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Seymour Hersh: Obama's entire account Of bin Laden's Death is one big lie

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Osama bin Laden

An expose published on Sunday alleges that President Obama deceived Americans with his narrative of the 2011 assassination of Osama bin Laden.

Author Seymour M. Hersh accuses Obama of rushing to take credit for the al Qaeda leader’s death.

This decision, Hersh argues in the London Review of Books, forced the military and intelligence communities to scramble and then corroborate the president’s version of events.

“High-level lying nonetheless remains the modus operandi of U.S. policy, along with secret prisons, drone attacks, Special Forces night raids, bypassing the chain of command, and cutting out those who might say no,” Hersh wrote of the Obama administration’s counterterrorism policies.

Hersh based his report on a single, anonymous source. This individual, he said, is a “retired senior intelligence official who was knowledgeable about the initial intelligence about bin Laden’s presence in Abottabad.”

Hersh’s source alleged that the Pakistani government had an active role in approving and implementing the raid on bin Laden’s compound.

In addition, the source said that the Obama administration originally agreed to announce bin Laden had been killed in a drone strike rather than shot during an active Special Forces mission.

“Obama’s speech was put together in a rush,” Hersh wrote of Obama’s announcement of Operation Neptune Spear to Americans.

“This series of self-serving and inaccurate statements would create chaos in the weeks following,” he added.

“This was not the fog of war,” Hersh quoted his anonymous source as saying.

“The fact that there was an agreement with the Pakistanis and no contingency analysis of what was to be disclosed if something went wrong – that wasn’t even discussed,” the source added.

“And once it went wrong, they had to make up a new cover story on the fly,” the source said of Obama’s advisers’ response to his speech on the raid, Hersh wrote.

Hersh’s report also accuses the Obama administration of embellishing the details of the raid itself and presenting al Qaeda as a bigger threat than it actually was before bin Laden’s death.

The White House did not comment on Hersh’s claims.

Malaysia detains hundreds of Rohingya Muslim migrants arriving on boats

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At least 1,000 migrants, including many Rohingya Muslims, sent to detention centres after landing on island of Langkawi.

Rohingya Muslims

by Al Jazeera

Malaysian police say more than 1,000 migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh have been found “illegally” trying to enter the country at the popular resort island of Langkawi.

The 1,018 migrants, many thought to be members of Myanmar’s long-persecuted Rohingya Muslim community, landed on Langkawi late on Sunday night.

“The first capture by the police was made when a boat with the illegal immigrants was stranded at the beach in Langkawi, [and] the second capture was at Tanjung Biawak, Kuala Temonyong,” said Mohd Yusof Abdullah, commander of the Langkawi marine police.

“All the illegal immigrants that have been arrested will be sent to detention centres,” he added in a statement.

Police told the AP news agency that officers received a tip-off from a local fisherman that the boats were coming ashore.

Al Jazeera’s Karishma Vyas, reporting from Kuala Lumpur, said that the migrants were found in “very poor condition,” suffering from severe thirst and hunger.

The migrants were found a day after boats carrying about 500 members of Myanmar’s long-persecuted Rohingya community washed ashore in western Indonesia.

The men, women and children arrived on two separate boats, one carrying around 430 people and the other 70, said Steve Hamilton, deputy chief of mission at the International Organisation for Migration in Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital.

Last week, the UN’s refugee agency said in a statement that an estimated 25,000 Rohingyas and Bangladeshis boarded people smugglers’ boats in the first three months of 2015, twice as many in the same months of 2014.

“Based on survivor accounts, we estimate that 300 people died at sea in the first quarter of 2015 as a result of starvation, dehydration and abuse by boat crews,” the statement said.

In the past weeks dozens of corpses , believed to be of Rohingya, were found in Thai jungles bordering Malaysia.

Rohingya Muslims have for decades suffered from state-sanctioned discrimination in Myanmar.

Attacks on the religious minority by Buddhist mobs in the last three years have sparked one of the biggest exoduses of boat people since the Vietnam War, sending 100,000 people fleeing, according to Chris Lewa, director of the Arakan Project, which has monitored the movements of Rohingya for more than a decade.

Traffic constable attacks woman with brick, suspended

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cop-attacks-woman

New Delhi: In a case of police brutality, a head constable today attacked a woman with a brick in the posh Golf Link area of central Delhi over a minor altercation following which he was suspended pending a detailed inquiry.

The traffic cop was suspended and a criminal case was filed against him after a video clip of the attack surfaced.

