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BJP Kashmir candidate opposes repeal of Article 370

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jammu and kashmir

Srinagar: Hina Bhat, BJP candidate for the Amira Kadal assembly constituency here, Thursday said she does not support abrogation of Article 370 and expressed the hope the contentious issue would not figure in the party’s manifesto for the state elections.

When IANS asked Bhat whether she stood by her statement in local media that she would be the first to pick up the gun if Article 370 was abrogated, she said: “It is my personal opinion that Article 370 cannot be abrogated.”

“Yes, if it is abrogated, I will oppose it tooth and nail.”

She also questioned reports that abrogation of Article 370 would be part of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) manifesto for Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls.

“Have you seen the manifesto? How do you say abrogation of Article 370 would be part of our assembly election manifesto?” she asked.

On Tuesday, while inaugurating the party’s media cell in Jammu, Jitendra Singh, minister of state at the Prime Minister’s office (PMO), told reporters: “All issues (including Article 370) which have been part of the BJP manifesto all these years will be part of the agenda. They will continue to be so.”

“The ideological issue (Article 370) which you are pointing at, BJP’s stand is very clear on it and it is known to you.”

“But in each election at a given time, you have to prioritise and you have to go by the aspiration of the people. The aspiration of the people as of now, in 2014, in November and December, when we go to polls, is to liberate this state and people from years and years of misgovernance, corruption and misappropriation of central funds,” the minister said.

(IANS)

AMU students protest against ‘negative portrayal’ of university in media

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protest AMU students media

Aligarh: Students of Aligarh Muslim University protested here on Wednesday at the alleged negative portrayal of the university in certain sections of the media. The AMU Students’ Union and Women’s College Students’ Union staged a protest march in the university campus and said that simple administrative issues were allegedly blown into an issue of gender bias by the media.

The students also condemned the “irresponsible and careless” remarks of the Vice- Chancellor Zameer Uddin Shah.

“The AMUSU and Women’s College Students’ Union feel shocked and angered by intense negative portrayal of AMU in some section of the media. The anti-women depiction of the historical campus of AMU is not only factually wrong but also an unnecessary sensationalisation of a simple administrative issue into an issue of gender bias,” said Abdullah Azzam the AMUSU president.

He said the allegation of gender bias against the university was wrong as Maulana Azad Library has more than 2,700 registered female members including PG students, research scholars and students of various professional courses.

Arguing that the women’s college has its own library meant to cater the requirements of the college girls, he highlighted the long standing demand of the Women’s College Students’ Union regarding updating the existing library and providing easy access to the books of Maulana Azad Library.

Meanwhile, the university administration has also clarified the position.

“It must be put on record that there is absolutely no issue of gender in allowing or not allowing membership to Maulana Azad Library. Girl students of the University which include research scholars, postgraduate and undergraduate students (including students in undergraduate professional courses) are members of Maulana Azad Library and they avail its facilities in a routine manner,” said Dr Rahat Abrar, Public Relations Officer.

“AMU Women’s College offers education in conventional undergraduate courses and is located around 3 kilometers away from the main campus of the University. It has its own system including the library and book bank.”

Dr. Abrar further said that Maulana Azad Library was established in 1960 and AMU Women’s College in 1936 and since then the two have been functioning smoothly. “The University has not imposed or introduced any new rule regarding membership to Maulana Azad Library as the media reports seem to mischievously suggest,” he said.

Machil Fake Encounter: 7 Army personnel found guilty, sentenced to life imprisonment

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Victims: Aasha Begam, mother of Shezad Ahmad with picture of her son. Next her Jabeena, wife of Shezad and his five year old son Shahid. Shezad was killed in the Machil Fake Encounter. Photo: Javed Dar

Victims: Aasha Begam, mother of Shezad Ahmad with picture of her son. Next her Jabeena, wife of Shezad and his five year old son Shahid. Shezad was killed in the Machil Fake Encounter. Photo: Javed Dar

Srinagar: A court has convicted seven Indian Army personnel including two officers for involvement in the 2010 Machil fake encounter case in Kashmir.

The military court has handed out life imprisonment to all the men and they have been suspended from service.

The court found the troopers guilty of killing civilians and hatching a conspiracy to cover-up the case.

In 2010, three youth were lured to Kupwara region with the promise of job and were killed in a staged encounter by troops near the Line of Control.

