side, and subsequently the Indian side, detailing their position. According to official, Chinese side walked into the Moscow meeting, initially seeking to deny any “sense of crisis”, holding “it is normal” for two neighbouring major countries to have differences, and the two sides should “move on” from the current stand-off “peacefully”. But this was countered immediately by the Indian delegation. India maintained that the large mobilisation of troops by the PLA had led to a very serious and dangerous situation at LAC, where any small incident or clash could lead to a larger conflagration. The Hindu

 

China Hands Over 5 Indians Who Went Missing From Arunachal: Army Sources

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/5-indians-missing-from-arunachal-pradesh-to-handed-over-by-china-sources-2294229?pfrom=home-topstories

5 men, who went missing from villages near the border with China earlier this month, have been handed over to India by China's People's Liberation Army or PLA , army sources said this morning.The handover took place in the Chinese territory and it will take over an hour for the team to reach the Indian side and enter Arunachal Pradesh through Kibithu border post."Chinese PLA has confirmed to Indian Army to hand over the youths from Arunachal Pradesh to our side. The handing over is likely to take place anytime tomorrow i.e. 12th Sept.at a designated location," Union Minister Kiren Rijiju had tweeted on Friday. 5 men who had been missing since September 1 were hunters, the army had said in a statement. NDTV

 

Coronavirus | India votes in favour of UNGA resolution calling for multilateral cooperation

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/coronavirus-india-votes-in-favour-of-unga-resolution-calling-for-multilateral-cooperation/article32586715.ece?homepage=true

India, along with 168 nations, voted in favour of a COVID-19 resolution in UN General Assembly that reaffirms international cooperation to respond to one of the greatest global challenges and acknowledges WHO’s key leadership role in responding to the outbreak, a reference US objected to as it opposed the resolution.PTI

 

Bengal BJP chief: No Covid, lockdown to stop rallies

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/bengal-bjp-chief-no-covid-lockdown-to-stop-rallies-6592673/

Kolkata:West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh has stirred a row by claiming that the coronavirus has “gone away” from the state and that the lockdown is being imposed to stop the party from holding rallies.Addressing a public meeting at Dhaniakhali in Hooghly district on Wednesday, BJP MP from Medinipur said, “The corona has gone away from here. Didimoni (Mamata) is doing a drama over it. She is imposing the lockdown in the state so that BJP cannot hold rallies and public meetings. However, we will hold rallies and meetings whenever we get the opportunity. No one can stop us from holding our political programmes.”Indian Express

 

Coronavirus: India reports nearly 1 lakh cases in last 24 hours; total tally crosses 46 lakh-mark

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/coronavirus-india-world-news-live-updates-covid-19-corona-cases-deaths-tally-in-india-today-latest-news-oxford-astrazeneca-vaccine-6591445/

India reported nearly 1 lakh (97,570) coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours ending 8 am on Saturday. With this, the total tally went past the 46 lakh-mark to reach 46,59,985. Also, as many as 1,201 deaths reported during the same period pushed the death toll to 77,472. At present, the country has 9,58,316 active cases and 36,24,197 people who have been treated and discharged. Meanwhile, with the reopening of service on Airport Express Line, Delhi Metro resumed its full services from Saturday. Now the metro trains will run from 6 am to 11 PM on all lines, DMRC said.Globally, over 28 million have been affected while 915,356 have succumbed to the virus so far and as many as 19,215,800 have recovered. Indian Express

 

Oxford vaccine: DCGI directs Serum Institute of India to suspend recruitment for trials

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/oxford-vaccine-dcgi-directs-serum-institute-of-india-to-suspend-recruitment-for-trials/article32587331.ece?homepage=true

Drugs Controller General Of India (DCGI) has directed that there should be no new recruitment for the Phase 2 and Phase 3 trials of the Oxford University’s Covishield vaccine candidate, being manufactured in India by the Serum Institute of India (SII) along with pharma major AstraZeneca.The SII has also been asked to increase the safety monitoring of the subjects who have already been vaccinated as part of the trial and submit the plan and report.The latest order comes after it asked SII to pause trials of the vaccine candidate following a U.K. volunteer showing potentially adverse symptoms. The Hindu

