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Anna Hazare to protest in Jantar Mantar against land ordinance

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anna-hazare

New Delhi: Social activist Anna Hazare will hold a two-day protest at Jantar Mantar in February against the recent amendments in the Land Acquisition Act by the Centre.

The agitation will be supported by several farmers’ organisations and many other social activists including Medha Patkar will participate in it.

“The two-day protest starting February 23 will focus on the recent anti-farmers amendments in the Land Acquisition Act made by the Narendra Modi government. Farmer organisations across the country will participate in the agitation. Medha Patkar is also expected to join the agitation,” Hazare’s office said.

Hazare will reach the national capital on the morning of February 23. Prior to this, he will go to Palwal in Haryana and participate in a farmers’ agitation there.

This will be Hazare’s first visit to the national capital after the landslide victory of his one time aide and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal.

Incidentally, the AAP too have voiced his opposition to the amendments made in the Land Acquisition Act.

“We will support Annaji’s ‘sangharsh’. We respect him. Whatever order he gives, I will follow it. We support his stand and his order is an instruction for us. His struggle is, however, away from political parties. Still, I will ask time from him and if he gives me time then I will certainly meet him. I request everyone to support him in his crusade,” senior AAP leader Kumar Vishwas said.

On December 29 last year, the government had recommended promulgation of an ordinance making significant changes in the Land Acquisition Act including removal of consent clause for acquiring land for five areas of industrial corridors, PPP projects, rural infrastructure, affordable housing and defence.

(PTI)

JD(S) vacates Bengaluru office

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Bengaluru: Under supervision of former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, the JD(S) finally brought down its signboard from the Race Course Road building on Saturday.

Having lost the case in the Supreme Court, the JD(S) packed its belongings and started moving out the building. The party had been fighting the case over the property for almost a decade with the Congress party.

The case was finally disposed of in favour of the Congress party by the Supreme Court. On Saturday morning, soon after its curative petition was dismissed by the Supreme Court, Deve Gowda said the party office papers have all been bundled together and kept in a corner of the building.

Dr Parameshwar.jpg2

“We are yet to find a site for our party office, despite having made several appeals to the BDA. For now, as a temporary arrangement, we are bundling the files and keeping them in a corner. We will ensure that the files do not create any hindrance to the Congress party workers entering the building,” said Gowda. He said the keys to the office will be handed over to KPCC president G Parameshwara on Sunday.

Gowda expressed his unhappiness over the party MLAs not supporting their floor leader H D Kumaraswamy during the direct attack by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on his son in the Arkavathi denotification issue.

(Agencies)

Cricket World Cup 2015: Ireland stun West Indies in Nelson

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Ireland added West Indies to their list of World Cup scalps with a four-wicket win in their opening match in Nelson.

paul_stirling

by Jamie Lillywhite, BBC Sport

Lendl Simmons (102) shared 154 with Darren Sammy as the Windies recovered from 87-5 to post 304-7.

But Ireland openers Will Porterfield and Paul Stirling put on 71 and Stirling (92) added 106 with Ed Joyce.

Joyce hit 10 fours and two sixes in 84 and Niall O’Brien 79 not out as Ireland won with 25 balls left, their fourth World Cup triumph over a Test nation.

Having beaten Pakistan in their first World Cup in 2007 and England in the 2011 tournament, Ireland were almost considered favourites from the outset at the picturesque New Zealand venue.

The Windies, winners of the first two World Cups in the 1970s, now languish eighth in the ODI rankings, were skittled out for 122 by England in a warm-up match and are rumoured to be in disharmony following the omission of Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo from their squad.

Ireland, ranked 11th, reached the second group stage in 2007 and now have matches against the UAE, Zimbabwe, India and Pakistan to try and secure a top four spot in Pool B and a place in the quarter-finals.

Their intrepid fielding and accurate seam bowling after choosing to field quickly led to two wickets falling in the eighth over.