The victim, who was riding a two-wheeler, alleged that the constable demanded a bribe accusing her of violating traffic rules.

She alleged that her small child was also abused by the cop.

She said that following an argument, the cop picked up a brick and attacked her.

“On behalf of myself and Delhi Police, I want to express my regret. The Head Constable has already been suspended. Apart from that, I have ordered that a criminal case be registered. We will investigate the matter,” Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi said.

The victim alleged that the cop accused her of violating traffic norms and started abusing her after she refused to pay bribe, insisting that a receipt of the fine he was demanding be issued to her.

The woman was also seen in the video picking up a brick which she threw on the ground.

Muktesh Chander, Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic), said strict action would be taken against the head constable.

“We regret such a shameful act. We will take strictest possible action,” said Chander.

The woman also alleged that her two-wheeler was damaged in the incident.

(PTI)

Judge who convicted Kodnani, Babu Bajrangi gets 22 threat letters

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jyotsna-yagnik

Ahmadabad: Jyotsana Yagnik, the special judge who convicted and handed life terms to former Gujarat minister and BJP leader Maya Kodnani, former Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi and 30 others in the 2002 massacre of 97 Muslims in Naroda Patiya, has received at least 22 threat letters and “blank phone calls” at her home since the August 2012 verdict.

Sixty-two-year-old Yagnik, who has since retired, has informed the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) about the threat letters and phone calls.

Her security cover has been scaled down to Y category from the Z-plus she was granted as Principal City Civil and Sessions Judge in Ahmedabad and she is said to have taken up the matter with the government.

Sources said Yagnik, who retired a few months after the Naroda Patiya massacre case verdict, has been receiving these letters — most are anonymous but one carries the letterhead of a private organisation.

In the letters, she has been threatened over the verdict in the massacre case, the sources said, adding that she has also been receiving “blank phone calls” at night.

Worried about her safety and that of her family, Yagnik informed the SIT.

Yagnik, who now heads a law institute on the Sarkhej-Gandhinagar highway, said: “Yes, I have been receiving threat letters and have informed the SIT in a letter I wrote to them.” She declined to speak on the contents of the “threat letters”, the nature of the threat or when she wrote to the SIT.

When his comments were sought, SIT convenor and Additional Director General of Police Ashish Bhatia said that in the last six- eight months, he had not come across threat letters to any judge, including Yagnik. “I don’t know if she received (the letters) before that,” Bhatia said.

Asked if the SIT had received any communication from Yagnik about the threat perception, Bhatia said: “Six to eight months ago, the government scaled down her security category from Z-plus to Y. At that time, she had represented to the government to step up the security cover. However, the security category has been maintained at Y and her request is pending before the government.”

A K Malhotra, SIT officer and a retired DIG, said he had “heard” about the threat letters and calls to Yagnik but did not details.

On August 29, 2012, Yagnik delivered the Naroda Patiya case order, convicting 32 people, among them Kodnani and Babu Bajrangi, for their roles in the massacre. Bajrangi was sentenced to life imprisonment till death by Yagnik.

On Kodnani, this is what the judge said: “… it stands proved that A-37 (Maya Kodnani) was not a member of the unlawful assembly but was a kingpin and one of the principal conspirators”.

Sentenced to life in jail, Kodnani was released on bail by the Gujarat High Court in July last year. On April 23 this year, Bajrangi was granted bail for three months after he claimed he was turning blind.

(Agencies)

Jayalalithaa ​acquitted in disproportionate assets case by Karnataka HC, AIADMK workers celebrate

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jayalalithaa

Chennai/Bengaluru: As a special bench of the Karnataka High Court is to deliver crucial verdict on former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa’s appeal against her conviction in a disproportionate assets case, security has been stepped up in Bengaluru on Monday and Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) clamped.

The special high court bench headed by Justice CR Kumaraswamy will pronounce the judgment at 11 am as directed by the Supreme Court, which extended Jayalalithaa’s bail up to May 12.

