Archives for March 2015

SC issues notice to Advani, others in Babri Masjid demolition case

March 31, 2015 by Nasheman

New Delhi: The Supreme Court today sought responses from senior BJP leader L K Advani and others on a plea against dropping of criminal conspiracy charge against them in the Babri mosque demolition case.

A bench headed by Chief Justice H L Dattu issued notices to the BJP leader and the CBI on a separate plea filed by Haji Mahboob Ahmad, one of the petitioners in the Babri mosque case.

Ahmad, in his plea, has alleged that CBI may dilute its stand in the wake of the change in the government at the Centre.

Earlier, the CBI had moved the apex court against Allahabad High Court’s verdict on dropping conspiracy charge against Advani and 19 others in Babri mosque demolition case.

During the brief hearing, CBI today sought time for filing a fresh affidavit on delay in filing the appeal and on the merits of the case.

The court allowed the plea of the probe agency and granted four weeks time to file the response.

The apex court had earlier pulled up CBI for the delay in filing an appeal against the Allahabad High Court verdict.

CBI has challenged in the Supreme Court the May 21, 2010 order of the high court, which had upheld a special court’s decision to drop the charge against the leaders.

In its verdict, the high court had upheld the special CBI court order dropping conspiracy charge against Advani, Kalyan Singh, Uma Bharti, Vinay Katiyar and Murli Manohar Joshi.

The others against whom the charge was dropped included Satish Pradhan, C R Bansal, Ashok Singhal, Giriraj Kishore, Sadhvi Ritambhara, V H Dalmia, Mahant Avaidhynath, R V Vedanti, Param Hans Ram

Chandra Das, Jagdish Muni Maharaj, B L Sharma, Nritya Gopal Das, Dharam Das, Satish Nagar and Moreshwar Save.

Bal Thackeray’s name was removed from the list of accused persons after his death.

While upholding the special court’s order, the high court had allowed CBI to proceed with other charges against Advani and others in a Rae Bareily court, under whose jurisdiction the case falls.

The May 2010 order of the high court had said there was no merit in CBI’s revision petition against the May 4, 2001 order of the special court which had directed dropping of criminal conspiracy charge against them.

There are two sets of cases — one against Advani and others who were on the dais at Ram Katha Kunj in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992 when the Babri mosque was demolished, while the other case was against lakhs of unknown ‘karsevaks’ who were in and around the disputed structure.

CBI had charge sheeted Advani and 20 others under sections 153A (promoting enmity between classes), 153B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration) and 505 (false statements, rumours etc. circulated with the intent to cause mutiny or disturb public peace) of the IPC.

It had subsequently invoked charges under section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC which was quashed by the special court whose decision was upheld by the high court.

While upholding the special court’s order, the high court had said CBI at no point of time, either during the trial at Rae Bareily or in its revision petition, ever stated that there was offence of criminal conspiracy against the leaders.

(PTI)

Cricket World Cup 2015: Australia crush New Zealand in final

March 31, 2015 by Nasheman

by Stephan Shemilt, BBC Sport

Australia overwhelmed New Zealand to win the World Cup for a fifth time at an ecstatic Melbourne Cricket Ground.

New Zealand lost influential captain Brendon McCullum to the fifth ball of the match and were bowled out for 183.

Grant Elliott resisted with 83, while Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Johnson and James Faulkner shared eight wickets.

Australia rarely looked troubled, sealing a seven-wicket win in 33.1 overs, with captain Michael Clarke scoring 74 and Steve Smith 56 not out.

Clarke, in his final one-day international, was given a standing ovation by the record 93,000 crowd and welcomed by his team-mates on the boundary when he was bowled by Matt Henry with eight required.

He was part of the Australia team that last lifted the trophy in 2007, with this success extending their record for most World Cups won. No other team has more than two.

Australia’s win was the second in as many tournaments by a host nation after India’s triumph four years ago.

It provided a joyous end to an emotional Australian summer which saw batsman Phillip Hughes die after being struck on the neck by a ball in Sydney in November.

In their first final, after six previous semi-final defeats, New Zealand were blown away.

Their path to Melbourne came with eight successive wins, all on home soil, and most of the pre-match speculation was of how McCullum’s men would deal with the change in conditions.

They won what was thought to be a crucial toss, but the life was sucked from their innings almost as soon as it began.