 

Coronavirus: Animal trials of Covaxin were successfully conducted, says Bharat Biotech

https://scroll.in/latest/972905/coronavirus-animal-trials-of-covaxin-were-successfully-conducted-says-bharat-biotech

Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical company Bharat Biotech has said it had successfully conducted clinical trials of its potential coronavirus vaccine, or Covaxin, on animals. The company said no adverse effects were seen in animals who were immunised with a two-dose regimen of the vaccine.In a statement released on Friday, the pharmaceutical firm said the data from the study on primates substantiate the immunogenicity of Covaxin. It added that the results demonstrated the protective efficacy of the vaccine in a live viral challenge model. scroll.in

 

Govt’s ‘well planned fight’ against COVID has put India in ‘abyss of GDP reduction’: Rahul

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/govts-well-planned-fight-against-covid-has-put-india-in-abyss-of-gdp-reduction-rahul/article32587040.ece?homepage=true

Taking a dig at the government, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said its “well planned fight” against coronavirus has allegedly put India in an “abyss” of GDP reduction of 24%, 12 crore job losses, 15.5 lakh crore additional stressed loans and globally highest daily COVID-19 cases and deaths. Congress has accused Modi government of not handling COVID-19  effectively.PTI

 

Dalit outfits find job quota crippled by COVID, demand job guarantee legislation by Parliament

https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/india/dalit-outfits-find-job-quota-crippled-by-covid-19demand-job-guarantee-legislation-by-parliament

Even as millions of jobs are getting lost all over the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a bunch of Dalit and tribesmen’s organisations have come up with the demand for a legislation to guarantee gainful employment, or suitable allowance in case of its unavailability, for educated youth. This is in sharp contrast to these outfits’ usual insistence in the past for job reservations for their largely underprivileged followers.National Confederation for Dalit and Adivasi Organisations (NACDAOR) says in a recent statement, “The country has been facing a huge job deficit. This has now gone up manifold due to the Corona pandemic. It has led to severe distress, demoralisation and even depression in some cases among educated youth throughout the country. In view of this, NACDAOR appeals to the Central Government to enact a law in the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament to guarantee employment for the educated youth and in case of its non-availability, a suitable compensation in accordance to their qualification should be extended to them.”national herald india

 

Delhi HC says no to stay on broadcast of Sudarshan programme

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/delhi-hc-says-no-to-stay-on-broadcast-of-sudarshan-programme-6592685/

Delhi High Court has declined to stay the broadcast of a Sudarshan News programme which claimed to “expose” the “infiltration of Muslims” in the civil services.The channel had uploaded a promo of the show, Bindaas Bol, on its Twitter account on Aug 15, which triggered massive outrage.The programme was originally set to be telecast on August 28, but the court had stayed its broadcast. Following the court order on Friday, Sudarshan News aired the programme the same evening. indian express

 

Setback to Republic TV as Bombay HC junks plea alleging pressure on cable operators to take channel off air

https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/india/setback-to-republic-tv-as-bombay-hc-junks-plea-alleging-pressure-on-cable-operators-to-take-channel-off-air

In a setback to Republic TV Network, the Bombay High Court has declined to entertain a writ petition by Republic TV and Republic TV Bharat proprietor, ARG Outliers against Digital Multi-System Operators (cable TV operators), legal news website BarandBench.com has reported.The company had sought the court's intervention in restraining cable TV operators from taking its channels off air.Alleging that the "Shiv Cable Sena" had threatened cable TV operators with public agitations if its channels were not taken off the air, the Network apprehended that cable TV operators would halt the transmission of its channels.national herald india

 

Delhi riots | Assembly panel summons Facebook India chief Ajit Mohan

https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/delhi-riots-assembly-panel-summons-facebook-india-chief-ajit-mohan/article32586916.ece?homepage=true

