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You are here: Home / 2016 / Archives for April 2016

Archives for April 2016

Indo-Pak FS meet: terror, Kashmir dominate talks

April 26, 2016 by Nasheman

Photo: AFP

Photo: AFP

New Delhi: In their first formal bilateral meeting after Pathankot attack, Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan today held talks focusing on a range of sticky issues including probe into the strike and Kashmir, which Pakistani side asserted was the “core issue”.

Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar and his Pakistani counterpart Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry, here to attend the Heart of Asia conference, met after which the Pakistani side said its Foreign Secretary “emphasised that Kashmir remains the core issue that requires a just solution in accordance with UNSC resolutions and wishes of Kashmiri people.”

There was no immediate formal word from the Indian side on the meeting.

Ahead of the meeting, the Indian officials had maintained that Pathankot attack and a possible visit by the NIA to Pakistan will be raised during the FS-level talks, which were deferred in January in the wake of the strike at the strategic air base at Pathankot.

“In line with our PM’s vision of peaceful neighborhood, FS underscored Pakistan’s commitment to have friendly relations with all its neighbors/India. All outstanding issues including the Jammu and Kashmir dispute were discussed,” the Pakistan High Commission here said.

India has been pressing for action against terrorists responsible for the audacious attack on the IAF base, to take the talks forward.

This is also the first time the two foreign secretaries are meeting after the announcement of Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue(CBD) by the Foreign Ministers in Islamabad last December. The two secretaries had a informal brief interaction during a SAARC meeting in Nepal in March this year.

The efforts to resume CBD at the Foreign Secretary-level hit a deadlock after the Pathankot attack that India said was carried out by militants from Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM)terror group.

Jaishankar was scheduled to travel to Islamabad to hold talks with Chaudhary on January 15 but both the countries had announced deferment of the talks with “mutual consent” in the wake of the Pathankot attack.

Todays’s meeting came in the backdrop of Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit’s recent comments that the bilateral peace process was suspended, evoking a sharp reaction by Indian side.

India has been maintaining that communication channels were on at various levels but also made it clear it wants to see action on terror and Pathankot first before the dialogue could be resumed.

Earlier, Jaishankar met Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Karzai and discussed issues of mutual interests.

After the talks which lasted for nearly 90-minutes, the Pakistan High Commission said in a statement that Chaudhry also took up the matter of capture of RAW officer, Kulbushan Jadev and expressed serious concern over RAW’s alleged involvement in subversive activities in Balochistan and Karachi.

“He said such acts undermine efforts to normalise relations between the two countries. He also conveyed concern over efforts by Indian authorities for the release of the prime suspects of the Samjhauta Express blasts,” it added.

He expressed confidence that building on the goodwill generated by the recent high level contacts, the two countries should remain committed to a sustained, meaningful and comprehensive dialogue process.

In this spirit, the Foreign Secretary underscored the need for early commencement of comprehensive dialogue for which the Indian Foreign Secretary’s visit to Pakistan is due.

(Agencies)

Filed Under: India Tagged With: Pakistan

Israel releases 12-year-old Palestinian girl from jail

April 25, 2016 by Nasheman

Family welcomes the release of D al-Wawi, who was arrested in February on charges of attempted manslaughter.

D's parents said their daughter was 'paying a heavy price for something that did not happen' [Mary Pelletier/Al Jazeera]

D’s parents said their daughter was ‘paying a heavy price for something that did not happen’ [Mary Pelletier/Al Jazeera]

by Rania Zabaneh, Dalia Hatuqa, Al Jazeera

Halhul, occupied West Bank –   At the Jbara checkpoint near Tulkarem, the al-Wawi family and human rights groups’ representatives waited patiently. The 12-year-old finally emerged, after having spent 2.5 months in a prison, making her the youngest Palestinian female detainee. As her relatives embraced her, the girl, clad in a pink shirt, fought back tears and said nothing.

D* was arrested on February 9 near the illegal settlement of Karmei Tzur, just north of her hometown of Halhul. Now, out on early parole, D served more than half of her sentence of 4.5 months in an Israeli prison for attempted voluntary manslaughter and illegal possession of a knife.

