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US envoy: Almost every CAR mosque destroyed in war

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US ambassador to UN Samantha Power calls devastation in Central African Republic “kind of crazy, chilling” after visit.

Nearly one million of Central African Republic's 4.5 million residents have been displaced [Getty]

Nearly one million of Central African Republic’s 4.5 million residents have been displaced [Getty]

by Al Jazeera

Almost all of the 436 mosques in the Central African Republic have been destroyed by months of vicious fighting between Christians and Muslims, the US ambassador to the United Nations said.

Samantha Power spoke to reporters on Tuesday after a Security Council visit last week to the country, calling the devastation “kind of crazy, chilling”.

She expressed concern about an upcoming possible security vacuum as European Union and French forces pull out and a UN peacekeeping force is still not at full strength.

At least 5,000 people have been killed since Central African Republic exploded into unprecedented violence in December 2013.

Nearly one million of the country’s 4.5 million residents have been displaced. Many of those who have fled are Muslim.

Power said 417 of the country’s mosques have been destroyed. She visited the one remaining Muslim neighbourhood in the capital, Bangui, and described the residents as “a terrified population”.

Some Muslim women, afraid of leaving the community while wearing their veils, are choosing to give birth in their homes instead of hospitals, the ambassador said.

UN peacekeepers, French forces and a European Union military operation have tried to calm the violence.

But Power said the last of the EU force of about 750 troops left the Central African Republic over the weekend, shortly after the Security Council visit.

“That’s a big drop-off in capability,” she said. Meanwhile, the French forces have announced a “substantial drawdown” by the end of this year. France had sent 2,000 troops to its former colony.

The UN peacekeeping force remains at about 80 percent of its planned strength of about 10,000, Power said.

The UN secretary-general last month asked for more than 1,000 additional peacekeepers, and Power said the council is “very favorably disposed” to the request.

She said the combined forces have “averted a worst-case scenario,” but the country’s roving armed groups remain armed.

The ambassador called that a deep cause for concern and said disarmament is a “huge priority”.

Benjamin Netanyahu wins elections

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Prime Minister’s right-wing Likud party wins surprise victory, sweeping past rival Zionist Union in bitter campaign.

Benjamin-Netanyahu

by Patrick Strickland, Al Jazeera

Haifa: With more than 99 percent of the votes tallied, Israel’s incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears poised to retain his office and form the next government.

Though the final campaign polls showed Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party trailing behind the centre-left Zionist Union, headed by Isaac Herzog, Likud gained 30 seats, six more than its main competitor, according to official results released on Wednesday.

The Joint Arab Coalition, an electoral alliance of four Palestinian-majority parties in Israel, pulled 14 seats, and Yesh Atid, the centrist party headed by former finance minister Yair Lapid, earned 11 seats. Kulanu, a right-wing breakaway party led by former Likud member Moshe Kahlon, took ten seats.

A number of smaller, mostly right-wing parties were unable to break the single digits: Jewish Home earned eight seats, the religious Shas and United Torah parties each got seven and the ultra-nationalist Yisrael Beitenu has six seats.

The left-wing Zionist party Meretz walked away with four seats.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin has called for a national unity government including both Likud and the Zionist Union, but that prospect is unpopular with most Jewish Israeli voters.

According to a poll conducted by Israel’s Channel 10, 53 percent of Jewish Israelis oppose such a coalition.

Some analysts expect Netanyahu to cobble together a coalition with right-wing and religious parties.

The Likud party announced on Wednesday morning that Netanyahu has reached out to leaders of the parties with which he hopes to form a coalition: the Jewish Home party, Kulanu, Yisrael Beitenu, Shas and the United Torah Party

Palestinian state?

Zionist Union MK Revital Swid worried that restarting negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority would be difficult under another Netanyahu-led government.

“Regarding security, we all understand that there are challenges in the north and the south of Israel,” she told Al Jazeera. “But people want to see a start of negotiations [with the Palestinians] and putting the peace process back on track.”

“Talking to our neighbours will bring a better life here,” Swid added.

Yet, Netanyahu declared on Monday his intention to block the establishment of a Palestinian state in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.

“I think that anyone who moves to establish a Palestinian state and evacuate territory gives territory away to radical Islamist attacks against Israel,” Netanyahu said. “The left has buried its head in the sand time after time and ignores this, but we are realistic and understand.”

Dimi Reider, an Israeli journalist and researcher at the European Council on Foreign Affairs, expects Netanyahu “to do much of the same, only quicker” now that he has maintained his position as prime minister.

“More of the same, though, doesn’t mean the situation is static,” Reider told Al Jazeera. “The international pressure will increase.”