Delhi Assembly Committee on Peace and Harmony under the Chairmanship of Raghav Chadha has called for the appearance of Facebook India Vice-President and Managing Director Ajit Mohan on Tuesday for recording his statement before the committee. On August 31, the committee said that prima facie it seemed that Facebook had a role in the Delhi riots earlier this year, and Facebook India officials will be issued notices to appear at the next meeting of the committee. The committee is looking into alleged “deliberate and intentional” inaction by Facebook to contain “hateful content”.“The committee, under the Chairmanship of Hon’be MLA Sh. Raghav Chadha, calls you, the addressee, as a witness for testifying on oath and for rendering your assistance by providing the relevant information and explanations in order to smoothly expedite the determination of the veracity of allegations levelled against Facebook in the complaints and depositions made before the committee,” the notice dated September 10 read. The Hindu

 

Elgaar Parishad case: Forced by NIA to make confessional statements, Gaichor, Gorkhe tell court

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/forced-by-nia-to-make-confessional-statements-gaichor-gorkhe-tell-court-6592968/

Kabir Kala Manch members Sagar Gorkhe and Ramesh Gaichor, arrested in the Elgaar Parishad case earlier this week, has told a special court on Friday they were forced to make confessional statements by NIA.Gorkhe, Gaichor and Jyoti Jagtap, also part of the cultural group, were produced before the court on Friday by NIA which sought further custody of the three men to confront them with the electronic items seized during the investigation and their social media accounts. The court has granted the NIA their further custody till Sept. 19. Indian Express

 

Late night protest in Kerala after minister KT Jaleel grilled by ED in FCRA violation case

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/kerala/kerala-minister-kt-jaleel-grilled-by-ed-for-alleged-fcra-violation6592541/

Kochi :Members of student and youth outfits of the Congress and the BJP clashed with the police late Friday in Kerala’s capital Thiruvananthapuram, demanding the resignation of Higher Education Minister KT Jaleel for alleged FCRA violation. As media reports of Jaleel’s questioning by ED came out, student and youth outfits of the Congress and BJP took out protests outside the secretariat, leading to police lathi-charge. Effigies of the minister were burnt. A couple of BJYM members sustained injuries.Earlier in the day, Jaleel, a first-time minister in the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government, was grilled by the EDin Kochi for about 3 hours regarding his admission about accepting consignments of religious books from UAE through diplomatic channel, an act purportedly seen as an FCRA violation. Indian Express

 

Maratha quota: AG says stepped aside on demand from groups after former govt lawyer accuses him of no show in courts

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/maratha-reservation-ag-says-stepped-aside-on-demand-from-maratha-groups-after-former-govt-lawyer-accuses-him-of-no-show-in-courts-6592600/                       

Mumbai :Two days after the Supreme Court said that it was of the prima facie opinion that Maharashtra has not shown any extraordinary situation for providing reservations to Marathas in excess of 50 per cent and that the quota will not be applicable to jobs and admissions in educational institutions in the interim, the state’s former standing counsel, Nishant Katneshwarkar, claimed on Thursday that the decision went against the government as the advocate general (AG) had not argued for the state even once in either the Bombay High Court or the Supreme Court.AG Ashutosh Kumbhakoni, however, refuted the allegations saying that the state had appointed senior counsel V A Thorat — a Maratha himself — as the special counsel to represent it in the case early last year.
Indian Express

 

Parliament has no power to abrogate Art. 370 says Prof. Bhim Singh

http://muslimmirror.com/eng/parliament-has-no-power-to-abrogate-art-370-says-prof-bhim-singh/

