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Archives for January 2016

Man hurls shoe at Nitish, arrested

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nitish-kumar

Patna: A man hurled a shoe at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar at a function at his native Bhakhtiyarpur in Patna district today, after which he was arrested.

The man, identified as P K Rai, was arrested for hurling a show towards the chief minister while a function was on at Bhaktiyarpur, Senior Superintendent of Police Manu Maharaj said.

The shoe fell short of the dais and the man was caught immediately by police.
He hails from Samastipur district and initial questioning revealed that he was angry for non-redressal of his complaint.

The arrested man was kept at Bhakhtiyarpur police station for detailed questioning.

The chief minister continued with the programme despite the incident. Bhakhtiyarpur is the chief minister’s native place.

(PTI)

Opening Ayodhya temple doors error of judgement by Rajiv: President

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pranab-mukherjee

New Delhi: The opening of Ram Janmabhoomi temple site in Ayodhya was an “error of judgement” by Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and the demolition of Babri Masjid an act of “absolute perfidy” that destroyed India’s image, President Pranab Mukherjee has said in his memoir released today.

“The opening of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple site on 1 February 1986 was perhaps another error of judgement. people felt these actions could have been avoided,” the President has written in the book titled “The Turbulent Years: 1980-96”, released by Vice President Hamir Ansari.

“The demolition of Babri Masjid was an act of absolute perfidy…It was the senseless, wanton destruction of a religious structure, purely to serve political ends. It deeply wounded the sentiments of the Muslim community in India and abroad. It destroyed India’s image as a tolerant, pluralistic nation,” he says.

Mukherjee says implementation of the Mandal Commission’s recommendations “contributed to reducing social injustice in society though it also divided and polarised different sections of our population”.

The period of 1989-91, Mukherjee says, was a phase dominated by violence and bitter divisions within Indian society.

“Insurgency and cross border terrorism broke out in Jammu and Kashmir; the Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir-Babri Masjid issue rocked the nation. Finally, a suicide bomber brought Rajiv’s life to an abrupt and tragic end on 21 May 1991,” he says.

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s campaign by mobilising activists to collect bricks from all over the country and take them in a procession to Ayodhya caused communal tension, he said.

Recalling the Shah Bano case, the President says Rajiv Gandhi’s action eroded his image of a modern man.

“Rajiv’s actions on the Shah Bano judgement and the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Bill drew criticism and eroded his modern image,” the President said.

Shah Bano, a Muslim mother of five children, was divorced by her husband in 1978. She filed a criminal suit in which the Supreme Court ruled in her favour and she won the right to alimony from her husband.

However, the then Congress government, enacted the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act, 1986. The most controversial provision of the Act was that it gave a Muslim woman the right to maintenance for the period of iddat (about three months) after the divorce, and shifted the onus of maintaining her to her relatives or the Wakf Board. The Act was seen as discriminatory as it denied divorced Muslim women the right to basic maintenance which women of other faiths had recourse to under secular law.

Mukherjee says Rajiv Gandhi has been criticised for his excessive reliance on some close friends and advisers who installed the so-called ‘babalog’ government. “Some of them turned out to be fortune seekers.”

(PTI)

Bollywood Films Round Up

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rhythm

Rhythm To Release On 19th Feb 2016

Rhythm, a romantic musical revolving around the theme of love, friendship, music & passion, having fresh new faces is all set to release on 19th Feb, 2016. The credits of the film are banner is A Vicky Films Pvt Ltd, presented by R. N. Kumar, written, produced & directed by Vivek Kumar, music by Salman Ahmad (Junoon Band fame), Suresh Peters, Adeel Chaudhry , Pranay Rijia & Naveed Zafar, lyrics by Sameer Anjaan, Salman Ahmad, Naveed Zafar, Jacqueline Kelly (English version). The film stars Pakistani perfomer Adeel Chaudhry & Rinil Routh is lead roles, backed by Gurleen Chopra, Kiran Srinivas, Vibhu Raghav, Kosha Jayaswal, Kuba Gras & Salman Ahmad in a very special appearance.