“He won’t outright announce a one-state solution and annexation because the illusion of the possibility of a two-state solution is what has allowed Israel to implement his de-facto one-state solution,” he remarked.

Joint Arab List

As electoral turnout polls poured in on Tuesday afternoon, Netanyahu appealed to right-wing voters to cast their ballots, citing the high turnout among Palestinian citizens of Israel.

An estimated 1.7 million Palestinians carry Israeli citizenship and live in cities, towns and villages across the country.

Nadim Nashif, director of Baladna, a Haifa-based Arab youth advocacy organisation, expects Netanyahu’s new government to continue introducing discriminatory laws that target Israel’s Palestinian minority.

“This is the true test of the international community,” he said. “Will they do something about it now? Or will they stand by like before?”

Alluding to the results, Nashif argues that a national unity coalition between Netanyahu and Herzog is unlikely. “Thus, the Zionist Union is likely lead the opposition and not the Joint Arab List,” he told Al Jazeera.

Analysts have speculated as to whether the Joint Arab List will be able to stay intact, given the sharp ideological divides between the parties, which include socialists, nationalists and Islamists.

Acknowledging the “serious differences between those parties,” Nashif said: “I think the Joint Arab List will stay intact because they have to. They have to stay together for future elections because the electoral threshold requires it.”

“In any case, the differences are good because they reflect the diversity of our community,” he said. “I don’t see it as a bad thing.”

 

DK Ravi's parents threaten to end life if CBI probe is not ordered

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dk-ravi-parents

Bengaluru: Kariappa and Gowramma couple, the grieving parents of deceased IAS officer DK Ravi staged a protest outside Vidhana Soudha demanding CBI probe into the mysterious death of their son.

Calling Ravi the ‘son of this country’, the parents of Ravi said that if an impartial probe is not conducted into the case then they would end their life.

The grieving parents also expressed their anguish over certain section of people floating rumours about their son and opined that such rumours are being floated only to malign the reputation Ravi had earned for himself over the years.

They have further demanded the government to appoint Ravi’s wife Kusuma Ravi to his post.

The Association of the IAS officers too have demanded a CBI probe into the case.

(Agencies)

DK Ravi death case: BJP demands suspension of M N Reddi

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Bangalore City Police Commissioner, M N Reddi. File Photo.

Bangalore City Police Commissioner, M N Reddi. File Photo.

Bengaluru: The opposition party at the state is up in arms against City Police Commissioner M N Reddi for his statement that Ravi had committed suicide.

Leader of Opposition in the Council K S Eshwarappa has questioned the Commissioner as to how he could arrive at the conclusion even before the post mortem or forensic examination reports were out.

Demanding the resignation of Reddi or suspension of the top cop, Eshwarappa wondered if Reddi was making the statement at the government’s behest and further questioned if a murder was being hushed up.

The Commissioner came under attack by Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Jagadish Shettar and BJP leader R Ashok.

However, Congress leaders in the Council and in the Assembly came to the rescue of Reddi stating that the Commissioner had clearly said that ‘Prima facie’ it appears to be a suicide and did not conclude that it was a case of suicide.

(Agencies)

DK Ravi's death: Officer was planning raids on big developers, says activist

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ias-dk-ravi

Bengaluru: With tension gripping Karnataka’s capital following the death of IAS officer DK Ravi, social activist and whistleblower Ganesh S Koundiny has claimed that DK Ravi was planning raids on some big developers to unearth commercial tax evasion.

Ravi, after taking over as Additional Commissioner of Commercial Taxes (Enforcement) in October, had recovered an income tax of Rs 400 crore from housing societies.

“I had a conversation with Ravi on Thursday and Friday, if I remember. He told me that he had conducted raids on some developers and housing societies and recovered Rs 400 crore as income tax … Ravi was looking at raiding some big developers in Bangalore and he wanted to recover the evasion of taxes,” Koudinhy told reporters in Bengaluru.

The activist said that the deceased officer was eager to meet him to get some documentary evidence in his possession so they both could work together to unearth commercial tax violations.

“Since Ravi wanted some documents from me, he got in touch with me so that we both could work together to see that commercial tax violation could be unearthed,” he added.

Koundiny also said he was planning to meet Ravi in a couple days. “Ravi told me to meet this week and I was contemplating to meet him today or tomorrow, but before that this incident happened,” he added.

He flayed the government for “concluding” in the Assembly that it was a suicide even before the investigation commenced. “What is annoying is that even before the investigation has commenced, the government has taken a stand that it is a suicide,” he said.