The Army had dubbed them as ‘Pakistani terrorists’ who had infiltrated into Kashmir.

Following the discovery that the slain men were civilians, a court of enquiry was ordered and court martial proceedings had begun in January 2014.

Seven soldiers, two civilians and one member of territorial Army had been found guilty in the proceedings.

A colonel rank officer and a captain have been found guilty in the fake encounter.

The order comes as a relief for the families of victims who had demanded action against the Army officers. The case had triggered massive protests against the Army in the valley.

Chhattisgarh sterilization tragedy: Doctor R K Gupta arrested, blames govt for making him breach guidelines

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Indian women who underwent sterilization surgeries receive treatment at the CIMS hospital in Bilaspur, in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2014. Eight Indian women have died and more than a dozen others in critical condition Tuesday after undergoing sterilization surgeries in a free government-run program to help slow the country's population growth. A total of 83 women, all poor villagers under the age of 32, had the operations Saturday in a hospital outside Bilaspur city. Each of the women had received a payment of 600 rupees, or about $10, to participate in the program, said the state's chief medical officer, Dr. S.K. Mandal. (Source: AP)

ndian women who underwent sterilization surgeries receive treatment at the CIMS hospital in Bilaspur, in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2014. Eight Indian women have died and more than a dozen others in critical condition Tuesday after undergoing sterilization surgeries in a free government-run program to help slow the country’s population growth. A total of 83 women, all poor villagers under the age of 32, had the operations Saturday in a hospital outside Bilaspur city. Each of the women had received a payment of 600 rupees, or about $10, to participate in the program, said the state’s chief medical officer, Dr. S.K. Mandal. (Source: AP)

New Delhi: Dr RK Gupta, who conducted 83 laparoscopic surgeries in just five hours in Bilaspur on Saturday, has been arrested. He was arrested late on Wednesday night from Baloda Bazar. Gupta, who was awarded by the Raman Singh government on January 26 this year for conducting a record number of female sterilizations, has already been suspended and is facing a FIR.

Meanwhile, a team of specialist doctors is reaching Raipur from Hyderabad. They will assist in the treatment of women. Fourteen women have died so far following tubectomies in two separate government camps within two days in Bilaspur.

One of them is a Baiga, a primate tribe protected by law. The government has banned the sterilization of these tribes. Alleging that these deaths amounted to“murders by the government,” PCC Chief Bhupesh Baghel has demanded the immediate resignation of Raman Singh. President of All India Mahila Congress Shobha Ojha has arrived in Chhattisgarh today and reached Bilaspur.

Female sterilization remains the most popular method of population control in India, where public health facilities often lack funding and fake medicines are rampant. The Chhattisgarh tragedy is one of the worst in recent memory from the one-day sterilization drives India regularly holds to keep its 1.2 billion population from growing too fast. Preliminary post-mortem results show no sign of infection from poor sanitary conditions, said Promod Tewari, the top government medical official in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, the town where the sterilizations occurred. That points to flawed antibiotics and painkillers that were given to patients after the surgery as the cause of death, he said.

Sterilization mishaps are common in India. From April 2010 to March 2013, the government paid about Rs.51 crore for 15,264 deaths or failed surgeries, Harsh Vardhan, who was India’s health minister at the time, told parliament on 18 July. Sterilizations are voluntary and couples choose between a tubectomy or vasectomy, he said.

Gupta said he conducted the 83 operations over about six hours, with each one taking about five minutes. He blamed the government for making him breach guidelines that limit a doctor from performing more than 30 in a day.

BJP govt wins trust vote in Maharashtra Assembly

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fadnavis_bjp

Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ minority government Wednesday won the vote of confidence of the state assembly by a voice vote, while the Shiv Sena opted for the role of opposition here.

The development was preceded by the unanimous election of BJP leader Haribhau Bagde as the new Speaker of the Maharashtra assembly.

The Congress and Shiv Sena cried foul over the newly-elected speaker’s decision to reject the demand for balloting in the trust vote and instead to settle for a voice vote.

State Congress president Manikrao Thakre alleged that the government has failed to prove its majority as per Governor C.V. Rao’s directives.

“This is a murder of democracy and the entire state has witnessed it. This government continues to be in minority and must resign immediately,” Thakrey demanded.