Big hitting Gayle and Marlon Samuels both launched towering straight sixes before both were dismissed by 22-year-old George Dockrell in the 22nd over, the left-arm spinner with figures of 3-23 at one point.

Sammy unleashed some innovative strokes, often with ferocious power, in a thrilling partnership with Simmons, who accelerated stylishly as West Indies became the fifth successive team in the tournament to post in excess of 300 when batting first.

But far from overawed, the Irish openers punished some loose bowling in a fluent 13 over stand.

Man-of-the match Stirling hit three sixes in his pugnacious innings and was within eight of his sixth ODI hundred when, suffering from severe cramp, he edged behind in the 28th over with 128 still needed.

With the Windies looking ragged and forlorn, Joyce effortlessly guided the Irish within 32 of the target and despite three wickets in 17 balls, John Mooney, just as he did against England four years ago, struck the winning runs.

Ireland, coached by former West Indies batsman Phil Simmons, uncle of Lendl, next face the UAE in Pool B on 25 February.

AAP to spread wings in 4 states in next 5 yrs: Yogendra Yadav

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AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal flanked by his wife, Sunita, addresses supporters at the party office in New Delhi.

AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal flanked by his wife, Sunita, addresses supporters at the party office in New Delhi.

New Delhi: Buoyed by its spectacular victory in Delhi Assembly polls, the Aam Aadmi Party is now planning to make itself a significant political force in at least four major states in the next five years without entering into any “arrangements of convenience” with any regional party.

Senior party strategist and ideologue Yogendra Yadav said in the long term, AAP wants to emerge as a principled force in national politics and the party was working on mid-term and long-term goals in this regard.

“We are not a regional party. In the long term we want to be a national alternative. That is why we chose Delhi consciously. We want to emerge as a principled force in national politics. In next 3-5 years, we want to become viable in more states than Delhi and Punjab,” Yadav said.

Terming coalitions like the Third Front as “arrangements of convenience”, he said AAP will not join any such groupings. He also ruled out having any understanding with parties like Trinamool Congress and JD(U) which had extended support to AAP in the Delhi polls.

“They have not sought political support and even we did not extend political support to them. It was merely a gesture on their part based on their own strengths and weaknesses. What they do not realise that we are anti-political establishment,” he said.

A noted political scientist, Yadav said the AAP’s target was to capture more than 20 per cent vote-share in each of the states where the party wants to become a viable alternative as part of its medium-term expansion drive.

He refused to name the states where AAP wants to spread wings when asked but said their selection will depend on space for potential opportunity and organisational strength.

On whether AAP would contest the Bihar assembly elections later this year and polls in West Bengal next year, he did not give a direct answer.

Punjab, where AAP had won four seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, will be a major focus area with the party deciding to fight the 2017 assembly polls in the state with full vigour.

Commenting on AAP’s sweeping victory in the Delhi polls, Yadav said the scale of the win has put enormous pressure on the Arvind Kejriwal-led government and exuded confidence of it living up to people’s expectations.

“The pressure is huge. Nothing is heavier than burden of people’s expectations. The challenge is to perform. However, if you manage to raise the living standards of people even by a little, they will be happy.

“There are big challenges in governance because Delhi is not a normal state. People also expect different standards of probity from us as we represent clean politics,” he said.

Yadav, who is also a psephologist, said since the Opposition was down to three seats, the AAP government should be even more “cautious” in listening to voices of Opposition both inside and outside the Assembly.

Contrary to Kejriwal’s views that party should not have contested in over 400 seats in the Lok Sabha polls, Yadav felt it helped AAP in spreading its organisation at the district level in most of the states.

Kejriwal, on many occasions, had said that it was a mistake to contest in so many constituencies.

Yadav strongly denounced attempts to tag AAP as leaning towards Leftist ideology and said when a new force arrives, the first temptation is to put into a “box of left to right”.

He said AAP represents all sections of the society and believes in coming out with practical solutions to various problems.

“There is an unmistakable element of class politics in what we have done. That is why probably people try to box us with Left,” he said.