The 35-year-old IAS officer, who had taken on the sand mafia known in Kolar district of Karnataka was found hanging from a ceiling fan in his room at his official flat here yesterday.

Bengaluru Police Commissioner MN Reddi said that forensically, medically and examination of the situation all point to “prima facie understanding of a suicide.”

Earlier, anger spilled on to the streets of Karnataka on Tuesday as sea of crowd gathered outside Ravi’s residence to pay tributes and accompany the IAS officer’s body on his final journey.

Meanwhile, minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday said that the death of IAS officer DK Ravi is a serious matter, but added that the Central Government will not intervene at this stage. “This is a serious issue because it involves a senior official. We have raised the issue in the house also,” said Rijiju. “It is difficult for the Central Government to intervene in the functioning of the State Government because this case is directly related to them,” he added.

Condoling the death of Ravi, an upright IAS officer who had taken on the sand mafia, Kejriwal also pledged to continue his fight against corruption. “IAS officer D K Ravi, who took on Mafia, found dead. Heart felt condolences 2 his family.

“Let’s pledge to continue his fight against corruption,” he tweeted.

(Agencies)

Cricket World Cup 2015: South Africa ease into semi-finals

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South Africa

by Stephan Shemilt, BBC Sport

South Africa cruised into the World Cup semi-finals with a one-sided thrashing of a sorry Sri Lanka in Sydney.

Off-spinner JP Duminy took a hat-trick and leg-spinner Imran Tahir 4-26 as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 133.

The Proteas then eased to their target for the loss of only one wicket in 18 overs, with Quinton de Kock making an unbeaten 78.

They go on to a last-four meeting with New Zealand or West Indies in Auckland on Tuesday.

South Africa’s first knockout victory in 23 years of playing World Cup cricket takes them to a first semi-final since a famous defeat by Australia in 1999.

In reaching their target with 32 overs to spare, AB de Villiers’ side also completed the fastest successful run chase in a World Cup knockout match as Sri Lanka, finalists in the previous two World Cups, wilted.

Their lacklustre display was not befitting what turned out to be the final international match for Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara’s last ODI. The duo have scored 117 international centuries between them.

After the Proteas’ pace bowlers made early inroads, the spin pair of Duminy and Tahir took advantage of a succession of loose shots, while South Africa were excellent in the field throughout.

Sangakkara, on the back of four successive hundreds, made a painstaking 45 and Lahiru Thirimanne a counter-attacking 41, but no other batsman reached 20.

To cap South Africa’s day, wicketkeeper De Kock, who had managed only 53 runs in his six previous innings, returned to form with a string of cover drives.

Still, their victory was built on a brilliant bowling performance after losing the toss on an excellent pitch.

New-ball pair Kyle Abbott and Dale Steyn took the edges of Kusal Perera and Tillakaratne Dilshan respectively before Sangakkara and Thirimanne steadied with stand of 65.

While Thirimanne was fluent through the off side, Sangakkara was stodgy, taking 16 balls to get off the mark and, at one point, having six from 42 balls.

When Thirimanne became the first of the seven wickets to fall to spin, Sangakkara was forced to watch from the other end as the middle and lower order fell around him.

With the ball holding in the pitch, Thirimanne patted back to Tahir and Jayawardene lobbed the same bowler to short mid-wicket.

Duminy, filling the fifth bowler slot which has caused South Africa problems during the tournament, then got to work to become the first Proteas player to take a World Cup hat-trick.

Angelo Mathews was caught at mid-on and, in Duminy’s next over, Nuwan Kulasekara feathered behind before debutant Tharindu Kaushal was pinned leg before.

For 19-year-old Kaushal, it was a golden duck on his ODI debut having being added to the Sri Lanka squad on the morning of the match.

Sangakkara was left to play a lone hand, but his attempt at aggression was ended with a slash to third man off Morne Morkel.

He departed with 14,234 runs, a tally second only to Sachin Tendulkar, in 404 matches. This was the 150th one-dayer in which he batted with Jayawardene, who has 12,650 runs.

The ruthless South Africa chase ensured that they will not share another international partnership.

An interactive session with On-Line producer Parimal Shah

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“My Bungalow ‘The Garden Retreat’ Is Built On A Prime Location, which Is Available & Accessible For Any & All Kinds Of Filmmakers In India & Abroad” – Parimal Shah

Parimal Shah

Parimal Shah happens to be an on-line producer who liaisons for shoots for big screen, small screen and ad filmmakers. He came into prominence and gained intant recognition when he did the liasioning work, in simple terms coordinated for locales n shoots in Bungalows, for Ekta Kapoor’s Balaji Telefilms and reputed filmmakers like Vipul Amrutlal Shah, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Sudhir Mishra et al, the list is endless. And now he has his own Bungalow named “The Garden Retreat” which he rents out for shootings.