Aishwarya Rai – Bachchan Starts Shooting For Sarbjit

There has been a lot of excitement for Omung Kumar’s upcoming biopic Sarbjit. The movie which has kick started shooting from this week with their 1st schedule in Mumbai, stars Aishwarya Rai Bachchan & Randeep Hooda in the lead. While Randeep Hooda has already shot his 1st scene as Sarbjit, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan also started with the shooting recently. Being a biopic, the makers have kept the looks of both lead characters extremely guarded but it seems that Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is going to have a complete de – glam look. The bewitching actress who is always been portrayed as the diva of Bollywood would go for a complete make over for her role as Dalbir Kaur, Sarabjit’s sister in the movie. In order to portray the realistic character of Dalbir Kaur, Aishwarya has chosen a de – glam look with no makeup & simple dressing.
With Aishwarya donning a complete de – glam look, it would be exciting to see how this gorgeous actress will look in the character of a middle aged struggling woman. The film is divided into a vast schedule which includes shooting in Mumbai from last month and they will move on to shoot in the varied cities of Punjab like Amritsar, Malerkotla, Bhikipind & Patiala in the month of Jan, 2016 and finally the last leg of the schedule will be shot in Delhi in the month of Feb, 2016.

Club Dancer Due On 26th Feb 2016 All Over

Film Magic Productions & S. Mukerji presentation’s Club Dancer is all set to release on 26th Feb, 2016 all over. Zee Music will release the audio CDs of the film shortly. The credits of the film are directed by B. Prasad, cinematography by Reddy Rao, lyrics by Veerender & Disksha, music by Sanjay Basu, Joy & Veerninder, singers are Amit Kumar, Sunidhi Chauhan & Veerender, choreography by Raju – Shabana, action by Riaz & editing by Vikas. The film stars débutante Rajbir Singh enacting the title role, Nisha Mawani (From London), Aryan Vaid, Ejaz Khan, Shakti Kapoor, Zarina Wahab, débutante Karishma, Kumaar & Hollywood sensation Judi Shekoni.

Paagalpan 3 Songs Recorded

Producer & director Kumar Babloo & music composers Shankar – Sushant have recorded 3 songs recently for First Break Films’ Paagalpan at Meet Bros Recording Theatre. They were penned by Francez & Ashok Madhup and were rendered by Kunal Ganjawala, Sonu Kakkad, Pamela jain & Suresh Wadkar. The other credits of the film are cinematography by Hemant Sharma, action by Mangal Fauji & executive produced by Santosh Sharma. The film is already 50% complete and the last shooting stint of 20 days will be held in Feb, 2016. The film stars Rahul Roy, Mukesh Rishi, Shakti Kapoor, Vishaal, Menka, Dheeraj Nagar, Pankaj Berry, Vedita Pratap Singh, Puja Saxena et al.

Swadesh Ki Khatir Due In Mar 2016 All Over

Sheetal Movie Temple’s Swadesh Ki Khatir which has been cleared by the censors with U certificate is all set for Mar, 2016 release all over. The credits of the film are produced & directed by Maann Singh, music: Josfi, cinematography by Ranadev Bhaduri, choreography by Madhav Kishan, editing by Sharad Singh & excutive produced by Sheetal Singh Rajput. The entire film has been shot in UP locales. The film stars Mukesh Khanna, Maann Singh, Ila Pandey, Pramod Singh, Prashant Singh, Sushil Arya, Rajendra Lal, Aarti, Jr. Mehmood & Raza Murad.

Rocky Handsome features John Abraham as a lean mean power machine

The 1st look of John Abraham had set the temperature soaring with John Abraham’s brawny look holding a gun in his dapper suit attire and a bare bodied John doing some hand to hand action sequences choreographed by world renowned action directors. It is set in Goa, Mumbai, Pune & Seychelles & it is all set to release on 25th Mar, 2016. The credits of the film are presented by JA Entertainment & Azure Entertainment, produced by John Abraham & Sunir Kheterpal & directed by Nishikant.

Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai Due For Release Soon

Bibia Film Production Presents Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai is due for release soon. The credits of the film are story & produced by Purnima Mead, executive producer by Amreetaa Roy, directed by Keshhav Panneriy, cinematography by Rupam Chetiapatra, screenplay by Keshhav Panneriy & Amreetaa Roy, dialogues by Amreetaa Roy, art by Tapan Roy, music by Harry Anand, Omkar Minhas & Vishwajeet Brahma, singers are Neeti Mohan, Shilpa Rao, Ash King et al & production
controlled by Salim. The film stars Manjari Fadnis, Arbaaz Khan, Himansh Kohli, Supriya Pathak Kapur, Ashutosh Rana & Prem Chopra.