The talismanic McCullum, so often a slayer of new-ball attacks throughout the tournament, aimed two wild swings at Starc, missed with both, then was bowled by a brilliant yorker.

Far from the batting paradise predicted, the pitch was slightly two-paced and offered both turn and some uneven bounce.

But that is to take nothing away from the Australia pace attack, Starc in particular, who bowled with hostility and found movement both in the air and off the seam.

New Zealand clung on without progressing, but when Glenn Maxwell’s off-spin got through a lazy Martin Guptill stroke and Kane Williamson patted back to Johnson, they seemed in disarray.

However, from 39-3, they painstakingly rebuilt through semi-final hero Elliott and Ross Taylor.

Elliott, who successfully overturned a Maxwell lbw decision on 15, scored almost exclusively through the off-side to become only the fifth man to register a half-century in the semi-final and final of the same World Cup.

Taylor made 40 in a stand of 111 provided a platform for the batting powerplay.

Yet it was the powerplay that began New Zealand’s slide, as Faulkner returned to have Taylor athletically caught behind by Brad Haddin and bowl Corey Anderson two balls later.

When Luke Ronchi played an awful waft to be caught at slip off Starc, three wickets had been lost for one run in eight balls.

There was no support for Elliott, who was caught behind attempting to heave Faulkner and, when Maxwell superbly ran out non-striker Tim Southee with a direct hit for the final wicket, it was the perfect demonstration of Australia’s dominance. In all, New Zealand lost seven wickets for 33 runs.

Though Aaron Finch inside-edged on to his pad to be caught and bowled by Trent Boult, David Warner’s brisk 45 gave Australia’s chase early momentum.

After he was caught hooking Henry, there began a period of pressure that Clarke and Smith battled to absorb, the latter needing the fortune of seeing the bails stay unmoved as a Henry delivery trickled on to the base of the stumps.

It would be New Zealand’s last chance, as Clarke’s cuts and drives down the ground accelerated Australia towards victory.

He could not see the job through, but Smith became the first man to score five successive World Cup half-centuries then pulled Henry for the winning runs.

Southern Movies Round Up

March 28, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

As compared to films produced in Bollywoodian & Hollywoodian Cinema arena, South Indian Cinema is rapidly & regularly progressing by churning out its own brand of gems of milestone movies in all the 4 languages namely Kannada, Malyalam, Telugu & Tamil. In an exclusive Nasheman.In, Shaheen Raaj will present a sneak preview of the productional happenings of Southern Cinema every fortnight. Time to stay tuned in.

‘Muni’ Franchise Gearing Up For Summer Release

‘Muni’ Franchise gearing up for summer release. Raghava Lawrence’s runaway success ‘Muni’ franchise is all geared up for a bvumper summer release. After the successes of the 1st 2 films in the franchise ‘Muni’ & ‘Kanchana’, ‘Muni 3: Kanchana 2’ is highly anticipated among fans to bring out the cheer and scare them this summer. ‘Muni 3: Kanchana 2’ will, in all probability, be releasing worldwide on 16th Apr, 2015, on a Thursday. Added to this news, the team has just let out news that the 1st look of the film will be out soon.

Dhanush’s Next Project ‘Naanum Rowdhythaan’ Final Schedule Begins

Dhanush’s next project ‘Naanum Rowdhythaan’s final schedule has begun. Dhanush’s Wunderbar Films which has produced super hits like ‘3’, ‘Ethirneechal’, ‘VIP’ et al and the most recent ‘Kaaki Sattai’ which is still going strong, have announced the beginning of the final schedule of their next production ‘Naanum Rowdhythaan’ which has already begun in Chennai.

‘Naanum Rowdythaan’ brings together 2 of the biggest names in Tamil Cinema namely Nayanthara & Vijay Sethupathi and is directed by Vignesh Sivan of ‘Poda Podi’ fame. And the way the film is shaping out it is sure to catapult the extremely talented Vijay Sethupathi to the next level much like what ‘Ethirneechal’ did to Sivakarthikeyan.