How did you get the idea to be an on-producer?

Having worked for scores of films & Television shows I realised that varied filmmakers go through many hassles to organize their shoots on locations and especially if they have to shoot in Bungalows. So at first I started freelance liasioning for Balaji Telefilms and reputed filmmakers like Vipul Amrutlal Shah, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Sudhir Mishra et al. And now I have my own Bungalow named “The Garden Retreat”. Where all kinds of filmmakers are welcome to shoot their projects.

So what are the special features of your Bungalow “The Garden Retreat”?

My Bungalow “The Garden Retreat” is very spacious and built on a prime location. It has varied in built locales & sets. It has a vintage as well as modern look in which the filmmakers can depict a Gujarati haveli, a Parsee’s old house, a Muslim’s princely palace and so on and so forth. It has a massive parking lot so that at a time 3 to 4 generators, 32 cars as well as the stars vanity vans can be parked. And I have only 1 condition that only 1 filmmaker is allowed to shoot at a time in a single day. They can shoot on built in sets like police station, jail, hospital et al in the 1st half and on the makeshift sets like haveli, palace, old age home et al in the 2nd half. I don’t think that any other Bungalows in a nearby or far away vicinity offers all the above mentioned facilities to all kinds of filmmakers.

The Garden Retreat

Is your Bungalow “The Garden Retreat available & accessible only for Bollywood filmmakers?

No sir! Filmmakers from all the woods like Bollywood, Tellywood, Addywood, as mentioned earlier, Hollywood and all the Regional filmmakers are also most welcome to shoot in my Bungalow “The Garden Retreat”. In fact not so long ago in the recent past regional filmmakers & stars like Mahesh Babu shot for his Telugu film ‘Businessman’ & Surya & Samantha shot for their Tamil film ‘Anjaan’ directed by N. Linguswamy. And moreover well-known Marathi filmmaker Laxman Uttekar has shot for his upcoming Marathi film namely ‘Lalbaugh Chi Rani’. In fact I have made a conscious decision to offer discounted rates of shooting for Marathi filmmakers. And I have taken this decision mainly because if the Government can offer subsidy then why can’t I offer discounted rates to Marathi filmmakers as my humble contribution. Period.

Cabinet approves Bill on black money

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BLACK-MONEY

New Delhi: To check black money menace, the Cabinet today approved a new Bill that would give more powers to the tax department in tracking illicit wealth stashed abroad and provide for strict penal actions for such offence.

Sources said that the Cabinet approved the new Bill this evening and it could be presented in Parliament during the ongoing session.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had announced in his Budget speech on February 28 that the government would bring in a comprehensive law to check the black money menace by providing for a jail term of up to 10 years for hiding foreign assets and up to 300 per cent penalty.

Jaitley had also said that a host of other tough measures including dis-incentivising of cash dealings in Real Estate and other transactions would be put in place.

Under the proposed law, concealment of income and assets and evasion of tax in relation to foreign assets will be prosecutable with rigorous imprisonment of up to 10 years, Jaitley had said, while adding that the offence will be made non-compoundable and the offenders will not be permitted to approach the Settlement Commission.

As regards curbing domestic black money, the Finance Minister had said a new and more comprehensive Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Bill would be introduced in the current session of Parliament.

He had also proposed to amend the Income-tax Act to prohibit “acceptance or payment” of an advance of Rs 20,000 or more in cash for purchase of immovable property.

(PTI)

Don't insist on Aadhar card for social benefits: Supreme Court

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Aadhar

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Monday asked the central and state governments not to insist on possessing Aadhar card for availing benefits under the various social security schemes as it reiterated an order it passed in September 2013.

A bench of Justice J.Chelameswar, Justice S.A. Bobde and Justice C. Nagappan, without going into concrete examples, said: “In certain quarters, Aadhar cards are being insisted on by various authorities.”

The apex court by its September 23, 2013, had said “no person should suffer for not getting the Adhaar card inspite of the fact that some authorities had issued a circular making it mandatory and when any person applies to get the Adhaar Card voluntarily, it may be checked whether that person is entitled for it under the law and it should not be given to any illegal immigrant.”

The court reiterated its order after senior counsel Gopal Subramanium drew the attention of the court towards the Delhi government directive insisting on an Aadhar card for the registration of marriages. Subramanium had appeared for one of the petitioners.

The court did not appear appreciative when Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar submitted that some states were not abiding by the court order.