Ishq Forever All Set To Release On 19th Feb 2016

Ishq Forever all set to release on 19th Feb, 2016. The credits of the film are banner is A Friday Cine Entertainment Pvt Ltd Production, produced by Ajay Shah, Himanshu Gandhi & Shabeer Boxwala & directed by Sameer Sippy. The film stars Lisa Ray, Ruhi Singh, débutante Krishna Chaturvedi & Jaaved Jafferi.

Today’s Last Night Editing Started

The editing of Maheshwar Films International’s Today’s Last Night has already started at Bollywood Umang Studio under the supervision of Dharam Soni. The credits of the film are produced by Manoj Maheshwar, co – produced by Ritu Mann, executive produced by Manjeet Yadav, directed by Sunny Kapoor, music & lyrics by Om Jha, choreography by Sanjay Korbe & Arjun, cinematography by Feroze Sayyad & production controllers are Sushil Arora & Ravis Gupta. It’s a MFI Acting Studio Presentation. The film stars Manoj Maheshwar, Shweta Mishra, Mitesh Yadav, Jyoti, Siddharth Sangar, Ankush Mohite along with Devraj, Lucky, Nicky, Suniti, Lavoni, Satish Rajput, R. K. Sinha, Arvinder, Sandeep Dixit, Sameer Praveen, Surendra, Komal Jha & Savio D’costa.

Hum Hain Wonder Boys Mixing Completed

The mixing of Marutinandan Entertainment’s Hum Hain Wonder Boys has been completed this week. The credits of the film are producer by Rekha H. Patel, directed by Anil S. Mehta, written by Sanjay Kumar, music by Manik SD & Sam -Indi, lyrics by Pursotam Pandey, Jitendra Mirzapuri & Sonu Sagar, singers are Javed Ali, Rupesh Mishra & Indrani Sharma, cinematography by Late V. Subba Rao & Arun Phasalkar, choreography by JD & Suraj Bharti, action by Singh Is King & editing by Ram Gopal Verma. The film are Harshit Patel, Neha Shree, Harsita, Hemant Pandey, Raza Murad, Mustaq Khan, Eshan Khan & Pankaj berry.

Akhir Kab Tak Shooting Starts.

Mithilesh Avinash’s Aakhir Kab Tak’s shooting has already started. The creadits of the film are banner is P. N. J. Films, produced by Nishikant Jha, directed by Mithilesh Avinash, written by Mohammad Shahbaaz, lyrics by Roop Kumar Jaiswal, music by Jayant Aryan, choreography by Santosh Kumar, cinematography by D. K. Sharma, action by Hira Yadav, action assistance by Dharam Soni, post production by Kapil Shah, art by Shreekanth & costume designing by Munna. The film stars Vinay Rana, Manisha Singh, Ajay Pratap, Madhu Sarkar, Dhiraj Pandit, Pratibha Pandey, Aditya Mohan, Ram Sujan Singh , Habib Bhai, Karishma Mittal, Mehnaz Shroff, Vinod Mishra, Soni Patel & Suman Jha

Charu Sharma’s New Biographic Film Is Ambassador Of Socialism

For the first time ever in the history of biographic films, filmmaker Charu Sharma is making a feature length biography documentary film on great socialist Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia titled Ambassador Of Socialism. Charu Sharma, filmmaker with Nitesh Agrawal Jain, a Samajwadi party leader, met the respected Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav at his residence for the above film and discussed the project in detail. Respected Chief Minister become happy for their initiative and encouraged them to complete it as soon as possible because very few people of Dr. Lohia’s era are left. This credits of the film are banner is Krokio Media & directed by Charu Sharma with the inspiration of Nitesh Agrawal Jain. The film will be of feature length with a title of Ambassador Of Socialism. 2 exclusive books will also be launched with the film titled “White Anchorite Of Socialism” & “Son Of Nation – Lohia”. The tentative release date of the film is 12th Oct, 2016, coinciding with the death anniversary of Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia. The shooting will be done in different parts of Uttar Pradesh.