Vijay Sethupathi To Enact A Softie Role In His Next Titled ‘Mellisai’

Vijay Sethupathi to enact a softie role in his next titled ‘Mellisai’. Incidentally speaking Vijay Sethupathi is the most versatile actor currently working in Tamil Cinema so much so that he has even caught the eye of the great Kamalhassan gaining his appreciation. The actor seems to revel playing roguish characters in films like ‘Soodhu Kavvum’, ‘Itharkuthaney Aasaipattai Balakumar’,’Vanmam’ and even his soon to be released ‘Purampokku’ & ‘Naanum Rowdythaan‘. As a departure from these kinds of roles the actor is playing a soft role in his next film ‘Mellisai’ which re-unites him with his ‘Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kanom’ hit pair Gayathree, who plays a violinist.
It is being directed by débutante Ranjith Jeyakodi.

Big B Sings Paens About Nagarjuna

Big B sings paens about Nagarjuna. Incidentally speaking in recent times, our Yuva Samrat has been going places. His endorsements apart, he has always been noticed for his glamorous & performance-oriented roles. With ‘Meelo Evaru Koteeswarudu’, he has carved gargantuan popularity for himself in the small screen arena.
Yet another feather in his cap is a commercial with Big B and other Southern Stars. It was Big B’s 1st Southern commercial involving Nag, Prabhu, Vikram, Shiva & Manju Warrior.

The megastar of Bollywood, who recollected his association with Nag since the days of ‘Khuda Gawah’, said that he had fond association with the Akkinenis. Describing Nag as the son of the great Telugu thespian “the iconic Akkineni,” Big B said that ANR was a great admirer of his.

Allu Arjun Aka Bunny To Work With Trivikram Srinivas

Allu Arjun aka Bunny, a Telugu actor to work with Tamil Cinema director Trivikram Srinivas. Allu Arjun and style go together. His choices are always big time news. He has been doing big ticket film after big ticket film, ruling Tollywood like chosen few actors.

His film ‘S/o Sathyamurthy’, directed by a Tamil Cinema director Trivikram Srinivas, is much awaited. His last outing with the celebrated filmmaker, Julayi, was a Box Office hit. After ‘Race Gurram’, the buzz is that the Stylish Star is going to race ahead & zoom ahead. It has to be seen whether this project, a bi-lingual, will be releasing this year itself. As for his next, get ready for 2nd Apr, 2015 release.

Ravi Teja All Set To Do A Bollywood Remake

Ravi Teja all set to do a Bollywood remake. Ravi Teja is reportedly going to be back with a bang. Many years after a film like ‘Kick’, where he played that lovable & affable Robin Hood, he is set to act in a crime thriller. And this one is not a straight one but a remake. And the remake film is Neeraj Pandey’s ‘Special 26’. Remember the film which was admittedly based on a true story. The entertainer stood out for the performances of Akshay Kumar & Manoj Bajpay. By the way, our own Kajal Aggarwal was seen as Akshay’s pair in this 2013 hit film. Based on the 1987 Opera House heist, this film was a heist film which also received a lot of critical acclaim.

Hansika Refutes A Rumour About Her Alleged Comment On Pawan Kalyan

Hansika recently refuted a rumour about her alleged comment on Pawan Kalyan. Incidentally speaking since a last few days, a rumour has been doing the rounds that actress Hansika has commented on Pawan Kalyan in a recent interview. But the actress was quoted as saying, “There is no need to enter into politics like Pawan Kalyan to do social service”, as per an interview. But Hansika cleared the rumoured air by stating that she hasn’t mentioned Pawan in any interview and she respects him a lot. She took to her twitter handle and wrote, “(1/2) Well few articles says I have commented on Pawan Kalyan sir. Let me make it clear I haven’t given any interview mentioning sir”. “(2/2) rest is all cooked up!!! I respect him immensely and I’m a fan of his work. I request all the others to stop with this vague rumour”.

The Confusion Over Mammootty-Kamal Film Is Over

The confusion over Mammootty-Kamal film Is over. After a few months in discussions, the confusions related to the new Mammootty-Kamal film is over. And now it is clear that producer Anto Joseph has decided to take over the production of the film. As of now, the shoot for the movie which was delayed for a year will kick start by the month of May, 2015 after the completion of Marthanda’s ‘Acha Din’. This yet to be titled project will hit the screens as an Onam release. This film also marks the coming together of Mammootty & Kamal after a long time since their last outing together in ‘Raappakal’.