The family had appealed her detention, citing international legal norms, and Israeli law, which prohibits the imprisonment of children younger than 14 for the country’s citizens.

D is the first child in her family, which includes six girls and three boys, to see the insides of a prison cell. Her father, 54-year-old Ismael al-Wawi, had been working in Israel for more than 25 years before Israeli authorities revoked his permit on the day she was arrested.

According to Israeli military court documents, D approached the settlement with a knife hidden under her school uniform. The documents cited footage that showed the girl lying on the ground after she was told to give up the knife.

This was not the child her family knew. A lively girl, D spent a lot of her time playing outside with her cousins – something that left their relatives wondering how she would cope in a prison cell.

“Even inside the courtroom, she was playing,” said Sabha al-Wawi, D’s mother. “She’d move her shackled feet or her hands around to play with the handcuffs. Even the judge told her to stop.”

Her mother recalled an incident that left her questioning the Israeli authorities’ version of events.

“One day, I overheard the girls talking about the spate of knife attacks. D and her eldest sister both said to each other, ‘If anyone tells you I’ve done something like this, please don’t believe them. I would never attack anyone,'” Sabha said.

The day D was arrested, her mother feared she was either injured or killed – the fate of many Palestinians who have either carried out attacks or were accused of being assailants in a spate of unrest that began in October 2015. Since then, 207 Palestinians and 33 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed.

On March 28, more than a month after the incident, D was finally allowed to see her mother, but they were banned from any physical contact. Before she was detained, D had been asking about the fate of the children of Palestinian journalist Mohammad al-Qeeq, who at the time was on a months-long hunger strike, if he were to die.

“She kept wondering – who will take care of his children?” Sabha recalled. “Who will take them out on excursions, who will buy them gifts on Eid, who will feed them?”

Even as the family welcomed D’s release, they were still reeling from the loss of Ismael’s job, their only source of income. D’s parents also have to pay a $2,000 court-ordered fine.

“I’m unemployed now and taking out loans to cultivate a plot of land that we have,” Ismael said. “It will be a while before the land yields any produce. So in the meantime, I have reached out to several institutions to help financially.”

There are 7,000 Palestinians currently in Israeli prisons, according to the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Prisoners Affairs Commission. The figures include 70 women, 750 in administrative detention, 700 sick detainees, and 30 who have been imprisoned for more than 20 years.

The figures also include 440 Palestinian children, who are held in Israeli detention for “security” offences, according to Defence for Children International – Palestine (DCI), a Ramallah-based rights group. This is the highest tally since the Israel Prison Service started providing figures in 2008, the group said. More than 100 of these children are between 12 and 15, while 12 are girls and seven are in administrative detention.

A majority of children endure physical violence in the Israeli military detention system, according to a recent report by DCI called No Way to Treat a Child. The “widespread and systematic ill-treatment of Palestinian children” includes detaining them in the middle of the night, often without notifying the parents of the reasons for the arrest.

“International law is clear: Children should only be detained as a last resort, for the shortest appropriate period of time, and under absolutely no circumstances should they be subjected to torture or ill-treatment,” said Khaled Quzmar, the group’s general director. “Why then, year after year, do we see Palestinian children experiencing widespread, systematic, and institutionalised ill-treatment at the hands of Israeli forces?”

Israeli authorities said D confessed to planning a stabbing attack, but DCI found that “many children maintain their innocence, but plead guilty as it is the fastest way to get out of the system. Most receive plea deals of less than 12 months. Trials, on the other hand, can last a year, possibly longer. Bail is rarely granted and most children remain behind bars as they await trial”.

The group also said that interrogators often use “position abuse, threats and isolation to coerce confessions”, documenting 66 cases in which children were held in solitary confinement.

Sabha says the family believes D has “suffered a grave injustice”.

“She’s too young to hurt anybody. She’s not even physically capable of attacking anyone. She did not pose a threat,” Sabha said. “She is paying a heavy price for something that did not happen.”