Here are the LIVE updates —

  • Celebrations inside Courtroom 14 after charges against Jayalalithaa,  N Sasikalaa, J Elavarasi and V N Sudhagaran set aside
  • J Jayalalithaa, all accused acquitted in disproportionate assets case.
  • At most the judge will exercise a discussion whether the punishment should be increased or reduced: Subramanian Swamy (BJP)
  • I expect that conviction will be upheld: Subramanian Swamy (BJP)
  • BV Acharya (Public prosecutor) reaches Karnataka HC: ANI
  • Jayalalithaa’s lawyers have entered Court No 14, verdict expected shortly
  • Supporters gather outside Jayalalithaa’s residence in Chennai as the moment of reckoning draws near.
  • It is not compulsory for Jayalalithaa to be present at the Bengaluru High Court premises, say reports.
  • In my view Honorable Justice Cunhas’s judgement is likely to be upheld: Jayalalithaa’s lawyer Krishnamoorthy
  • Everything should be considered by Justice Kumaraswamy lordship, then the judgment has to be decided: Jayalalithaa’s lawyer Krishnamoorthy
  • AIADMK workers are holding prayers hoping for relief for Jayalalithaa.
  • Ten platoons of the Karnataka State Reserve Police, 500 policemen and 25 senior police officers will be present in and around the high court to ensure peace and prevent any untoward incident. Entry into the high court will also be restricted to avoid crowding: Additional Commissioner of Police Alok Kumar
  • We have deployed additional forces in the city and imposed ban order within 1km radius of the Karnataka High Court from 6am to 9pm on Monday to maintain law and order: Additional Commissioner of Police Alok Kumar
  • Security has been stepped up in Bengaluru ahead of verdict in a disproportionate assets case.

A trial court, headed by special judge John Michael D’Cunha, had on September 27, 2014 convicted and sentenced Jayalalithaa and her three accomplices to a four-year jail term in the Rs 66.65-crore illegal assets case that dragged on for 18 years.

The three co-convicts are Sasikala Natarajan, her nephew VN Sudhakaran and her aunt J Ellavarsi. Sudhakaran is also the disowned foster son of Jayalalithaa.

The apex court on October 17, 2014 had granted interim bail till December 18 to the 67-year-old Jayalalithaa and her three co-convicts. Their bail was subsequently extended till May 12.

The general secretary of Tamil Nadu’s ruling AIADMK had also spent three weeks in the central jail on the city’s outskirts after the high court rejected her bail petition.

(With Agency Inputs)

Don't care about the media, people of Delhi are happy with the AAP govt, says Kejriwal

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Arvind Kejriwal

New Delhi: Stating that he doesn’t care about media, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said that if election is held in the national capital today, Aam Aadmi Party would poll 72 percent votes.

“Whatever comes in the media, but I conduct a survey every 15 days of my party in Delhi. If elections are conducted in the national capital, then we are ought to get 72 percent votes. After the elections, our condition has improved a lot,” Kejriwal said, while interacting with party volunteers through Google Hangout.

He also said that his government is going to complete 100 days. After the Delhi Assembly’s elections, people’s affection has increased towards the AAP.

The Delhi Chief Minister also took a dig at the Narendra Modi-led central government, saying “normally, it is seen that parties win the election, but gradually people get fed up of them. The biggest example of this is the Modi government at the Centre”.

“Their popularity has decreased from the time they came to power. But our popularity has increased and today if elections are conducted in Delhi then we will get 72 percent votes according to our survey.”

In the last Assembly elections, the AAP polled 54.59 percent.

Kejriwal said the AAP government is going to complete 100 days in its office on 24 May while the Modi government will complete its one year on May 26.

“I think there should be comparison of work between Modi’s and our governments. There should be comparison as to what we have done in the last 100 days and what Modi’s government has done in the last one year,” he also said.

Attacking the media, the Delhi Chief Minister said, “Media keeps showing us in negative light but don’t worry about that as people of Delhi is happy with us. Despite media’s attempts, people gave us 67 seats.”

“As far as starting a media house is concerned, we don’t want to do that. There are good people in media too, who are not happy. If some senior people come together and want to start a news channel or news paper, the government will definitely help them. We also want a honest media house which only shows news,” he said.

(PTI)

With no majority in RS, can't pass law for Ram temple this time: Rajnath Singh

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babri-masjid

Ayodhya: A dearth of majority in the Upper House of Parliament was coming in the way of BJP to bring in a motion and make law for construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, Union Home minister Rajnath Singh today said.

Construction of a Ram Temple in Ayodhya was among the promises made by BJP in its election manifesto which it had released in the run up to last year’s General elections.

Some other contentious issues like abrogation of Article 370 which gives special status to Jammu and Kashmir and enactment of Uniform Civil Code were also promised in the party’s manifesto.

“BJP does not have a majority in Rajya Sabha, so this time it is not possible to bring motion in the Parliament to make law for the construction of Ram temple,” the senior BJP leader said.

He was here to take part in a programme of senior Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Nritya Gopal Das. When asked if BJP will bring the motion for a Ram temple if it gets a majority in Rajya Sabha in the days to come, Singh said,”It is an imaginary question.”