Shakeela Has Not Been Roped In For A Sreebala film

Shakeela has not been roped in for a Sreebala film. Earlier on it was reported that Shakeela is part of a Sreebala film which has Dileep as the hero. However, the reports has been dismissed as fake and that she has not been roped in for any role. According to sources, in the discussion for a sequence involving an interview scene, the names of Shakeela & Santhosh Pandit had cropped up as interviewees. However, neither of the 2 has been approached for the roles. The movie is a love story and has been scripted by Sreebala herself.

Ambassador Ragini Dwivedi Made Her Presence Felt At “Shaadi Bazaar”

Ragini Dwivedi, a top Kannada actress & an ambassador really made Her Presence felt at an event of “Shaadi Bazaar”. At the inauguration of “Shaadi Baazar at the Lalit Hotel Ashok the presence of ambassador Ragini Dwivedi made a solid difference. Ragini Dwivide top actress of Kannada cinema also into other language films had participated in several ads as model for a few years. She was into Femina Miss India, Miss Beautiful Hair competitions. Besides she was a runner up in 2008 Femina Miss India. Of late Ragini is a much sought after actress. “Shaadi Baazar” with South Asian wedding collections provided an invidualised list of vendors based on unique needs & vision for clients.

Brendon McCullum's letter to Indian fans: Come and support us in World Cup final

March 28, 2015 by Nasheman

Wellington: New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum reached out to a billion Indian fans for support ahead of the Black Caps’ 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup final against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. In a heart-warming letter addressed to ‘every cricket fan in India’, McCullum said he’d already seen a wave of support from the Indian fans already and requested their support through every ball in the final.

World Cup final, which will be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) against hosts Australia, McCullum is now hopeful that Indian fans who have already booked their tickets and were hopeful to see their team in the final will now be there to back Kiwis on Sunday.

In the pre-final press conference, Brendon McCullum said that he’s confident that the Indian fans will be rooting for the Kiwis.

“I reckon we might have the home crowd tomorrow actually. I think it’s probably no secret that most of the other teams around the world would probably fair New Zealand to win against Australia. So hopefully we’ll get a good smattering of support tomorrow, and I’m sure the Indian guys will certainly be rooting for us.”

New online magazine launched to “combat extremism”

March 28, 2015 by Nasheman

by 5Pillars

A new online magazine has been launched with the aim of “reclaiming the internet” from extremists, the BBC reports.

Haqiqah has been created by British Muslim scholars who say they want to do more to educate young people about the reality of extremist movements.

They say it is a direct response to the threat of radicalisation from groups such as Islamic State. ISIS supporters have widely used social media to spread their message.

More than 100 imams gathered in London for the launch of the magazine, which has been started by the website Imams Online.

As yet it is unclear if the initiative is government-funded or not.

“Someone has to reclaim that territory from ISIS, and that can only be imams: religious leaders who guide and nourish their community,” according to Qari Asim, senior editor at imamsonline.com.

“But now that we live in a digital mobile world, some young people are not coming to the mosque so we must reach out to them – and this is the Muslims’ contribution to combat radicalisation on the net,” he said.

“We’re turning the tide,” says Shaukat Warraich, the chief editor of Imamsonline.com.

“Though we still have a way to go, we know that by taking efforts to support and mobilise the huge online Muslim population, we will eventually drown out the violent voices.”

He said that the speed and volume of communications by IS has taken everyone by surprise, with more than 100,000 pieces of information, tweets and Facebook posts coming out of Syria and Iraq every day.

Warraich said that imams had to move from the real world to have a greater presence online, where young Muslims go for much of their information.

The summit was attended by imams, including Sheikh Abdallah Bin Bayyah, president of the Forum for Promoting Peace, and Hamza Yusuf, a leading US imam and co-founder of California-based Zaytuna College.

The organisers say it brought together every group within Islam, from Deobandi, Sufi, Sunni, Shia and cultural groups, and included Somalis, Arabs, Pakistanis and converts to Islam from many nations.

Saina Nehwal creates history, becomes world No.1

March 28, 2015 by Nasheman

Photo: Ben Stansall/AFP

New Delhi: Ace shuttler Saina Nehwal on Saturday created history by becoming the first Indian woman to be ranked World No.1.

Saina reached the summit after Ratchanok Intanon defeated All England Badminton champion Carolina Marin in the first semifinal of the India Open Super Series badminton tournament in New Delhi on Saturday.