Filed Under: Muslim World Tagged With: Israel, Palestine

After China’s protest, India cancels visa for dissident Uyghur leader

April 25, 2016 by Nasheman

New Delhi: After China’s strong protest, India has cancelled its visa to dissident Uyghur leader Dolkun Isa, citing Interpol’s red corner notice against him.

Isa, a leader of the World Uyghur Congress (WUC) who lives in Germany, had been invited to a conference being organised by the US-based ‘Initiatives for China’. Uyghurs and many other Chinese dissidents in exile were expected to attend the conference in India and discuss democratic transformation in China.

India’s decision to permit WUC leaders whom China regards as backers of terrorism in its volatile Muslim-dominated Xinjiang province was reported to be in response to Beijing blocking India’s bid to get Jaish-e-Muhammad chief Masood Azhar banned by the UN.

China’s unhappiness about reports that Dolkun had been given the visa was reflected in Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying saying, “What I want to point out is that Dolkun is a terrorist in red notice of the Interpol and Chinese police. Bringing him to justice is due obligation of relevant countries.”

When asked about the issue, external affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup had said,”We have seen the media reports and external affairs ministry is trying to ascertain the facts.”

Xinjiang, which has over 10 million Uyghurs of Turkik origin Muslims, has been on the boil for several years. Uyghurs have been protesting the large-scale settlements in Xinjiang by Han Chinese.

(Agencies)

Filed Under: India Tagged With: Dolkun Isa

Ruckus in Parliament over Uttarakhand, Arunachal

April 25, 2016 by Nasheman

Parliament

New Delhi: Angry over imposition of President’s Rule in Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh, Congress today created ruckus in Parliament, accusing the Modi dispensation of toppling democratically-elected governments of opposition parties, a charge rejected by Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

The issue generated heat in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on the opening day of the session with Congress members in both Houses storming the Well and party chief Sonia Gandhi joining them in raising slogans.

In the Lok Sabha, Leader of Congress Mallikarjun Kharge and his party colleagues staged a dharna in the Well as their notice for adjournment motion on the issue was rejected by the Chair.

“It is a murder of democracy,” Kharge said as the Lower House assembled for the day, telling Speaker Sumitra Mahajan that he has given a notice for an adjournment motion on the issue. Members of JD(U) and AAP were also in the Well along with Congress.

AAP leader Bhagwant Mann was repeatedly seen pleading with the Chair to allow Kharge to have his say.

Amid a noisy protest by the treasury benches, Kharge said the Union government is purchasing MLAs, pressurising MLAs to install BJP government “by killing Costitution.”
The Speaker reminded Kharge that the matter is before the Supreme Court and hence he should not say anything further.

Kharge said he is referring to the action of the central government and not the ruling of Uttarakhand High Court which had revoked the President’s Rule. The Supreme Court later stayed the High Court’s order till April 27.

He said the BJP-government at the Centre celebrates the Constitution Day and birthday of key architect of the document B R Ambedkar, while it has “destabilised” democratically- elected governments in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

“There appears to be a great hurry by the NDA to grab power in every state… don’t forget there is Constitution… you could have waited for the March 28 floor test but you imposed President’s Rule on March 27,” he said.

He said the House had recently discussed the Ishrat Jahan alleged fake encounter case which is also sub-judice.

BJD’s B Mahtab said his party has also given notice on the issue. “The matter is in the court. We will wait for the verdict. We are confident that the court will deliver justice. But we are against arbitrary use of Article 356,” he said.

The Home Minister said the “crisis” in Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh has not been created by NDA or BJP.

“It is an internal crisis of their party,” he said and welcomed Speaker’s decision that the issue cannot be raised in the present format as it is under consideration of the apex court.

In the Rajya Sabha, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad raised the issue accusing the central government of “deliberately provoking” the opposition and “inducing” disruption so that the House does not run.

Azad said for the last one year, it has been seen that efforts are being made by the ruling party to create a situation that the House does not function.