Ajab Sing Ki Gajab Kahani Muhurat Held

The muhurat of the film Ajab Sing Ki Gajab Kahani was kick started at the hands of Shreyas Talpade. The film stars, 1st time in film history, IRS Ajay Sing, débutante Yashika Basra, TV actress Ishita Ganguli, Govind Namdev, Yashpal Sharma, Akhilesh Mishra, Doli Bindra, Ali Khan, Comedy Actors Vikas Giri, Mukesh Ahuja & Pawan Sharma. Rakhi Sawant also attended the muhurat ceremony and she is also performing an item number in the film. IRS Ajay Sing who is posted as Deputy Commissioner at Jamashedpur, is making his debut in the main lead. This film’s story is also the real life story of Ajay Sing. The story & direction is by Rishi Mishra. Producer Binod Kumar’s Sri Triveni Films International is producing this film which is based on real characters playing actual roles. The film is about corruption & black money. The film which is an intense film with the accent on emotion has music by Sushant Shankar & Tanmay Pahwa, cinematogra@hy by. Shravanan & production head as well designer is Aishwarya Sharma. Producer Binod Kumar said, the film will go on the floors on 15th Jan, 2016 in real locales like Jamshedpur, Banaras & Delhi.

Do Lafzon Ki Kahani To Release On 4th Mar 2016

Do Lafzon Ki Kahani, a contemporary love story directed by Deepak Tijori and starring Randeep Hooda & Kajal Aggarwal, is all set to hit the screens on 4th Mar, 2016. Eros International Presents an Alumbra Entertainment & Dhiraj Motion Pictures Production in association with Focus Motion Pictures & Deepak Tijori Films, the film is produced by Dhiraj Shetty & Avinash V. Rai.

Main Khudiram Bose Hoon A Biopic Begins Filming In Jan 2016

A biopic on patriotic leader Khudiram Bose will begin filming in mid – Jan, 2016. Produced by Ashok Sahni Films, this period drama will showcase the never before heard facts about the life of Khudiram Bose who was one of the youngest revolutionaries from Bengal. Directed by Bhanu Prakash Jha Main Khudiram Bose Hoon releases in May, 2016. The story is written by Dhiraj Mishra. Rustic locales like Chunar, Mirjapur, Allahabad, Varanasi, Midnapur & Khadagpur have been identified for the film. Kanishk Kumar Jain will enact the role of the main protagonist Khudiram Bose.

Langda Rajkumar Special Screening Held

The special screening of Madari Arts Langda Rajkumar Was held at Fun Republic. The screening was attended by film celebrities like Mukesh Khanna, Anupam Shyam, Jagmohan Kapoor, Anil Yadav, Mukesh Bhatt, Vinod Pandey, Dr. Achala Nagar & Bobby Bedi. The credits of the film are produced by Madari Arts, written & directed by Ajay Anand, background music by Manoj Singh, lyrics by Rajendra Salil & editing by Chaitanya V. Tanna & Manoj Sankala. It stars Anand Kumar in title role, Rahil Khan, Master Adnan Kalsekar, Sharat Sonu, Sarvapriyadarshi, Kiran Gupta, Vandana Gupta et al.

Shaher Maseeha Nahi Website Launched

Omkaar Film & Television Production’s Shaher Maseeha Nahi (Based on Dr. Arunendra Bharti Novel) has launched its website named ww.omkaarproduction.com. The credits of the film are produced by Rajan Kumar, directed by Amar Vatsa from his own screenplay, music by Prekhar Verma, lyrics by Dheeraj Kumar & Dr. Arunendra Bharti, choreography by Rajesh Sharwana Padwale, Manoj & Kala Reddy, editing by Sandeep Mishra, art by Yogesh Shilke, editing by Sandeep Mishra, cinematography by Biswajit Das, action by Tinu Verma & creative head is Virendra Verma. It stars Rajan Kumar, Trisha Khan, Poonam Kapri, Riya Bharti, Asha Kapri, Shradha, Aatish Kumar Sinha, Ritesh Dhawan, Mohammed Hasim Khan, Inder Upadhyay, Komal, Rajesh Khanna, Jitendra Yadav, Yog Guru Swami Ranjan Ji, Baby Charmi, Baby Kalyani & Master Rajveer.