The Olympic bronze medallist is in the hunt for her maiden India Open crown as she reached her maiden semifinal at the event on Friday by beating Indonesia’s Hana Ramadhini 21-15, 21-12 at the Siri Fort Sports Complex.

Saina led 10-6 early on but Hana blasted off four straight points to catch up with the Indian. However, Saina slowly increased the gap with her rival to eventually win the first game.

The Indian dished out a better game in the second, as she entered the break with a healthy 11-4 lead and capitalized on the advantage as her opponent crumbled.

Saina will play Japan’s Yui Hashimoto in the second semifinal on Saturday.

Prakash Padukone was the first Indian to reach the summit of the world rankings.

(Agencies)

Men’s Rights Group strongly objects move to make dowry law compoundable, demands bailability

March 28, 2015 by Nasheman

by Virag R Dhulia

Mukul Srivastava (name changed) travelled 9 times in a period of 3.5 months to attend his bail hearings from Chennai to Jaipur by flight spending close to INR 1 lakh for the travels. Additionally, he was made to stay in Jaipur for an extended period of 1.5 months jeopardizing his job and career.

His fault, he was an Indian husband whose wife had implicated him in a false dowry case. He approached the court for bail and he was only given interim bail. Every 5 or 7 days, the interim bail was extended keeping him in a lurch wherein he was neither arrested nor completely safe even though he was cooperating in the investigation fully.

Prakash Gupta (name changed) was arrested by the Bihar police from Bangalore even though he had an anticipatory bail and had to undergo the ordeal of police custody from Bangalore to Patna (where a false dowry case was lodged against him) before obtaining final bail.

IAS officer D K Ravi who recently committed suicide in Bangalore, Karnataka, is also believed to have been a victim of 498A as reports are emerging that he was threatened with a false dowry case. This had allegedly happened when he confronted his wife after it was revealed that his wife had eloped with her classmate in her college days and had married him secretly. This fact was kept hidden from Ravi and he came to know about it after marriage.

These are just some examples which throw light on the dark and gory side of Section 498A – the Dowry Law of India as it gets misused highly.

Misuse of dowry laws is not a recent phenomenon and the judiciary of India is totally responsible for the growing misuse of dowry law and the resultant abuse of innocent men in the process.

“The Government and courts should worry more about men avoiding women altogether than being worried about saving marriages by amending laws. Because, when it comes to protecting innocent men from abusive women in marriages and the resultant frivolous and vexatious litigation, the Govt. and the Judiciary score negative”, says Rajesh Vakharia, President Save Indian Family Foundation (SIFF).

“Judiciary and Police, subvert human rights of men when a false complaint of dowry harassment is filed against them”, rues Vakharia as he explains the role of police and judiciary in the misuse of dowry law,

Police do not issue “Notice of Appearance” when a complaint is received from wife. Instead they call the husband and threaten him on phone forcing him to visit the police station without being officially summoned and then the police do marital counseling when they are neither trained nor authorized to counsel couples.
Judges do not punish police when they do not follow provisions of Section 41 CrPC and arrest men without issuing notice of appearance.
Often police visit the office premises of men in order to shame them and jeopardize their job situation. Police also pick up relatives of men who are not even named in the complaint, they are illegally detained by police and forced to give their statements.
Judges grant interim bail and then keep on extending the bail for every 5 or 7 days and thus the man is neither arrested nor free but keeps on attending court dates without any reason.
After giving interim bail, the cases are referred to mediation where the man is psychologically tortured to bow down before wife’s demands and if he does not do so, his bail is canceled and he is sent to jail.
This is nothing short of state sponsored extortion and blackmail which is happening due to the independent and unaccountable nature of the Indian judiciary. Courts and mediation centers, along with the legal fraternity are acting as “agents of wives” and punishing men financially without verifying complaints.
Judiciary has taken an official stand of not punishing wives and her relatives when they attack the husband and/or his relatives physically. At times, such attacks are either fatal in nature or injure the man severely. Wife and her relatives are given a free license to commit atrocities on husbands and then file a complaint of 498A to cover their own crimes. And, the judiciary accepts this behavior as normal and punishes the husband for 498A and lets off the wife without any punishment.