“It is your duty to ensure our orders are followed. You can’t say states are not following our order,” it told him, stressing it was incumbent upon the central government to ensure that the states complied with the apex court’s order.

Directing the next hearing of the matter in the second week of July and noting the presence of the centre and all the states, the court said: “We expect all to scrupulously adhere to our order dated 23 Sept 2013.”

The court’s order came as it took up the batch of petitions challenging the Aadhar card which were last heard by it on April 28, 2014.

Karnataka High Court’s former judge K.S. Puttaswamy had moved the court in 2012 contending that the entire Aadhar scheme was unconstitutional as the biometric data collected under it was an incursion and transgression of individual privacy.

(IANS)

Defamation case: Kejriwal, Sisodia, Yogendra forced to appear

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Arvind Kejriwal

New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia and dissident AAP leader Yogendra Yadav were today forced to appear before a Delhi Court in a criminal defamation case after their failure to do so drew a stinging remark by the judge that they have “no respect for law”.

“There is nothing to reflect why the accused (Kejriwal, Sisodia and Yadav) have not appeared. Accused have no respect for law. Considering no one has appeared for accused, I am keeping the matter pending at 2PM. Call at 2PM,” Metropolitan Magistrate Mayuri Singh said after the trio failed to comply with court’s order that they were to “positively” appear today.

Hours after the court rejected their plea for exemption from personal appearance for the day citing lawyers’ strike, the Chief Minister, Deputy CM and Yadav showed up before the Magistrate who marked their presence and fixed the case for May 2 for pronouncing order on the issue of whether to frame charges against the accused.

Kejriwal and Sisodia reached the court room together at around 1.45 pm while AAP leader Yogendra Yadav arrived few minutes later.

The presence of the Chief Minister resulted in over crowding of the court room and the premises prompting the magistrate to ask the onlookers to vacate the room.

On the arrival of the three leaders, the police barricaded the premises and the court room, which was already filled with advocates, litigants, mediapersons and staff of other courts, was latched from inside.

The case was put up before link magistrate Singh as Metropolitan Magistrate Muneesh Garg, before whom the matter was going on, was on leave today.

“As the presiding officer (before whom the case is going on) is on leave, I will fix the case for the purpose already fixed and will give you the date.

“I have marked the presence of the three accused, they can leave,” the magistrate said.

The three leaders had sought exemption from personal appearance for the day saying the case was at a crucial stage and the presence of advocates was necessary.

Later on, the lawyers, including senior advocate H S Phoolka and advocate Rahul Mehra, who accompanied the AAP leaders were without bands due to the strike.

In the morning, the court had directed them to personally appear before it at 2 pm saying there was no ground for exemption from their appearance and they “have no respect for the law”.

The court said the exemption application displayed no reason for the absence of the accused.

The court had noted that a clerk appeared on behalf of the accused and their advocates and moved the exemption plea.

The exemption plea, however, was opposed by complainant and advocate Surender Kumar Sharma saying the lawyers are on strike and not the litigants.

“It is mockery of justice. It would not be in the interest of justice if any adjournment is given in the case as the matter had earlier been adjourned three times due to absence of the accused,” he said.

The court had earlier issued summons against the three AAP leaders under sections 499, 500 (defamation) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC, and had said there was prima facie material to summon the accused.

The court had granted bail to Kejriwal, Sisodia and Yadav, after they had appeared before it on June 4 last year in pursuance to summons against them.

In the post-lunch proceedings, complainant Sharma who was accompanied by large number of lawyers sought court’s permission to advance arguments.

However, the magistrate denied the request saying the concerned court will hear the matter on the next date of hearing.

The court on February 11 had given last opportunity to Kejriwal, Sisodia and Yadav and directed them to positively appear before it today as it was scheduled to pass order on the issue of framing of charges.

Sharma, in his complaint, had alleged that in 2013 he was approached by volunteers of AAP who had asked him to contest the Delhi Assembly elections on a party ticket, saying Kejriwal was pleased with his social services.

He filled up the application form to contest the polls after being told by Sisodia and Yadav that AAP’s Political Affairs Committee of the party had decided to give him the ticket. However, it was later denied to him.

On October 14, 2013, the complainant claimed that articles in leading newspapers carried “defamatory, unlawful and derogatory words used by the accused persons” which have lowered his reputation in the Bar and the society.

While issuing summons against AAP leaders, the court had said, “The press release published in newspapers as well as testimonies of witnesses reflect that defamatory remarks were published in the newspaper which affected the reputation of the complainant in the society and lowered his reputation in the eyes of other members of the society.”

(PTI)

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