Shiv Sena’s Ramdas Kadam and other leaders also demanded a count of the voice votes to ascertain how many were in favour of the BJP government.

Thakre said a delegation of all parties would meet the governor to apprise him of the developments.

“We will urge the governor to either order a fresh of vote of confidence since today’s vote was not done properly. The A.B. Vajpayee government in the past at the Centre had fallen because of just one vote. Here, this government fell short of at least 25 votes and has no right to continue. We will not allow the government to work,” he declared.

Congress Legislature Party leader Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil said the ruling party violated rules and must seek a fresh vote of confidence of the house.

Sexual assault cases should be disposed within 1 year: T B Jayachandra

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Law_Minister_T_B_Jayachandra

Mangaluru: Special Courts will be setup in all districts of Karnataka to deal with cases under POCSO Act (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act). Two Fast Track Courts are already rendering such service in Bengaluru, informed State Minister for Law, Justice and Human Rights T B Jayachandra.

“In the state under POCSO act, 1577 cases have been registered, in which 281 cases have seen conviction while 1296 cases are yet to be disposed. Already IPC 376 has seen drastic changes and quantum of punishment has also been increased. As per the policy of Union government, state government had already established fast track courts in all districts of the state. And district principal session court judge will be dealing with the cases.” He said.

Around 400 cases were registered from Bengaluru alone. A total of 59 cases have been reported from Dakshina Kannada.

Speaking on low conviction on sexual offenders, the minister said ” Sexual assault cases should be disposed within 1 year but when the witnesses turning hostile, cases get prolonged and delayed. Hence government after consultation with the the legal experts has taken a decision to amend the law.”

“The Central Government has made IPC Section 376 (Punishment for rape) more rigid after the Nirbhaya Case two years ago,” he said.

Also, the Supreme Court has ruled that rape victims’ statement to be directly recorded by a judicial magistrate instead of police officials to cut short protracted proceedings.

About creating awareness among the public especially youth, he said that the Information Department was already directed to telecast advertisements against child and other sexual harassment on television.

U.S Ebola Response Coordinator Ron Klain: Ebola as a weapon 'unlikely'

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White House Ebola czar Ron Klain says the United States has ramped up its training and equipment to handle U.S. patients.

White House Ebola czar Ron Klain says the United States has ramped up its training and equipment to handle U.S. patients.

by Eric Bradner, CNN

Washington: White House Ebola czar Ron Klain on Tuesday downplayed the chances of Ebola being used as a biological weapon after a scare in New Zealand.

Klain said he was briefed Tuesday after a small vial supposedly sent by jihadis and containing Ebola was sent to the offices of the New Zealand Herald newspaper. The newspaper sent the vial to Australia for testing.

“Based on our best information, I think the odds are high that this turns out to be a hoax,” Klain said on CNN’s “The Lead” with Jake Tapper.

He said U.S. officials are “always watching intelligence traffic and other indicators” to see if terror groups are using Ebola or other diseases as biological weapons, but that “we’re not aware of any credible threat” and that the odds of that happening are low.

Klain touted the overall U.S. response to Ebola cases here and to the outbreak in West Africa, saying health officials have “tried to learn the lessons from Dallas,” where the first case was diagnosed in the United States, by increasing training, preparation and protective gear at health facilities nationwide.

“What we’ve shown now is that we can successfully identify and isolate an Ebola patient, we can make sure he doesn’t infect other people, we can treat him, and we can send him home safely,” he said.

When President Barack Obama tapped Klain as his Ebola response coordinator, Republican lawmakers howled that the long-time political operative — Klain served as Vice President Joe Biden’s chief of staff and helped Obama with debate preparation during his re-election campaign — isn’t a medical professional.

But Klain told Tapper on Tuesday that he isn’t serving in a role that requires a medical background.

“My role isn’t to give medical advice, it’s to coordinate this massive response that President Obama has marshaled here at home and in Africa,” Klain said.

Israeli army issues arrest warrant against a 2 year old child

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Hamza Hatem Zeidani - Silwanic

Hamza Hatem Zeidani – Silwanic

by Saed Bannoura, IMEMC & Agencies

The Wadi Hilweh Information Center in Silwan (Silwanic), in occupied East Jerusalem, has reported that the Israeli army issued an arrest warrant against a two-year-old child, and that the army told the family he is “wanted” for questioning by the security forces.