“It is a very sad fact that instead of working to resolve these procedural hurdles which result in abuse of men under section 498A and its growing misuse, the Govt. is planning to make this law compoundable. It is already compoundable in states like Andhra Pradesh and Telengana. After the law is made compoundable, the misuse of this law in fact increased many folds. So, the Government’s proposal to make the law compoundable will not solve the problem of misuse, but will just compound it. This is like adding salt to injury”, says Jyoti Tiwari, spokesperson, Save Indian Family Foundation and pushes move for judicial reforms.

Instead of reigning in the judiciary, the Govt. is strengthening it believing it to be a holy cow.

However, Indian judiciary is not a holy cow.
Today, the law and order situation is in a chaos because of the insensitivity and lack of accountability of the judiciary as the judiciary is least bothered about its dignity.
Cases linger for years together because judges do not follow the due process in the cases and allow any number of adjournments to the wife when she does not attend the court hearings.
Judges do not dismiss the cases even if the wife does not attend the cases for years together.
Judges take months together to merely decide on bail petitions. Bail being a constitutional right and if a man is willing to cooperate in the investigation, there should be absolutely no problem in granting bail. However, judges are forcing lawyers to bring evidence of innocence in the bail itself which is violation of constitutional rights of men.

And with such a state of the judiciary, if we leave decisions like granting bail and compounding cases (Section 320 CrPC) to the judiciary, it will lead to more false cases and it will contribute to the growing menace of misuse of 498A.

This abuse of men is uniform across cities and villages. In fact, being unaware and not having access to basic facilities, the village men suffer more and either bow down or commit suicide being unable to bear the extreme harassment and torture by wife, police, lawyers and judges.

Being a men’s rights organization, Save Indian Family Foundation (SIFF) strongly condemns the apathy and insensitivity of the judiciary and reserves strong objections to 498A being made compoundable. It presses upon the need to make the section bailable and non-cognizable.

Even though, the Govt. has issued multiple directives and circulars directing the police not to arrest before investigation or to issue notice of appearance under Section 41 CrPC, however, all those directives are mere paper tigers and are not implemented in letter and spirit.

Hence, SIFF demands,

To drop the move for amending 498A to make it compoundable.
To make Section 498A bailable and non-cognizable.
To form committees of innocent men, who have been acquitted, as watchdogs to monitor and review orders by judiciary.
To insert a special provision to punish those police and judicial officers who do not follow the law properly and resort to malpractices under the cover of Section 498A.
To stop the extortion and blackmailing of men in the name of mediation and counseling.

Janata Parivar merger on track, says Nitish Kumar

March 28, 2015 by Nasheman

“The merger vehicle of Janata Parivar is on track and the vehicle is on the run,” Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said. Photo: The Hindu

Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, on Saturday, said there was no “cloud of uncertainty” over merger of old Janata Parivar splinter groups and that it was on track.

“The merger vehicle of Janata Parivar is on track and the vehicle is on the run,” Mr. Kumar told reporters after a conclave on skill development.

“I think the merger will not take much time,” he said.

“The date of the next meeting on merger will be decided soon in which everything will become clear,” Mr. Kumar said.

The Chief Minister, during his recent stay in Delhi, had met Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav, who has been authorised to decide modalities for the merger of Janata Parivar.

“On March 27, Lalu Prasad, Sharad Yadav, Mulayam Singh Yadav and I held detailed talks on merger issue,” Mr. Kumar said.

On a question on his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mr. Kumar said he had a talk with the PM on needs for development of the State.

“The discussion was good. The PM heard everything and promised to look into them,” Mr. Kumar said.

(PTI)

Yemen does not need another war: Report from Sana’a

March 28, 2015 by Nasheman

At least 39 civilians have reportedly been killed so far in the airstrikes.

Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, hold up their weapons to protest against Saudi-led airstrikes, during a rally in Sanaa, Yemen, Thursday, March 26, 2015. Saudi Arabia bombed key military installations in Yemen on Thursday, leading a regional coalition in a campaign against Shiite rebels who have taken over much of the country and drove out the president. (Photo: AP/Hani Mohammed)

by Democracy Now!

A Saudi-led aerial bombing campaign has entered its second day in Yemen. The Saudi-led airstrikes are intended to thwart the advance of Shiite Houthi rebels after they seized control of the capital Sana’a last year and deposed President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi last month. On Thursday, Hadi left his refuge in Aden for Saudi Arabia. At least 39 civilians have reportedly been killed so far in the airstrikes. Amnesty International reports the dead include at least six children under the age of 10. Saudi’s bombing campaign has been backed by the United States, Gulf states, Egypt, Turkey, Pakistan and Sudan. We go to Sana’a to speak with Farea Al-Muslimi, a visiting scholar at Carnegie Middle East Center. He recently tweeted: “I’m a 25 year old Yemeni man. I’ve seen at least 15 wars in my country. I don’t need more. I need some help and education & economy; not guns.”