The senior Congress leader said he had never seen that a government “does things during the session or just days before the session so that Parliament does not function”.

He said during winter session, the duly-elected Arunachal Pradesh government was “brought down” and the Centre did not stop till it installed its own government there.
Azad said President’s rule has been imposed in the past also, but never in such a “crude” way.

When he said he wanted to congratulate the judges of the Uttarakhand High Court for “having the guts to fight the Government of India”, Deputy Chairman P J Kurien said there should be “no commentary” on the judicial issues.

As Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi objected to the raising of the Uttrakhand issue saying the matter was sub-judice, Azad said the Centre “which disrespects the court, cannot be trusted”.

“Discussion will take place,” he asserted, as several Congress members carrying placards stood in the aisle.

Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M) countered Naqvi saying Leader of the House Arun Jaitley had said in the last session that discussion on issues, even if sub-judice, cannot be prevented in the House. “Apply your own precedents,” he said.

Anand Sharma (Cong) said the Centre used proclamation of President’s rule to disturb an elected government. “We will discuss it. We will expose you,” he said.
Right then, Jaitley asked Congress members to debate the issue when the proclamation comes up for discussion.

“It will come up for discussion before the House. This will House will have an oppourtunity to discuss it. Therefore, when the proclamation comes up, please disucss it.

“But today, you cannot by an alternative motion anticipate a discussion which is to take place when the proclamation comes up. You cannot discuss it at the pre-proclamation stage,” Jaitley said.

However, Congress members did not relent and several of them trooped into the Well. They raised slogans like ‘Modi teri taanashahi nahi chalegi’ (Modi, your authoritarianism will not work) and ‘Loktantra ki hatya bandh karo’ (stop murdering democracy). Deputy Chairman P J Kurien then adjourned the House till noon.

When it reassembled, Congress members again raised slogans from the aisle. The House was adjourned by Chairman Hamid Ansari till 2 pm within a few minutes.

(PTI)

Filed Under: India Tagged With: Uttarakhand

2006 Malegaon terror attack: All 9 Muslims discharged by Mumbai court

April 25, 2016 by Nasheman

Malegaon

Mumbai: In a major development all nine Muslim men, falsely accused in 2006 Malegaon bomb blast case, were acquitted by a court here on Monday.

Noorul Huda, Shabbir Ahmed, Raees Ahmed, Salman Farsi, Farogh Magdumi, Shaikh Mohammed Ali, Asif Khan, Mohammed Zahid and Abrar Ahmed, who languished in the jail for years, had filed a discharge application earlier.

One accused in the case has died, while six were released earlier in 2011 on bail. Two other accused have been convicted in the 2006 train blasts case.

The Monday’s order was passed by Sessions Judge V V Patil.

The National Investigation Agency on Thursday told a Mumbai court it has found no evidence to link nine Muslims arrested in the 2006 Malegaon blasts case to the terror attack, a move that could see them walk free.

The NIA did not object to the discharge applications filed by the arrested accused, saying evidence collected by it were “not in consonance” with those obtained earlier by Maharashtra Anti-terrorism Squad and the Central Bureau of Invgestigation, which had recommended their prosecution.

“It is submitted that evidence collected by NIA in further investigation is not in consonance with evidence collected by the Anti-Terrorism Squad and the CBI. The court may kindly pass appropriate orders in the matter,” the anti-terror agency told a special NIA court in response to discharge applications filed by the nine accused.

It said no evidence was found in support of the conclusion drawn in final reports filed by ATS and CBI, which had probed the case earlier, and recommended prosecution of the accused arrested in connection with the September 8, 2006 explosions that killed 37 people and wounded 125.

Judge Y D Shinde adjourned hearing till next month. The 2006 bombings were part of a series of explosions that had rocked Malegaon, a communally sensitive power-loom town in Nashik district of Maharashtra, located about 300 km from Mumbai. The blasts had occurred in a Muslim cemetery, adjacent to a mosque, after Friday prayers on Shab-e-Barat.