New Delhi/ Jammu :  Prof.Bhim Singh, former Jammu and Kashmir lawmaker and a senior  Supreme Court lawyer on Friday asserted that the Indian Parliament has no power to abrogate Art. 370 which had been unilaterally struck down by the Modi government on August 5   last year.Ahead of the Parliament’s monsoon session, he urged the MPs to understand the Kashmir issue because the present  leadership in the country  has failed to understand national and international ramifications which need to be addressed urgently.In a u-turn,  Prof Singh questioned  the Modi government on the issue, and insisted that the  Article 370  still persists as Article 370 in the Indian Constitution which had given special status to the former state of Jammu and Kashmir. Before the abrogation move, he used to support the RSS-BJP  stand on Kashmir.Now he realized and  underlined that  “The Article is very essential to save constitutional integration of Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of the country as the Ruler of Jammu and Kashmir, Maharaja Hari Singh, had acceded the entire State of J&K to the Union of India”, he said. Muslim Mirror

 

‘Step to gain trust’: J&K L-G launches grievance redressal portal

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/step-to-gain-trust-jk-l-g-launches-grievance-redressal-portal-6592623/

Srinagar:Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant-Governor Manoj Sinha has launched a new grievance redressal portal linked to the Union government’s grievance mechanism, terming it a step towards gaining peoples’ trust.Jammu and Kashmir Integrated Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (JK-IGRAMS) is being launched on pilot basis for Jammu, Srinagar, and Reasi districts. It will be rolled out in the remaining districts by October 2, the L-G said. Indian Express

 

Haryana Police books state BKU chief Gurnam Singh Charuni, 300 others over protests against farm ordinances

https://www.firstpost.com/india/haryana-police-books-state-bku-chief-gurnam-singh-charuni-300-others-over-protests-against-farm-ordinances-8808051.html

Kurukshetra: Haryana Police on Friday booked state BKU chief Gurnam Singh Charuni and 300 unidentified people for damaging public property and violating prohibitory orders, a day after farmers clashed with copsduring a protest.Members of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) and other farm bodies had blocked a national highway in Kurukshetra's Pipli and clashed with police while protesting against three Union government legislations, which they claimed were anti-farmer.Police had resorted to a lathicharge when farmers coming from the Shahbad area pushed their way to the protest site. The agitating farmers smashed windowpanes of a fire brigade vehicle and pelted police with stones. 3 separate FIRs were registered at the Sadar police station in Thanesar. Firstpost

 

Retired Navy officer in Mumbai beaten up for forwarding cartoon on Uddhav Thackeray; four arrested

https://www.firstpost.com/india/retired-navy-officer-in-mumbai-beaten-up-for-forwarding-cartoon-on-uddhav-thackeray-four-arrested-8809331.html

Mumbai: A 62-year-old retired Navy officer was beaten up by alleged Shiv Sena workers after he forwarded a cartoon on Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on WhatsApp on Friday, police said.4 men were arrested in connection with the incident, they said.The incident took place around 11.30 am in Lokhandwala Complex area in suburban Kandivali, an official said.Firstpost

 

Nisar Shaikh custodial death case: Vadodara Court rejects CID plea to extend remand of 6 accused cops

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/fatehgunj-custodial-death-case-court-rejects-cid-plea-to-extend-remand-of-six-accused-cops-6592451/

Vadodara :A local court in Vadodara on Friday rejected CID plea for extension of remand of the six policemen, who are accused in an alleged case of custodial death in Fatehgunj police station in Dec.2019. 6 policemen have been sent to judicial custody even as the investigators are still in the dark about the disposal of the body of the victim, Nisar Shaikh (65), after the alleged crime was committed. CID, officials said that they would now explore the options of a narco test as well as lie detector test of the accused with permissions from the court. Indian Express

 

Gujarat: Sardar Sarovar Dam, Statue of Unity Made Tadvi Adivasis Encroachers on their Own Lands

https://thewire.in/rights/gujarat-sardar-sarovar-dam-statue-of-unity-made-tadvi-adivasis-encroachers-on-their-own-lands