(PTI)

India beat Pakistan by 76 runs as estimated one billion viewers tune in to World Cup clash

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Victorious: India made it six wins out of six in their World Cup encounters with Pakistan Photo: AFP

Victorious: India made it six wins out of six in their World Cup encounters with Pakistan Photo: AFP

by Scyld Berry, Telegraph

India made it six victories out of six against Pakistan in World Cup encounters as they won the mela-cum-melee in Adelaide by 76 runs.

The result is almost irrelevant as both countries are sure to qualify for the quarter-finals. But a lot of bragging rights went to India, again, as the television audience was estimated at one billion viewers.

The fragility of Pakistan’s batting was painfully exposed as they collapsed to 103 for five in pursuit of India’s 300. Such a target was no more than par for this tournament as the first three matches had resulted in totals of more than 300 when New Zealand, Australia and South Africa had batted first.

Pakistan’s batting has long been shown in its worst light when chasing 250-plus targets, and on hard pitches in Australia, not that they had played there for the last five years. Put the two factors together and it was no surprise that their captain, Misbah-ul-Haq, was left holding the babies.

One by one Pakistan’s batsmen were bounced out. First it was Younis Khan, a great Test batsman, but his highest score as an ODI opener was four before this strange promotion. He barely improved upon it before gloving a bouncer.

Ahmed Shehzad and Haris Sohail kept Pakistan in the hunt briefly. But India have a variety in their bowling which England can only envy, and they won the game by taking key wickets in mid-innings, with Pakistan’s unwilling compliance.

Ravi Ashwin began with two maidens – gold-dust in ODIs – in his first three overs, and the wicket of Sohail, caught at slip off an offbreak which bounced.

When Umesh Yadav – pacier than anyone England have – was brought back for a second spell, he too illustrated the frailty of Pakistan’s batting in the face of bounce.

Shehzad square-cut to point without rolling his wrists. He had done exactly the same in the warm-up game against England, instead of shelving an idiosyncracy that he could get away with at home but not in Australia.

Sohaib Maqsood steered a ball that bounced, his second, to slip. It was only his 19th ODI innings and, again, his first in Australia: no sort of preparation for this World Cup.

India’s batsmen, on the other hand, have had time to adjust to Australian pitches after two to three months in the country, even if they had failed to win a competitive game. Virat Kohli, in particular, has adjusted to Adelaide: he had scored a century in both innings of the December Test, and followed with another, his 22nd in ODIs.

Not pressing too hard against the new ball, almost cautious, India reached 42 for one from ten overs without any extravagant shots. But Kohli and Shikar Dhawan got on top of a varied attack by running hard between wickets and exploiting Pakistan’s inferior fielding.

Kohli and Dhawan added 129 for India’s second wicket before Dhawan was sent back and run out by a direct hit from Misbah at midwicket. It would have been so different if Yasir Shah had caught Kohli at long-on early, a hard chance off Shahid Afridi.

Kohli was dropped a second time, when 76, off a regulation chance to the wicketkeeper. But this was Umar Akmal, a stop-gap, not their proper keeper Sarfaraz Ahmed: a second experiment which, like Younis opening, failed.

Suresh Raina supplied the improvising and accelerating with his 74 off 56 balls. Along with MS Dhoni and Kohli, he is one of three survivors of the Indian team that won the World Cup in 2011. This time they shape as semi-finalists, alongside Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

Gujarat court acquits 70 accused from 2002 riots case

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Representational Image

Ahmedabad: A local court in Banaskantha district, north Gujarat on Friday acquitted all the 70 people accused in a riot case at Sesan Nava village of Deodar taluka in which 14 persons from minority community including women were killed in the aftermath of post Godhra riots.

The additional sessions judge VK Pujara acquitted all the accused while stating that the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond doubt. He said that following the unfortunate incident of burning of Sabarmati Express train at Godhra railway station a group of Hindus attacked the people from minority community. The court has said that there is no direct evidence suggesting the involvement of the accused persons.