Arab League tackles Saudi-led air strikes on Yemen

March 28, 2015 by Nasheman

Leaders meet in Egypt to discuss crisis in Yemen, where Saudi-led coalition is striking bases of Houthi rebels.

by Al Jazeera

Arab leaders have gathered in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh to discuss the crisis in Yemen, where Saudi-led coalition troops are pressing ahead with airstrikes on Houthi targets.

Security was tight in Sharm el-Sheikh on Saturday as the leaders from the Arab League, representing 21 nations, opened the summit, which will discuss possible creation of a joint Arab military force, a sign of a new determination among Saudi Arabia, Egypt and their allies to intervene aggressively in regional hotspots.

The summit came as their airstrikes continued for a third straight day on Saturday, hitting targets in the city of Hudaydah on the Red Sea Coast, the Houthi stronghold of Saada in the north, and military installations in and around the capital Sanaa.

At least 24 civilians were killed in Friday’s strikes, bringing the toll from two days to 45 civilians, the Houthi-run Interior Ministry said.

The Houthis’ TV station showed footage from a market in Saada it said was struck by missiles, with images of charred bodies and wrecked vehicles.

Yemeni security officials said around 80 fighters from forces loyal to the Houthis or to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh had been killed in the strikes, according to the Associated Press news agency. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to the press.

Air strikes also struck the base of Saleh, who ruled the country for more than 30 years. Saleh is believed to have fled to Sanhan, near the capital.

By Friday afternoon, more than 40 percent of Yemen’s air defences were destroyed, according to Yemeni Brigadier General Saleh al-Subaihi, who supports embattled Yemen President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who fled the country.

The figures of civilian and combatant casualties could not be independently confirmed, though Amnesty International said at least six children were among those killed in Sanaa on Thursday.

Diplomats evacuated from Aden

Hadi fled the southern port city of Aden on Thursday under Saudi protection. After a stop in Riyadh, he arrived on Friday in Sharm el-Sheikh to attend the Arab League.

Saudi warships, meanwhile, have evacuated dozens of other Arab and foreign diplomats from Aden, Saudi state television said on Saturday. “They arrived later in Jeddah aboard two Saudi naval vessels,” the report stated.

The spokesman for the Arab coalition bombing Houthi targets in Yemen, Brigadier General Ahmed Asiri, said that Saudi Arabia and its allies will do whatever it takes to stop Yemen’s second largest city from falling to the rebel group, amid reports of ground fighting between forces loyal to Hadi and Houthi fighters in Aden.

Asiri said in Riyadh on Friday that the coalition’s “main objective [is] to protect the government in Aden”. Aden is believed to harbour dozens of army defectors and Houthi fighters.

Asiri’s remarks came as warnings were raised that a humanitarian disaster could unfold should the military intervention escalate.

Civilians fleeing

Bashrahil Hesham Bashrahil, a journalist based in Aden, said civilians were scared, leaving the city with the once busy streets now eerily quiet.

“The markets are closed, businesses are closed and there is a real shortage of food,” Bashrahil told Al Jazeera. “Banks have been shut since Thursday and will not reopen until the security situation has been addressed.

“While power supplies have not yet been affected, there is a real sense of fear should the fighting worsen,” he said. “Hospitals are struggling to cope with the number of injured and are appealing for blood donations.”

Houthis and Hadi loyalists have been clashing on the outskirts of the city in the last few days, leaving many casualties.

SC issues notice to Advani, others in Babri Masjid demolition case

Cricket World Cup 2015: Australia crush New Zealand in final

Southern Movies Round Up

Brendon McCullum's letter to Indian fans: Come and support us in World Cup final

New online magazine launched to “combat extremism”

Saina Nehwal creates history, becomes world No.1

Men’s Rights Group strongly objects move to make dowry law compoundable, demands bailability

Janata Parivar merger on track, says Nitish Kumar

Yemen does not need another war: Report from Sana’a

Arab League tackles Saudi-led air strikes on Yemen

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