If 70-year-old Punabhai Tadvi, an Adivasi of the Tadvi tribe, stepped onto his own farmland, he could be charged with criminal trespassing. That’s because on his land now stands a board that says the plot belongs to Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited (SSNNL). “In May, the police came with labourers and fenced our land. They said if anyone tried to farm here, they would impose a heavy fine on that person and take strict action against them,” said Punabhai, a resident of Navagam village in Narmada district, Gujarat.Navagam, along with the villages of Kevadia, Limdi, Gora and Vaghadia, is in the Narmada district of Gujarat, where SSNNL, a state government undertaking, claims the lands of the Tadvi Adivasis. The lands of these villagers lie in the area around the statue of Sardar Patel in Kevadia, also known as Statue of Unity (SoU) and touted as the tallest statue in the world.  But the construction of these tourism projects means that many Tadvis have lost their agricultural land without due notice. The wire

 

Muslim Man Attacked in Panipat: Contrasting Stories & FIRs Emerge

https://www.thequint.com/news/india/akhlaq-barber-hand-chopped-panipat-haryana-pocso-case

28-year old Akhlaq was found seriously injured, with one arm severed and the other badly bruised, besides multiple injuries on his body, in Haryana’s Panipat district on the morning of 24 Aug. The Quint spoke to his family, the police and the family he lodged his case against and found conflicting versions regarding what transpired.While Akhlaq’s elder brother, 38-year-old Ikram claims that he was targeted due to his identity after he requested for water from a home around 2:00 am in the morning, the police has alleged that Akhlaq was confronted by the family after he was caught sexually assaulting their seven-year-old child in a nearby park. The Quint

 

Jharkhand: Family of teenaged girl alleges gangrape before brutal murder

https://indiatomorrow.net/2020/09/12/jharkhand-family-of-teenaged-girl-alleges-gangrape-before-brutal-murder/

RANCHI:Hazaribagh District in Jharkhand is all tense after the body of a Muslim teenager was found in the rented flat of a youth belonging to another community on September 2 in Palamu, some 200 km from her hometown. With victim’s family leveling allegations of gang-rape and torture of their daughter, the local youths organized a protest demanding justice for the family. Following the protest, the local police have booked 400 persons in FIR.Meanwhile, the police have apprehended the juvenile youth in whose rented apartment, the body was found on Sept 2. According to the police, the accused during interrogation told them that the girl committed suicide. However, her family members have rebuffed the police theory and alleged that it was a killing and a murder case be immediately lodged in connection with the gruesome incident. The family openly stated that they strongly believed that the girl was gangraped before being bumped off and later vested interests were trying to pass the case as a suicide. India Tomorrow

 

Top BJP Leaders Meet Nitish Kumar, Informal Talks On Seat-Sharing: Sources

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/bihar-elections-2020-top-bjp-leaders-meet-nitish-kumar-uncertainty-over-paswans-in-alliance-2294294?pfrom=home-topscroll

Patna: Top BJP leaders, who are in Bihar today, met Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as the party begins preparations for their joint fight in the assembly elections later this year. BJP chief JP Nadda, who is on a two-day visit to the state, met Mr Kumar at his residence where informal discussions on seat-sharing for the polls took place, sources said.Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who has been tasked with managing the party's campaign for the Bihar election, and BJP national general secretary Bhupendra Yadav, were also among those present at the meeting with Nitish Kumar at his Patna residence. NDTV

 

In Congress Shake-Up, Team Rahul Scores, Ghulam Nabi Azad Loses Post

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/in-congress-shake-up-after-letter-bomb-ghulam-nabi-azad-loses-post-2294100?pfrom=home-topscroll

New Delhi: Congress veteran Ghulam Nabi Azad, the most prominent of the "dissent" letter writers seen to have questioned the leadership of the Gandhis, has lost his post in a major shake-up seen to promote Rahul Gandhi's squad. Ghulam Nabi Azad has been dropped as a general secretary though he remains a part of the Congress Working Committee, the party's top decision-making panel.Motilal Vora, Ambika Soni and Mallikarjun Kharge have also been removed as general secretaries of All India Congress Committee (AICC) in the Friday shuffle by Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Congress Working Committee (CWC) has been reconstituted and P Chidambaram, Tariq Anwar, Randeep Surjewala, and Jitendra Singh have been named as its regular members.NDTV

 