According to defense lawyer BK Joshi who appeared for nine accused, there were 190 witnesses in the case and most of them turned hostile during the proceedings. He said that over the years nine persons died while eight persons were lodged in jail since 2002 following their arrest.

On March 3, 2002 a mob of around 5000 people had gheroed the Muslim locality of Sasan Nava village. The mob laced with sharp weapons went to killing and looting spree till the police arrived at the scene, more than a dozen persons had been killed, with dozens of houses set on fire. In the police firing two persons from the mob were killed killed.

Publice prosecutor BV Thakor said that 12 supplementary chargesheets had been filed during the investigation in which 190 witnesses gave their statements. However, most of them turn hostile and nobody named the accused and their role. The court didn’t appreciate the evidence that we had placed.

(Agencies)

The judiciary has consistently failed the poor, the marginalised and other sub-altern groups of the country

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Participants at the convention

Participants at the convention

by Fr Cedric Prakash

Ahmedabad witnessed a unique event on February 7 and 8, 2015, as a two-day State Level Convention brought together more than 500 women and men from all over Gujarat.  They were local leaders; mainly adivasis, Dalits and other backward communities (OBCs).  They had come together to highlight their many grievances, to increase their bonding and in solidarity to say to those who attempt to control their lives and destinies, that they can no longer be taken for granted.

The theme of the Convention was Chaalo Lokshahi melaviye (Come let us ensure People’s Rule: Democracy).

In his inaugural address to the Convention, Fr Francis Parmar, the Provincial of the Gujarat Jesuits, emphasised that the four pillars of justice, liberty, fraternity and equality should never be compromised. He called upon the people to be united so that they can achieve their goals; to be truly effective, he asserted, one needs to have the commitment to struggle to the very end.

The highlight of the programme was a Public Hearing presided over by Girish Patel, senior counsel of the Gujarat High Court and the doyen of the human rights movement of Gujarat. The other jury members were Dr Sudarshan Iyengar, former vice-chancellor of the Gujarat Vidyapith and Rohit Prajapati, environmental activist.  Several local leaders representing various communities from across Gujarat made submissions about their pathetic conditions. These included issues related to ‘jal-jungle-jameen’ (water, forest and land), their right to shelter, their right to livelihood and work, atrocities on Dalits and on women; the way their land acquired by the big corporations and mega-projects like that of Ukai and issues related to Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA Act, 1996) and Panchayati Raj.

Girish Patel exhorted the huge gathering to come out in the open and together to demand their legitimate rights. “The rights belong to the people and the Government must realise this”, he said. “The judiciary has consistently failed the poor, the marginalised and the other sub-altern groups of the country.”

Several other eminent personalities and activists addressed the Convention; these included Hemant Shah, Anand Mazgaonkar, Mahesh Pandya and Trupti Shah. Added to the bonding of a memorable convention was a delightful programme consisting of adivasi dances and various plays which focused on different social themes.

Girish Patel addressing the convention

The convention concluded with an resolution which unanimously says, “We, leaders and other concerned citizens of Gujarat (representing 750 villages of 34 talukas and urban slums of Surat and Ahmedabad) at the conclusion of a State Level Peoples’ Convention held in Ahmedabad on February 7 and 8, 2015 on the theme ‘Chaalo Lokshahi melaviye’ (Come let us ensure People’s Rule: Democracy) resolve that: there are several issues which afflict us greatly; these include our forests’ lands, displacement, the north bank of the Ukai, non-implementation of the PESA law, the tardy delivery of justice on atrocities to the Dalits; the deliberate injustice by several Panchayats; the unresolved questions regarding housing for the poor in the cities – are just some of them. We, therefore strongly condemn the total inaction on the part of the Government. We call upon the Government and their relevant institutions to act promptly and to ensure that we get our legitimate rights and the justice due to us.”

This Peoples’ Convention was held under the aegis of PEOPLESJ (Promoting  Effective  Organisations, People’s Leadership for Equity, Solidarity & Justice) which is an initiative of JESA-Gujarat.