The ruling party has 45 members in the Upper House and it is unlikely that it will have the numbers during its current tenure. In the House of 243 members, Opposition has at least 132 MPs.

Reacting to a question on underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, Singh said he will speak “some thing on Dawood in a day or two.” The government was left red-faced for its contradictory reply in Parliament on the whereabouts of Dawood Ibrahim.

Later, minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju said the underworld don lives in Pakistan and the Centre would continue to pursue the case very seriously.

(PTI)

CSK conquer Royals to claim IPL top spot

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CSK

Chennai: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) climbed to the top of the Indian Premier League (IPL) points table with a 12-run victory over Rajasthan Royals in a league match at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium here on Sunday.

Chasing 158, Royals were restricted to 145 for nine in 20 overs.

CSK improved to 16 points from 12 matches, keeping Royals in the third spot with 14 points after 13 games.

Royals began their run-making process sedately with openers Ajinkya Rahane (23) and Shane Watson (28).

They mixed caution with aggression to build a strong platform for their team. Just as it seemed they have settled into a nice rhythm Rahane departed in the sixth over dismissed by Mohit Sharma.

No.3 batter Steve Smith (4) also didn’t last long as Royals slumped to 48 for two in the eighth over. But they received a bigger jolt when Watson had to depart, caught brilliantly by an acrobatic Dwayne Bravo at long on off the bowling of Ravindra Jadeja in the 10th over.

Rajasthan’s situation worsened 11 balls later. Jadeja struck again to dismiss Karun Nair (10) to reduce Royals to 75 for four.

The asking rate steadily went up and Royals needed 73 runs off the last seven overs. But they just couldn’t muster the big hits needed to chase down the total.

Earlier, Brendon McCullum’s 81 off 61 balls lifted Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to a fighting total of 157/5.

McCullum hit four sixes and seven fours and joined hands with Faf du Plessis (29) for a 101-run stand in 76 balls for the third wicket that was the driving force behind Chennai’s competitive score.

After electing to bat first, Chennai got off to a poor start, losing aggressive opening batsman Dwayne Smith (6) and ever-reliable Suresh Raina (3) inside four overs.

While left-arm spinner Ankit Sharma removed West Indian Smith, caught by James Faulkner, left-hander Raina too offered a catch to Faulkner off pacer Chris Morris to leave the hosts in spot of bother at 15/2.

Charismatic right-hander McCullum first tried to settle down, waiting for weak deliveries to pounce upon, like he did against off-spinner Pravin Tambe, who got hit for two sixes in the sixth over.

However, du Plessis ran himself out and afterwards McCullum also perished, offering a catch to Ankit for Morris’ second wicket. Morr is bagged his third after dismissing Pawan Negi for two.

Afterwards, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (not out 13) and Dwayne Bravo (not out 15) raised 28 runs in the final 15 deliveries of the innings to take Chennai to the decent total.

For Rajasthan, South African Morris was the best bowler, picking three wickets for just 19 runs in four overs.

(IANS)

Hyping the Islamist Threat: Stenographers at Work Again: A response from JTSA

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Following is the text of the letter by Jamia Teachers’ Solidarity Association (JTSA) sent to Indian Express in response to the story, “First Islamic State ‘Module’”. An edited version of the letter was carried by the newspaper in the letters section today.

ISIS_EXpress

Dear Editors,

We are writing in response to the front-page sensational story about the busting of the “First Islamic State ‘Module’” in India (Indian Express, 6th May 2015). Except for the names of the accused and their alleged links to IS, it is a typical agency-fed story with vague details. Such are the ‘facts’ offered by this story: the accused visited Dubai in search of employment, but remained unsuccessful; that the accused joined an Islamic proselytizing and charitable group and was frustrated by its “quietism”. Even the story admits that these details are from a disclosure made to police, which is inadmissible under law.

The rest is of course filled in with inputs from friendly security agencies. If one were to run a simple google search on the line “they were planning strikes in India, highly placed police and intelligence sources said”, it would emerge as the single most used line in terror reporting. This, combined with the same unnamed sources revealing the dark and dangerous contents of the computers seized from the accused have now become the staple of so-called investigative reporting. It will no doubt be useful for getting extended police remands on the plea that forensic investigation is going on and the accused are required to be questioned.