The Maharashtra ATS, which first probed the case, had arrested Noorul Huda Samsudoha, Shabbir Ahmed Masiullah, Raees Ahmed Rajab Ali Mansuri, Salman Farsi Abdul Latif Aimi, Farogh Iqbal Ahmed Magdumi, Mohammad Ali Alam Sheikh, Asif Khan Bashir Khan alias Junaid, Mohammad Zahid Abdul Majid Ansari and Abrar Ahmed Gulam Ahmed.

The case was later handed over to the CBI, which endorsed the findings of Maharashtra ATS, before it was transfered to NIA after it came into existence in 2009. After the confessions made by Swami Aseemanand, an accused in the 2007 Mecca Masjid blast, the role of Hindu right wing organisation ‘Abhinav Bharat’ in the blasts came to light.

Following Aseemanand’s confession, the accused moved the court with discharge applications. In May this year, NIA filed its charge sheet in the case against four accused– Lokesh Sharma, Dhan Singh, Manohar Singh and Rajendra Choudhary, contradicting the findings of the ATS and the CBI.

Malegaon had seen another terror attack on September 29,  2008, also allegedly masterminded by ‘Abhinav Bharat’ in which seven persons were killed.

(Agencies)

Filed Under: India Tagged With: Malegaon Blast

The upcoming Marathi movie Dimakhilal mirrors a concrete solution to break the barriers of the age old myths & beliefs

April 25, 2016 by Shaheen Raaj

Dimakhilal

Dimakhilal entails the story of a 12-year-old boy who constantly struggles to solve the varied issues of society which also includes the age-old orthodox oriented traditional myths & beliefs. He tries varied means, tricks & ways to sort out the so-called societal issues. He also shows different ways to every human beings of how to be hopeful even under adverse & critical conditions at every stage & age of their life.

Sadiq Mukadam who has produced Dimakhilal, an experimental, enlightening & artistic movie avers, “In our soon to be released movie Dimakhilal we have also used varied technical machines to put across the varied issues relating to our society and also offers concrete solutions to solve them amicably. These kind of machines have never been used before in any other language movie. Dimakhilal also has several subtle messages on offer.”

Sadiq Mukaddam continued further by stating, “Actually speaking Dimakhilal entails my own personal story which had incidentally taken place 2 and a half decades ago when I was that high. I wish that Dimakhilal reaches each & every cine goers on a National level. It also stresses on the thought that even a 12-year boy, who is also a part of this universe, can offer a concrete solution for varied societal issues. We have made this movie with the sole aim that all the cine goers should feel that Dimakhilal is their very own movie.”

While the movie Dimakhilal’s, all set to release in the month of May, 2016, director Sunil Agesar avers, “The main highlight of Dimakhilal is its novel concept & its main protagonist namely Child Artiste Swaraj Phadtare who enacts the title role of Dimakhilal. And another Child Artiste Rahul, enacts the role of Dimakhilal’s close friend. Besides Dimakhilal mainly stars all debutant actors. In fact Dimakhilal is a perfectly different & out of the box movie and will prove to be beneficial for one & all.”

Filed Under: Film Tagged With: Marathi Cinema

Movie Review: ‘The Huntsman: Winter’s War’ is a good costume drama which is good for at least one time watch

April 25, 2016 by Shaheen Raaj

The Huntsman Winters War

Producer: Joe Roth
Director: Cedric Nicolas – Troyan
Star Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron, Emily Blunt, Nick Frost, Sam Claflin, Rob Brydon & Jessica Chastain
Genre: Fantasy
Verdict: Ok

Plot: Freya the Ice Queen (Emily Blunt) brings her sister Ravenna (Charlize Theron) back to life, and the powerful evil siblings plan to conquer the Enchanted Forest. Only the Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) and his secret lover Sara (Jessica Chastain) can stop them in this sequel continuing the inventive twist on the Snow White fable.

Aces: The Huntsman: Winter’s War a sequel to the Snow White fable has all glitter & gloss with all the apt production values intact. Besides Chris Hemsworth & Charlize Theron are impressive.