(Fr Cedric Prakash is the Director of PRASHANT Centre for Human Rights, Justice and Peace, Ahmedabad.)

Cricket World Cup 2015: Australia beat England by 111 runs

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Melbourne: Australia beat England by 111 runs in their World Cup opener at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday. Earlier, Aaron Finch scored a glittering century to fire Australia to a near-record one-day international total of 342 for nine in the first innings.

Spilled by Chris Woakes on the second ball he faced, opening batsman Finch blasted 135 and combined with stand-in skipper George Bailey for a 146-run partnership to help steady the co-hosts after they had slumped to 70-3 in the 11th over.

With England putting in an abysmal fielding display, hard-hitting all-rounder Glenn Maxwell blasted 66 off 40 balls in the final overs to ensure their opponents will need to set a new record to win, with no team chasing down more than 299 at the venue.

Adding irony for England after a tough day in the field, Steven Finn completed a bizarre hat-trick with the final three deliveries, removing Brad Haddin, Maxwell and Mitchell Johnson to deny Australia the MCG record of 344 scored by an ICC World XI in 2005.

Paceman Stuart Broad had earlier bowled the dangerous David Warner and had Shane Watson caught behind for a golden duck in successive balls but Steven Smith survived the hat-trick ball.

Woakes removed the in-form Smith for five soon after but England released the pressure with some woeful fielding on a day of glorious sunshine.

England captain Eoin Morgan sent his bowlers in after winning the toss, hoping they could extract moisture from the pitch after thunderstorms lashed Melbourne overnight and in the morning.

The move appeared it might pay dividends with paceman James Anderson showing swing and movement off the seam from his first deliveries.

He gave Finch all sorts of trouble and the bulky righthander flicked him straight to midwicket but Woakes put down the easy, head-high chance.

Anderson was fuming again in the fifth over when Moeen Ali spilled a tougher chance, diving to his left at mid-off to put down Warner.

Warner and Finch duly punished England for their profligacy, reaching 50 in 37 balls before Broad broke the partnership in the eighth over.

Though pinned back for a few overs, Finch and Bailey gradually got on top and started blasting the English bowlers over their heads.

Finch tickled a leg-side boundary off paceman Steven Finn to bring up his sixth one-day century and leaped into the air in celebration, with the terraces roaring their approval.

More joy was to come for home fans, with Gary Ballance, replacing Ravi Bopara in the side, failing to commit to a catch in a clear mix-up with incoming fielder Broad when Bailey mishit high over deep midwicket when on 44.

Jeers rang out again when James Taylor, fielding at deep fine leg, missed a run-out chance when Finch was sent back to his crease after attempting a risky single.

A half-decent throw would have had Finch out for 123 but it went high over wicketkeeper Jos Buttler’s head.

Morgan showed his team mates how it was done, swooping in at short cover to run Finch out with a direct hit on the stumps and Bailey was out chopping onto his stumps off Finn.

That only brought a pair of hard-hitting all-rounders to the crease in Maxwell and Mitchell Marsh combined for a quickfire 50-run partnership.

Buttler put down a tough chance when Maxwell was on 42 and the man nicknamed “the Big Show” raised his 50 from 30 balls in a run of four consecutive boundaries off the hapless Finn.

Wicketkeeper Haddin came in to score his 3,000th run in ODIs after Marsh was dismissed for 23.

(Reuters)

US: Houston Muslim school burned down in what investigators say is likely an arson attack

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The arson attack was the third incident of Islamaphobic violence this week.

by Zaid Jilani, AlterNet

Unfortunately, the execution of three Muslim students in Chapel Hill was not the only Islamophobic violence that happened this week. The same week, an Arab American family was assaulted in Dearborn, and now in Houston comes a horrible story of what appears to be an arson attack on an Islamic school for young children.