Removal of 48,000 slum dwellings around rail tracks in Delhi: 16 slum dwellers move SC

https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/india/removal-of-48000-slum-dwellings-around-rail-tracks-in-delhi-16-slum-dwellers-move-sc

16 slum dwellers have approached the Supreme Court seeking impleadment in the MC Mehta case whereby a Bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra had ordered removal of jhuggis near the New Delhi area, to address environment related issues, legal news website LiveLaw.in has reported.Threatened by eviction from their homes, that too amid a global pandemic, the applicants have prayed that the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Trust (DUSIB) be directed to conduct a demand survey of the JJ clusters, undertaking in-situ redevelopment and rehabilitation.It is submitted that out of the total 196 JJ clusters on the land of DUSIB, MCD and Govt. of NCT and its agencies, demand surveys of total 158 JJ clusters have been completed leaving 38 JJ Clusters. However, if the same is not completed, affected parties cannot be rehabilitated. National Herald India

 

Swami Agnivesh, the saffron clad ‘secular’ swami passes away

https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/obituary/swami-agnivesh-the-saffron-clad-secular-swami-passes-away

Known as ‘Secular Swami’ among his friends and foes, social activist and the face of Bandhua Mukti Morcha Swami Agnivesh passed away on Friday. He had been struggling between life and death for at least four days.Admitted to ILBS in New Delhi, Swami was on ventilator since Tuesday due to multi-organ failure. He was admitted to the hospital due to liver cirrhosis. Though a liver transplant was planned earlier, it was postponed due to deterioration in his condition.A friend of Swami Agnivesh and general secretary, Rajasthan PUCL, Kavita Shrivastav said on Tuesday that “the doctors are non committal regarding him showing improvement.”Swami Agnivesh, who was always at the forefront in fights against the “anti-Muslim regime” was beaten up by the right wing goons at Pankur, Jharkhand in 2017. The activist was on his way to Litipara to participate in an event organised by Pahariya tribal community. National Herald India

 

Former CBI Director Nageswara Rao under fire for rejoicing at the death of Swami Agnivesh

https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/india/former-cbi-director-nageswara-rao-under-fire-for-rejoicing-at-the-death-of-swami-agnivesh

“Good riddance @swamiagnivesh. You were an anti-Hindu donning saffron clothes. You did enormous damage to Hinduism. I am ashamed that you were born as a Telugu Brahmin.A wolf in sheep’s clothes. My grievance against Yamaraj is why did he wait this long.”Even as the shocking tweet by the former CBI director caused widespread outrage on Twitter, the retired IPS officer held his ground.While a few of his ilk commended him for the vile tweet, many were shocked enough to try and shame him. National Herald India

 

RSS-inspired historians conspiring to distort the role of early Indian freedom fighters: spl story

https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/india/rss-inspired-historians-conspiring-to-distort-the-role-of-early-indian-freedom-fighters

A concerted effort has been unleashed to dim the glory of the heroic deeds and sacrifices made by our people coming from various streams of our society. This time the controversy is over a book called ‘Dictionary of Martyrs: India’s Freedom Struggle 1857-1947’ listing the life and sacrifices of martyrs in the India’s freedom struggle. C I Isaac, a member of Indian Council of Historical Research, along with organisations like Hindu Aikya Vedi, has urged for the deletion of all references in the book of Communist martyrs of the Punnapra Vayalar-Karivelloor and Kavumbayi agitations as well as of Muslim freedom fighters who lost their lives in the Wagon Tragedy and Malabar rebellion. A three -member committee has been set up to review the entries in the book. Isaac is one of the members of the panel. The report also asked for deleting the names of prominent leaders of Malabar rebellion Ali Musliyar, Variamkunnatha Haji, and his two brothers. Apart from them, demand for removal includes 387 others, called as ‘Malabar Rioters’. The report also describes Haji as ‘notorious Moplah riot leader’.Krishna Jha/IPA, National Herald India

WORLD

 Bahrain follows UAE to normalise ties with Israel

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/09/israel-bahrain-agree-establish-full-diplomatic-ties-200911171014685.html