Minuses: Instead of a continuation of a fairy tale, this movie turns out to be more mysterious adventure in which every character dies and is instantly reborn. Intriguing & Unbelievable!!!

Last Word: Fairy tale sagas have its own fans, coupled with mystery & adventure The Huntsman: Winters War may have a slow start at the Box Office turnstiles but has chances of pick up in the long run.

Filed Under: Film Tagged With: Bollywood, Film, Movie, Movie Review, The Huntsman Winter's War

Morocco renovates one of the world’s oldest Islamic libraries

April 23, 2016 by Nasheman

University of Al-Qarawiyyin library

by Cii Broadcasting

The settling dust from renovations and the banging of tools aren’t ideal sights and sounds for a library — but this is no ordinary library.

Founded 12 centuries ago by a pioneering woman and nestled in the old medina of Fez, Morocco’s University of Al-Qarawiyyin library is one of the world’s oldest libraries, home to unique Islamic manuscripts treasured by historians. Yet it’s been largely hidden from the public. The architect leading its restoration, Fez native Aziza Chaouni, didn’t even know it existed until she was asked to work on it.

King Mohammed VI is expected to inaugurate its reopening soon.

Chaouni is hoping it will mark an ideological change, too, and open to the public for the first time in its long history. Until now, the privilege of using the library has been limited to scholars who seek formal permission, and authorities haven’t decided yet whether to change that.

From calligraphic designs on the walls to ceramic patterns on the floors and wooden carvings on the ceilings, the fingerprint of almost every ruling dynasty since the 9th century can be seen in the architecture.

A devout and wealthy Muslim woman from the Tunisian town of Kairaouan, Fatima Al-Fihri, provided the endowment for building Al-Qarawiyyin in the 9th century. Originally a mosque, it expanded in the 10th century to become a university, Abdelmajid El-Marzi, imam and administrator of the mosque, told The Associated Press.

The library houses a collection of manuscripts written by renowned thinkers from the region, including Ibn Khaldun’s “Muqadimmah.”

The 14th-century historical work spent six months on loan to the Louvre Museum in Paris during the renovations, library curator Abdelfattah Bougchouf said.

Other texts include a 9th-century Quran written in Kufic calligraphy, and a manuscript on the Maliki school of Islamic jurisprudence by Ibn Rochd, also known as Averroes.

The manuscripts are now kept in a secure room, with strict temperature and humidity control. They weren’t always kept like this, however.

“The original manuscript room door had four locks,” Bougchouf told The AP. “Each of those keys was kept with four different people. In order to open the manuscript room, all four of those people had to physically be there to open the door.”

Now, he chuckled, “all of that has been replaced with a four-digit security code.”

A previous renovation and expansion effort in 1940 opened up the library to foreigners and non-Muslims by creating a separate entrance. Before that, the only way to access the library was via the mosque. Non-Muslims aren’t allowed to enter the Qarawiyyin mosque to this day.

“It was a sign of tolerance,” Abdelfattah said.

Since ascending to the throne in 1999, King Mohammed VI has called for restorations at Qarawiyyin.

Architect Chaouni said she was pleasantly surprised when the Culture Ministry approached her in 2012 to work on the project — especially in a field dominated by men.

“I knew about the mosque, but never even knew there was a library there,” she said, despite growing up in the city.

She specializes in restoring old buildings in a sustainable fashion, and is also trained as an engineer, with degrees from Harvard and Columbia universities.

The restoration is fixing a plumbing issue that increasingly threatened to drench the rare manuscripts in sewage water.

Chaouni is also lobbying for opening a public exhibition room for the first time – calling it “the biggest challenge of my soul” during the restoration project.

The Culture Ministry accepted the idea but bureaucratic control over the site shifted to the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs. Chaouni worries that this shift will squash her efforts. Authorities are also concerned about the cost of keeping the previous manuscripts secure.

Another way to improve access to the manuscripts is to digitize them, which the library has been doing, and about 20 percent are now available in electronic form.