The Quba Islamic Institute opened in January of 2013 with the goal of doing Sunday school, summer school, and after-school programs for young children as well as host other Muslim events. Here’s a photo from children there shooting hoops they posted yesterday on their Facebook:

And here’s what happened to the school overnight:

Quba Islamic Institute

Early this morning Houston firefighters responded to this blaze which was part of a fire taking place in one of the buildings of the school campus. After an investigation, they determined an accelerant was used to cause the fire, most likely an incendiary device.

I spoke to Ahsan Zahid, the son of the imam at the institution. Zahid described the scene early this morning when they arrived at the school to find it on fire. As the investigation was ongoing, the firefighters asked them if they “had thrown around a desk in a parking lot” – it soon became clear that school property had been smashed overnight, most likely intentionally.

Zahid also described a suspicious person they saw last night, “We had a person in a white pickup truck..who had just last night drove by our mosque as we were playing basketball outside at night getting ready to leave…chanting Arabic phrases, mocking us in a way.”

“I would like for my community…not to reach for hate, not to point fingers at anyone, not to criticize anyone,” said Zahid about how they plan to move forward. “I believe that since we have been wronged it is not necessary to be angry at the one who has wronged us…everybody has united nobody has said a single word of anger or hatred towards anyone.”

Elsewhere in Houston, Abdullah Shakur, a Muslim Vietnam veteran, was at a car stereo shop on Tuesday night when masked gunmen decided to attack it. Its unclear what the gunmen wanted, although it is possible it was a routine robbery. Shakur left the others he was with and tackled one of the men. “He knew they had guns. He was trying to defend us,” said one witness to the incident. The gunmen then shot him. “It was execution-style. And the fact that they executed Shakur, they need to be brought to justice. He was a Vietnam War veteran. He was lovable, always smiling. He was trying to protect us,” said the witness.

Despite the hate Muslim Americans have endured, the case of Shakur and the graciousness of Zahid shows that they continue to love the country they live in – and want to work to make it better.

Deadly clashes continue in Yemen as embassies shutdown

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Clashes between Shi’ite Houthi militiamen and Sunni fighters have killed 26 people in Yemen.

The embassy closures have isolated Yemen's new rulers and lent urgency to struggling talks over internal power-sharing which the Houthis.

The embassy closures have isolated Yemen’s new rulers and lent urgency to struggling talks over internal power-sharing which the Houthis.

by Reuters

Sanaa: Clashes between Shi’ite Houthi militiamen and Sunni tribesmen fighting alongside Al Qaeda militants killed 26 people in Yemen, local officials said, as the United Arab Emirates joined Saudi Arabia and Western countries in closing its embassy in the country.

Heavy fighting was ongoing in the southern mountainous province of al-Bayda, leading to the death of 16 Houthi rebels along with 10 Sunni tribesmen and militants, security officials and tribal sources told Reuters.

The state faces collapse in Yemen two weeks after the Houthi group took formal control of the country and continued an armed push southward.

France, the United States, Britain, Germany, Italy and Saudi Arabia have closed their missions in the capital Sanaa and withdrawn staff, citing security concerns.

The United Arab Emirates announced the closure of its embassy in Sanaa on Saturday, state news agency WAM said.

It cited “the increasing deterioration of the political and security situation Yemen is witnessing and the tragic events after the Houthis undermined the legitimate authority.”

Yemen’s rich Sunni Gulf neighbors loathe the Iranian-backed rebels and have called their rise to power a “coup.”

The embassy closures have isolated Yemen’s new rulers and lent urgency to struggling talks over internal power-sharing which the Houthis are conducting with opposition parties.

Hailing their advance as a “revolution” aimed at corrupt officials and economic ruin, the Houthis dissolved parliament and set up their own ruling body earlier this month.

Opponents say the group is backed by Yemen’s former strongman president Ali Abdullah Saleh – ousted in 2011 Arab Spring protests – and is bent on seizing land and the levers of power.

The Houthi spread to Yemen’s well-armed tribal regions in the East and South has prompted locals to make common cause with militants from Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, one of the deadliest arms of the global militant organization.

Months of combat and AQAP bombings directed against Houthi targets in Sanaa have stoked fears of an all-out sectarian war.

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