The family said that an Israeli security officer, accompanied by several soldiers, stormed their home, and told them they have an arrest warrant for their child, Hamza Hatem Zeidani, and that they asked the soldiers, whether they realize they are after a 2-year-old child.

The soldiers actually confirmed they are coming after the child, and the family told them he lives in the house next door, but the soldiers did not go there to arrest him.

Earlier on Wednesday, the soldiers kidnapped four Palestinians from Silwan and the Suwwana neighborhood, after searching and ransacking their home.

Silwanic said the soldiers kidnapped Ra’ed Ra’fat Abu Gharbiyya, 17, Ahmad Mansour Abu Gharbiyya, 17, from Suwwana neighborhood, and Mohammad Ziad Zeidani, 16, and Kayed Yahia Rajabi, 19, from the al-Bustan neighborhood.

Members of the Zeidani family said the soldiers confiscated three computers from their home when they kidnapped their son Mohammad.

UNHCR: 13.6 million displaced by conflict in Iraq and Syria

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Syrian Kurdish refugees try to get warm around a fire at a refugee camp in the town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, on November 7, 2014. AFP / Aris Messinis

Syrian Kurdish refugees try to get warm around a fire at a refugee camp in the town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, on November 7, 2014. AFP / Aris Messinis

by Al-Akhbar

About 13.6 million people, equivalent to the population of London, have been displaced by conflicts in Syria and Iraq, many without food or shelter as winter starts, the UN refugee agency said on Tuesday.

“The whole humanitarian community is facing shortfalls. People are becoming numb,” said Amin Awad, who heads UNHCR’s Middle East and North Africa bureau.

“Now when we talk about a million people displaced over two months, or 500,000 overnight, the world is just not responding,” he told reporters in Geneva.

The 13.6 million include 7.2 million displaced within Syria – an increase from a long-held UN estimate of 6.5 million, as well as 3.3 million Syrian refugees abroad, 1.9 million displaced in Iraq and 190,000 who have left to seek safety.

The vast majority of Syrian refugees have gone to Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Turkey, countries which Awad said “are putting us all to shame” with their support for homeless Syrian families.

“Other countries in the world, especially the Europeans and beyond, should open their borders and share the burden.”

UNHCR says it is short of $58.5 million in donations to prepare 990,000 people for winter, money that would cover basic supplies such as plastic sheeting and warm clothing.

Awad said Russia and China, both in the UN Security Council, came in bottom of a list of top donors and should contribute more.

“Politically they cannot really be indifferent, therefore humanitarian is an imperative and it has to be put first and foremost if there is no (political) settlement … They need to contribute one way or the other, like the others do,” he said.

Lack of funds

The UN refugee agency said Tuesday it had been forced to slash the number of people it can help prepare for winter in conflict-ravaged Syria and Iraq for lack of funds.

Awad lamented that his agency was forced to make “tough choices.”

The agency said it was facing a shortfall of $58 million (47 million euros) for its efforts to prepare millions of displaced people in Syria and Iraq for winter.

As a result, as many as one million displaced people desperate for blankets, kerosene, warm clothes and other items needed to keep warm and dry may have to go without assistance, it warned.

“I wish we could support everybody, and I wish that we could keep everybody warm,” Amin told reporters in Geneva, adding however that “the world is not responding.”

“Many fled with nothing,” UNHCR spokeswoman Melissa Fleming told reporters.

With winter already on the doorstep, and temperatures falling as low as minus 16 degrees Celsius in some parts of Syria and Iraq, UNHCR has already invested $154 million in winter aid for the devastated countries.

But because of the funding shortfall, it has been forced to revise down the number of people it can help.

The agency had planned to help 1.4 million people in Syria and 600,000 people in Iraq, but now expects to reach only 620,000 in Syria and 240,000 in Iraq.

As a result, UNHCR said it was being forced to make “some very tough choices over who to prioritize.”

“The needs are massive but funding has not kept up apace with the new displacement,” Fleming said.

Those at higher, colder altitudes, as well as vulnerable people such as the sick, the elderly and newborns, are first in line for aid, Amin said.

He noted that 11 young children froze to death in Syria last year.

“The same can happen this year with children, elderly and frail persons,” he warned.

(Reuters, AFP)

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