Filed Under: Muslim World Tagged With: Al-Qarawiyyin Library, Morocco

Caught on camera dragging Dalit woman, man held for abduction, rape

April 23, 2016 by Nasheman

A CCTV grab of the victim being dragged out of her office by the accused in Muktsar. (Photo source: YouTube)

A CCTV grab of the victim being dragged out of her office by the accused in Muktsar. (Photo source: YouTube)

Muktsar: The police have arrested Gurinder, alias Jojo, nearly a month after he allegedly abducted and raped a Dalit woman on March 25.

Gurinder, 27, a resident of Kandu Khera village, allegedly abducted the victim, a resident of the same village, from outside a computer centre in Malaut, where she worked. The abduction was captured on a CCTV camera installed nearby.

The accused then took her to Tapa Khera village and allegedly raped her.

Following a complaint, Malaut Police had on March 30 booked the accused, and were on the lookout for him. Police sources said Gurinder was arrested on Friday night.

Deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Manvinder Veer Singh said the victim was traumatised and wanted the accused to be hanged. “She had threatened to hang herself if the accused was not arrested,” he added.

Sumit Kumar, the owner of the computer centre and also a witness to the abduction, said, “The youth had come to meet the victim. They were chatting so we thought they were acquaintances. But soon he tried to abduct her, and when we protested, he started fighting with us. The entire episode was recorded on the CCTV camera.”

(ANI)

Filed Under: India Tagged With: Dalits

Syria death toll: UN envoy estimates 400,000 killed

April 23, 2016 by Nasheman

Staffan de Mistura’s estimate, which far exceeds those given by UN in the past, is not an official number.

De Mistura appealed to all involved parties to help revamp negotiations between government and opposition [Denis Balibouse/Reuters]

De Mistura appealed to all involved parties to help revamp negotiations between government and opposition [Denis Balibouse/Reuters]

by Al Jazeera

The UN special envoy for Syria has estimated that 400,000 people have been killed throughout the last five years of civil war, urging major and regional powers to help salvage a crumbling ceasefire.

Explaining that the death toll was based on his own estimate, Staffan de Mistura said on Friday that it was not an official UN statistic.

“We had 250,000 as a figure two years ago,” said de Mistura. “Well, two years ago was two years ago.”

The UN no longer keeps track of the death toll due to the inaccessibility of many areas and the complications of navigating conflicting statistics put forward by the Syrian government and armed opposition groups.

Fighting has flared up in many parts of the country as the fragile ceasefire appears to be falling apart.

Government air strikes killed at least 13 in the eastern countryside of Damascus on Saturday, while air strikes and barrel bombs left several dead and injured in the Bab al-Tariq area of Homs, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

De Mistura also appealed to all involved parties to help revamp negotiations between the government of President Bashar al-Assad and opposition groups.

“Yes we do need certainly a new ISSG at ministerial level,” the envoy said, referring to the International Syria Support Group which includes the United States, Russia, the European Union, Iran, Turkey and Arab states.

De Mistura compared the apparently stalled political talks on Syria’s future, the unravelling ceasefire agreement and the still limited humanitarian relief deliveries to the three legs of a table.

“The level of danger to the table made of three legs – and a table of three legs is always fragile by definition – [means that help] is urgently required,” he said.

“When one of them is in difficulty we can make it. When all three of them are finding some difficulty, it’s time to call the ISSG.”

He gave no date or venue for the high-level ISSG.

The envoy said he planned to continue peace talks next week, despite the “worrisome trends on the ground”, adding that he would seek clarity from government negotiators about their interpretation of political transition.

The government, which says the future of President Bashar al-Assad is not up for discussion in Geneva, says that political transition will come in the shape of a national unity government including current officials, opposition and independent figures.

“Is this going to be cosmetic, is this going to be real, and if it is real what does it mean for the opposition and so on?” he said.

Opposition negotiators have rejected any proposal which leaves Assad in power. They have also accused the government of violating a February “cessation of hostilities” agreement, pointing to air strikes on rebel-held areas which have killed dozens of people this week.

Filed Under: Muslim World Tagged With: Syria

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