The story speaks about “increasing numbers” of Indians joining the ranks of IS. Really? How many? Half a dozen? Ten? It’s a typical ruse to hype a threat. One can be sure that the reporters’ assertion about “fears more [IS modules] could be forming elsewhere” will be borne out by more arrests in the near future. Breathless reporting and commentary is bound to follow. We have seen in the past narratives about ‘terror organizations’ congealing in a similar manner, where IB dossiers and news reports feed into each other.

Years down the line, when the cases come to fruition, these investigative journalists will not bother to re-visit their own news story. We have seen this being played out in scores of so-called SIMI, HUJI, LeT cases around the country. In any case, guilt or innocence is not important, what matters is that “IS in India” becomes part of our commonsense. For some reason, Indian Mujahideen seems to have gone out of favour, and SIMI remains too mofussil for an international angle.

Its just disturbing that Indian Express should offer itself up for this.

Sd/-

Jamia Teachers’ Solidarity Association

Pakistan beat Bangladesh by 328 runs in 2nd Test

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Pakistan cricketers pose for a group photograph with the tournament trophy following the presentation ceremony after the fourth day of the second cricket Test match between Bangladesh and Pakistan at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka on May 9, 2015. AFP PHOTO/ Munir uz ZAMAN

Pakistan cricketers pose for a group photograph with the tournament trophy following the presentation ceremony after the fourth day of the second cricket Test match between Bangladesh and Pakistan at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka on May 9, 2015. AFP PHOTO/ Munir uz ZAMAN

Dhaka: Leg-spinner Yasir Shah claimed a match haul of seven wickets as dominant Pakistan crushed Bangladesh by 328 runs in the second and final Test in Dhaka on Saturday to clinch the series 1-0.

The hosts, who resumed their second innings at 63-1 chasing an improbable target of 550, were shot out for 221 in the post-lunch session of the fourth day at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium.

Shah, who took three for 58 in the first innings, once again baffled the Bangladesh batsmen with his leg-spin and googly on the wearing pitch to grab four for 73 in the second knock.

Mominul Haque played a lone hand for the hosts with 68, joining West Indies great Vivian Richards and the Indian duo of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir as the only batsmen to score 50 runs or more in 11 consecutive Tests.

Shuvagata Hom hit 39, sharing a ninth-wicket stand of 44 with Mohammad Shahid, to steer Bangladesh past the 200-run mark after they were reduced to 143-7 soon after lunch.

The match ended at the fall of the ninth wicket as Shahadat Hossain was unable to bat after suffering a serious knee injury on the first day.

The win helped Pakistan end an otherwise dismal month-long tour on a positive note after being routed 3-0 in the one-day series and losing to Bangladesh for the first time in a Twenty20 International.

It was Bangladesh’s ninth loss to Pakistan in 10 Tests, the only consolation coming through a draw in the first Test of the short series in Khulna last week.

“This was a much-needed win for us … The team showed great character after what happened in the earlier games,” Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq said.

“The key was the way Younis Khan and Azhar Ali batted in the first innings to put up a 250-run stand. There was also more bounce in this wicket than in Khulna which our bowlers enjoyed.

“But Bangladesh must be congratulated (for) the way they played on this tour. The draw in the first Test was like a victory for them. I wish them well for the future.”

‘Nothing went right for us’

Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim said he was very disappointed at the defeat after losing a frontline bowler in Shahadat on the first morning.

“Nothing went right for us from the first day,” he said. “I don’t think we executed our plans well and that is why we lost the game.”

Rahim said his team would however take a lot of positives into next month’s one-off Test at home against India which will be followed by three One-Day Internationals.

“Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes had a good series and Mominul scores well consistently. But the bowlers need to be aggressive to keep us in the game for five days.

“They must realise that to compete and win Test matches, 20 wickets need to be taken. We will look to do that against India.”

Pakistan turned the screws on the hosts with four quick wickets in the morning session to leave the rivals tottering at 126 for five.

Seamer Imran Khan, a late replacement for the injured Rahat Ali, dealt two major blows when he removed the in-form Tamim and Mohammad Mahmudullah in the space of nine runs.

Tamim, who slammed a double-century in the first Test, was caught behind by wicket-keeper Sarfraz Ahmed for 42 as he slashed at a short delivery from Imran.

Mahmudullah made two when he edged Imran to second slip where Younis Khan picked up the catch on second attempt as Bangladesh slipped from 86-1 to 95-3.

Off-spinner Mohammad Hafeez struck in his first over when Shakib Al Hasan (13) stepped out to loft a flighted ball and gave Wahab Riaz an easy catch at mid-off.

Brief scores: Pakistan 557/8 decl and 195-6 decl; Bangladesh 203 and 221.

(Agencies)

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