Kaun Ho Tum Editing Starts

An editing of Jaanu Raj Films TV International’s Kaun Ho Tum has started recently. The credits of the film are produced by Jyotsna, Jeetu Soni, Hansraj Lohara & Sanjay kumar, directed by Hansraj Lohara, written & lyrics by Hansraj, music by Chintu Mishra & Navin & cinematography by Raju Ranjan. It stars Jeetu Soni, Hansika Raj, Madhu Sharma, Hansraj Lohara, Manoj Sinha et al.

Arunachal Governor cites ‘cow slaughter’ protest to justify president rule

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ArunachalCrisis

New Delhi: Former Arunachal Chief Minister Nabam Tuki on Thursday filed a fresh petition in the Supreme Court challenging imposition of president’s rule in the state.

 

Earlier, the apex court issued notices to the Centre and the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh (J.P. Rajkhowa), seeking their responses to a Congress Party challenge of the Centre’s decision to impose president’s rule in the state.

Arunachal Pradesh Governor Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa had cited a “cow slaughter” protest as a sign of the complete collapse of law and order to justify the imposition of President’s rule in the state.

The Governor also attached photographs of a “cow” — a Mithun — being slaughtered outside Raj Bhavan as a material justifying the proclamation of emergency, reports The Indian Express.

On Wednesday the Supreme Court issued notice to the central government and Arunachal Pradesh Governor Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa on a plea challenging the imposition of President’s Rule in the north-eastern state on January 26.

An apex court constitution bench of Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar, Justice Dipak Misra, Justice Madan B. Lokur, Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghosh and Justice N.V. Ramana had also ordered the centre to file its response, if any, by January 29 and directed further hearing in the matter on Monday (February 1).

The court recorded that senior counsel Satya Pal Jain, appearing for Governor Rajkhowa, “undertakes to furnish a copy of the governor’s report and other material recommending issuance of a proclamation under Article 356 of the Constitution of India, to the court in a sealed cover”.

The court had directed that the “original record be kept available by the attorney general during the hearing”.

The court gave liberty to the petitioner, Congress chief whip in Arunachal Pradesh Rajesh Tacho, to amend the plea to “assail the report of the governor, and the consequential (presidential) proclamation”.

The court directed that Tacho be provided, during the course of the day, the date on which Rajkhowa sent a report recommending the imposition of President’s Rule.

(Agencies)

Teachers on hunger strike over Rohith’s suicide

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rohith-vemula

Hyderabad: Three teachers of Hyderabad Central University today sat on a one-day hunger strike demanding that Vice-Chancellor Appa Rao Podile be removed and in-charge VC Vipin Srivastava step down, in order to resume academic and administrative activities.

The protest by teachers comes a day after a second batch of students on an indefinite fast demanding justice for Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula, who allegedly committed suicide on January 17, were shifted to hospital following concerns over their health condition.

A teacher from the Osmania University also joined the protesting teachers in the fast on HCU campus under the banner of SC/ST Teachers’ Forum and other concerned teachers.

Earlier, a group of seven students had also been taken to hospital following their deteriorating health condition.

The agitating students yesterday refused to hold talks with Srivastava, who came to the protest site.

They alleged that Srivastava was equally responsible for the “wrong affairs” and demanded that he step-down from the responsibility of interim VC.

Meanwhile, the Joint Action Committee for Social Justice, spearheading the agitation over Rohith’s suicide, said that students would intensify the “struggle” till all their demands are met.

Their demands include Podile’s resignation, and also Srivastava’s from the post of in-charge VC, “sacking” from Union Cabinet of HRD Minister Smriti Irani, employment to a family member of Rohith and Rs 50 lakh compensation to his family.

The selection of Srivastava as interim VC was earlier opposed by the students and SC/ST staff forums as they claimed he headed the Executive Council sub-committee whose decisions were “responsible for the death of Rohith” and that he was one of the accused in the death of another Dalit student in 2008.

Students of most universities in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana yesterday boycotted classes in solidarity with the agitators as they sought “justice” for Rohith.