Bahrain has joined UAE in agreeing to normalise relations with Israel, in a US-brokered deal that Palestinian leaders denounced as "another treacherous stab to the Palestinian cause".Donald Trump, the president of US, announced the deal on Twitter on Friday after he spoke by phone to Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu."This is truly a historic day," Trump told reporters in Oval Office, saying he believed other countries would follow suit.In a joint statement, US, Bahrain and Israel said "opening direct dialogue and ties between these two dynamic societies and advanced economies will continue the positive transformation of Middle East and increase stability, security, and prosperity in the region". Aljazeera

 

'Stab in the back': Palestinians condemn Israel-Bahrain deal

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/09/stab-palestinians-condemn-israel-bahrain-deal-200911182327985.html

Palestinian officials have condemned Israel-Bahrain normalisation deal announced by US President Donald Trump as another "stab in the back" by an Arab state.Following the announcement, Palestine recalled its ambassador to Bahrain for consultations, according to its foreign ministry.The agreement was "a stab in the back of the Palestinian cause and the Palestinian people", Ahmad Majdalani, social affairs minister in the Palestinian Authority (PA) said. In the besieged Gaza Strip, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said Bahrain's decision to normalise relations with Israel "represents a grave harm to the Palestinian cause, and it supports the occupation".Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), based in Ramallah, occupied West Bank, called the normalisation "another treacherous stab to Palestinian cause".Palestinians fear the moves by UAE and Bahrain will weaken a long-standing pan-Arab position that calls for Israeli withdrawal from occupied territory and acceptance of Palestinian statehood in return for normal relations with Arab countries. Aljazeera

 

US judge says Saudi officials must testify in Sept 11 lawsuit

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/09/judge-saudi-officials-testify-sept-11-lawsuit-200911202522978.html

A US judge directed Saudi Arabia's government to make 24 current and former officials, including a former ambassador to US, available for questioning in litigation claiming it provided assistance for the Sept.11, 2001 attacks, lawyers for victims said on Friday.Saudi Arabia has long denied involvement in the attacks, in which nearly 3,000 people were killed as hijacked aeroplanes crashed into New York's World Trade Center, the Pentagon outside Washington, DC, and a field in western Pennsylvania.Aljazeera

 

Beijing to impose restrictions on all US diplomats in China

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/09/beijing-impose-restrictions-diplomats-china-200911161356839.html

Beijing will impose "reciprocal restrictions" on all American diplomats in China in response to earlier curbs on the activities of its embassy staff in US, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said.The unspecified countermeasures will apply to all US embassy and consulate staff, as well as the consulate-general in Hong Kong, a ministry statement said on Friday.Aljazeera

 OP-ED

• Afghan talks begin: What to expect, key players and prospects for India:Nirupama Subramanian   

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/afghanistan-taliban-talks-explained-6591535/

         

• From China to Arab world, India is playing its geo-strategic cards effectively:Ram Madhav, BJP GS, indian express

https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/india-china-border-talks-narendra-modi-diplomacy-oic-6592497/

 

• The ordinance raj of Bharatiya Janata Party;Derek O’Brien

https://www.hindustantimes.com/analysis/the-ordinance-raj-of-the-bharatiya-janata-party/story-NlVvn0pm6updxwYlj0gSvJ.html

 

• National Herald View: The risks of fast tracking vaccine development

https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/opinion/herald-view-the-risks-of-fast-tracking-vaccine-development

 

• China may not vacate occupied territory in Ladakh; India must be prepared for a long haul:Barun Das Gupta/IPA

https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/india/china-may-not-vacate-occupied-territory-in-ladakh-india-must-be-prepared-for-a-long-haul

 

• Can Muslim World Unite Over Palestine’s Cause? Will OIC Step Up?Sameera Sayed

https://www.thequint.com/voices/opinion/abraham-accord-israel-palestine-arab-islamic-unity-muslim-solidarity-organisation-of-islamic-cooperation

Compiled and edited by Anwarulhaq released at 1.57pm