(Agencies)

Paid Rs 1 Cr in cash for Kerala CM, testifies woman in ‘solar scam’

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Oommen Chandy

Thiruvananthapuram: A bribe of Rs. 1.1 crore was paid to the personal staff of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy for the politician, testified a woman accused, along with her partner, of engineering Kerala’s “solar scam.”

Saritha Nair, who was arrested for the swindle in 2013 and then granted bail, made her disclosure today before a retired high court judge appointed to investigate the solar scam, which has pummelled the government ahead of state elections this year.

Nair said today that the Chief Minister’s staff sought a bribe of Rs. seven crore for him, of which she paid Rs. 1.1 crore in cash, a claim Chandy has denounced as baseless.

Nair’s allegations come after Chandy, who belongs to the Congress, spent nearly 11 hours being questioned on Monday about his alleged links to the con job, which was centred on industrialists being promised solar panels at cheap rates by Nair and Biju Radhakrishnan, who she was romantically involved with. Radhakrishnan is still in jail for the alleged murder of his wife.

“Saritha Nair could have said all these things several times before the (judicial commission). But she never did that. Suddenly what happened?” asked the Chief Minister, reiterating that he has not committed any wrongdoing. Chandy has revealed that he refused to take a lie detector test on Monday, as requested by a lawyer for Radhakrishnan.

The couple has earlier said that they used Chandy’s name and his aides’ political connections to land valuable contracts, and that the Chief Minister had promised them a large plot of government land in exchange for 40 per cent of the profits from a clean energy plant they had proposed. Chandy was forced to suspend three aides whose close links to Nair and Radhakrishnan were established.

With assembly elections due in Kerala this year, Chandy is seen as making a strong political statement by deposing; he had requested an early hearing.

(Agencies)

Israel demolishes homes in East Jerusalem

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A Palestinian family stands next to their possessions as they watch their home being demolished. (AFP/File)

A Palestinian family stands next to their possessions as they watch their home being demolished. (AFP/File)

by Ma’an News Agency

Israeli forces on Wednesday tore down two buildings in occupied East Jerusalem, claiming one had been built without permits, while the other stood in the way of a new route connecting Israeli settlements.

Locals said that Israeli forces stormed and closed off an area in the Jabal al-Mukabbri neighborhood early Wednesday before bulldozers moved in and demolished a building under construction along with its surrounding wall.

The building’s owner, Ibrahim Ali Surri, told Ma’an that the building measured 60 square meters and he had been intending to move into it in coming weeks.

He said that Jerusalem’s municipal authorities ordered him to halt construction a month ago and he had been trying to obtain the necessary permits since then.

He said Wednesday’s demolition took place “without prior notice.”

Separately, Israeli forces also demolished a home in Shufat neighborhood, reportedly to clear way for a road — Route 21 — which will run through Shufat to connect the illegal Israeli settlements of Pisgat Zeev, Ramat Shlom and Neve Yaakov.

The plans are expected to divide the neighborhood in two and will require the confiscation of hundreds of dunams of land.

The home’s owner, Kifaya al-Rashq, told Ma’an the the home was built 15 years ago and houses 19 family members.

He said that Israeli forces stormed the home and forced his family to evacuate, despite the cold weather, before they proceeded with the demolition.

Some 579 homes have been destroyed in East Jerusalem over the last twelve years, leaving 2,133 Palestinians homeless in total, according to Israeli rights group B’Tselem.

Israeli government policies make it nearly impossible for Palestinian residents of Jerusalem to obtain building permits, according to the Association for Civil Rights in Israel.

Women have right to pray; hold talks to end temple row: Fadnavis

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Devendra Fadnavis

Mumbai: Maintaining that women have right to pray, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday favoured a dialogue between authorities of Shani Shingnapur temple and activists to find a way out over the ban on entry of female devotees into the inner sanctum of the shrine.

He urged the temple authorities to hold a dialogue with the women’s group that is campaigning for entry of female devotees into the inner sanctum of the shrine in Ahmednagar district.

“Indian culture and Hindu religion gives women have the right to pray. A change in yesterday’s traditions is our culture. Discrimination in praying is not in our culture. The temple authorities should resolve the issue through a dialogue,” tweeted Fadnavis, who also holds the Home portfolio.

Minister of State for Home Ram Shinde said the government will facilitate talks between the temple authorities and women activists to arrive at an amicable solution.

“If there is a dispute between activists and temple authorities over allowing women access to the (Shani Shingnapur) temple, the state government will act as facilitator for talks between them so that the issue can be resolved amicably,” Shinde told PTI.

“The activists (members of Bhumata Brigade) were detained as they had violated the law. CrPC Section 144 had been imposed by police (banning Assembly of people) which they did not adhere to.

“As far as their religious views are concerned, it is the government’s duty to ensure that the issue is resolved,” he said.

(Agencies)

Delhi civic workers protest at Arvind Kejriwal residence

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Arvind Kejriwal

New Delhi: The municipal workers here on Wednesday staged a protest outside Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s official residence demanding timely payment of their salaries.

“Our arrears are pending for several months… We are not being paid on time,” one of the protestors said.

“We are being cheated by the government as we were assured that our demands will be fulfilled soon,” another added.

Earlier, in October the workers had gone for a strike against the government for the payment of their salaries and regularisation of daily-wagers who had been working for over a decade.

(IANS)

Danish MPs approve seizing valuables from refugees

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Package of measures to deter asylum seekers passed, including confiscation of cash and valuables exceeding $1,450.

Critics compared Denmark's proposal to seize refugees' assets to Nazi Germany during World War II [Per Rasmussen/AP]

Critics compared Denmark’s proposal to seize refugees’ assets to Nazi Germany during World War II [Per Rasmussen/AP]

by Al Jazeera

The Danish parliament has passed a package of measures to deter refugees from seeking asylum, including confiscating valuables to pay for their stay, despite protests from international human rights organisations.

The measures, which also include extending family reunification among refugees from one year to three years, were passed by an overwhelming majority on Tuesday.

The bill, which allows the confiscation of refugees’ cash exceeding 10,000 kroner ($1,450), has prompted comparisons to Nazi Germany, which confiscated the goods of Jews during World War II.

The Council of Europe, a human rights watchdog, said the law could violate fundamental property rights.

However, Kristian Jensen, the Danish foreign minister, and Inger Stojberg, the immigration minister, argued on Monday, during a debate at the European Parliament, that the proposed law is fair and in line with the Danish welfare model and compatible with international rules.

 

“We…think that it is fair and reasonable that those asylum seekers who do bring enough assets with them should cover the costs of their food and lodging during the asylum process,” Stojberg said.

“When you have such a broad, universal welfare system as the Danish one, this is also based on this basic principle that if you can support yourself you have to do so,” she added.

The law will also allow for asylum seekers’ belongings to be searched.

Cash and proceeds from the sale of valuables belonging to refugees will be used to pay for their stay in Denmark.

Valuables that have “sentimental value”, such as wedding and engagement rings, will be off-limits, however.

While many have focused on the confiscation of valuables, critics suggest that it is the part of the bill relating to reunification of families that is most alarming.

The new law will mean that refugees will have to wait three years after being granted asylum before they can apply to be reunited with their family. The current law permits them to do this after one year.

Jonas Christoffersen, the director of the the Danish Institute for Human Rights, told Al Jazeera that the “right of refugees to be reunited with their family is protected by numerous international conventions ratified by Denmark. We believe the government is overstepping international law by implementing this bill.”

The bill was passed as the minority government of right-leaning Liberals had secured backing from others, including the main opposition Social Democrats and the anti-immigrant Danish People’s Party.

‘Wrong direction’

Liberal and left-wing EU parliamentarians criticised the proposed bill and took aim at a new provision in Danish law that would delay family reunification for up to three years for people in need of temporary protection.

“This law … goes completely in the wrong direction,” Cornelia Ernst, a far-left German politician, said on Monday.

“Refugees completely liquidate their households – if they even still had one – and take their last money and valuables with them, which you now confiscate. How can you ensure there is proportionality here?”

Cecilia Wikstrom, a Liberal Swedish politician, said: “You will never, ever convince me that this is either responsible or proportionate.

“It does not matter how serious the situation or how strong the pressure [is], we are the richest region on the planet. And if we are not taking responsibility, tell me who should do it then?”

In response, Jensen argued that his country was doing its share by providing significant funding for humanitarian aid.

The northern European country has one of Europe’s highest numbers of asylum seekers per capita and expects a further 25,000 to arrive this year, Stojberg said.

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