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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)

People lobby for Padma awards: Ramdev

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baba-RAMDEV

New Delhi: Yoga guru Baba Ramdev sparked off a controversy on Saturday by saying lobbying for Padma awards is a known fact and those with political clout get it.

Ramdev said ‘politically influential people are successful in getting the awards.’

“The whole world knows that all awards from Padma Bhushan to Padma Shri are given to good people for their achievements but people do lobbying to get this award,” said Ramdev on the sidelines of an event.

Earlier this year, Ramdev had declined any Padma award for him after reportedly being considered by the government for the honour.

(IANS)

Tragic end of Salman Khan's bodyguard who died alone

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Ravindra Patil, key witness of the 2002 hit-and-run case which involves Salman Khan, where one man was killed and four other injured.

Ravindra Patil, key witness of the 2002 hit-and-run case which involves Salman Khan, where one man was killed and four other injured.

Mumbai: Ravindra Patil was once superstar Salman Khan’s side-kick, a young police officer assigned to protect Bollywood’s heavy-weight.

But fate took a cruel turn after the actor’s infamous 2002 hit-and-run case.

Actor Salman Khan’s conviction is perhaps a posthumous vindication for Ravindra Patil, the former’s bodyguard who consistently maintained until his death that it was Khan behind the wheel that night.

The Mumbai sessions court on Wednesday convicted the actor of killing one person and injuring four others in the 2002 hit-and-run case.

Patil was a Mumbai police constable who had been assigned as Khan’s bodyguard and was sitting beside the actor when he ran over five sleeping pedestrians, one of whom succumbed to his injuries.

The landmark judgment is not just a victory for the victims, but also in a way for Patil, who many feel had been let down by the judiciary and the state.

It was Patil who lodged an FIR (first information report) against Khan, and in his statement to the earlier court which heard the case, said he had warned the actor to drive slowly since he was in an inebriated condition.

However, Khan did not heed the warning, Patil had said.

Although, Patil was the one to file the case against Khan he mysteriously went missing in 2006.

It has been reported that Patil was under tremendous pressure to change his statement.

He had gone into hiding in order to avoid Khan’s lawyers and also alleged harassment from within the police force.

But Patil did not change his statement till the last day.

Ironically, Patil was arrested in 2006 for failing to appear as a witness and sent to prison.

In November that year he was sacked from the police force.

A witness was suddenly at the receiving end of it all. Life was dealing this grand witness blows after blows while Salman Khan delivered hits after hits at the box office.

Less than a year later, in August 2007, Patil was found on the streets and admitted to hospital where he died in October.

He had been suffering from tuberculosis for two years, and his family had abandoned him.

Indian tabloid Mid-Day reported that Patil had told a friend two days before his death that he was saddened by the treatment he had been subjected to.

“I stood by my statement till the end, but my department did not stand by me. I want my job back, I want to survive. I want to meet the police commissioner once.”

As the bodyguard battled for life the actor and police department choose to look the other way.

(Agencies)

IPL: Mumbai Indians climb to fourth spot with win over CSK

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Mumbai Indians

Chennai: Mumbai Indians jumped to the fourth spot in the Indian Premier League (IPL) standings with a crucial six-wicket victory over hosts Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in a group league match at the M.A Chaidambaram Stadium here on Friday.

With the win, Mumbai climbed to the fourth spot with 12 points from 11 matches. CSK despite the loss stayed at the summit place with 14 points after 11 games. It was CSK’s first loss at their home ground in this year’s IPL.

Chasing 159 to win, Mumbai got a smooth start with opener Parthiv Patel (45) and Lendl Simmons (38) combining effectively to get them to a strong position.

It looked doomed for the home team as Mumbai were looked set to cruise to a comfortable victory with no CSK bowler managing to trouble the openers.

But just when it seemed all over for CSK, spinner Ravichandran Ashwin (2/17) struck twice in the 11th over to jolt the Mumbai march.

They made further inroads when the dangerous West Indian power hitter Kieron Pollard (1) was run out in the next over.

Mumbai then found it difficult to get going. Skipper Rohit Sharma (18) and Ambati Rayadu (34 not out) tried to build a partnership to keep Mumbai’s run-making process ticking.

But Rohit was dropped in the 16th over by du Plessis off the bowling of Bravo after getting fooled into making an expansive shot and getting beaten by a slower delivery.

The miss could have jeopardised CSK’s hopes of a victory. But the budding 39-run partnership was broken in the 18th over by Bravo when he again flummoxed Rohit into a false stroke to be caught in the deep by Suresh Raina.

Hardik Pandya (21) came to the crease and showing no signs of nerves struck three lusty sixes off left-arm spinner Pawan Negi’s 19th over to inch Mumbai closer to victory. The bowler went for 25 runs to extinguish CSK’s chance to win.

Earlier, league leaders Chennai Super Kings (CSK) posted a fighting total of 158 for five on a slow and low pitch.

CSK skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and elected to bat. They were on the offensive from the very start with opener Dwayne Smith (27) and Brendon McCullum (23) threatening to cut loose with aggressive shots.

But three quick wickets of McCullum, Suresh Raina (10) and Smith halted their progress

Faf du Plessis (17) and Dhoni (39 not out) resurrected their innings and gave them a necessary platform to accelerate in the slog overs in the sluggish pitch.

After du Plessis’ dismissal in the 16th over, Dhoni along with Pawan Negi (36) helped CSK post a fighting total.

Negi eclipsed Dhoni in power hitting, taking just 17 balls for his useful knock, studded with four boundaries and a six while Dhoni took 32 balls for his 39, hitting two fours and two sixes.

(IANS)

US's NSA labeled Al Jazeera journalist a member of Al Qaeda

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Al Jazeera Islamabad bureau chief Ahmad Muaffaq Zaidan put on watch list after years of reporting on terror groups

Ahmad Muaffaq Zaidan

by Common Dreams

The U.S. government labeled Al Jazeera journalist Ahmad Muaffaq Zaidan a member of al Qaeda and put him on a watch list of suspected terrorists, new reporting by the Intercept has revealed.

Zaidan, a Syrian national who serves as Al Jazeera’s bureau chief in Islamabad, Pakistan, was put on a watch list by the National Security Agency (NSA) in 2012, according to agency documents leaked in 2013 by whistleblower Edward Snowden.

Among those documents are a PowerPoint slide from an NSA presentation which shows Zaidan’s face, name, terror watch list identification number, and a label that states he is a “member of Al-Qa’ida” and the Muslim Brotherhood. It also says he “works for Al Jazeera.”

As a journalist, Zaidan spent years reporting on the Taliban and al Qaeda, conducting several interviews with senior leaders in those groups, including Osama bin Laden.

“To assert that myself, or any journalist, has any affiliation with any group on account of their contact book, phone call logs, or sources is an absurd distortion of the truth and a complete violation of the profession of journalism,” Zaidan told the Intercept.

“For us to be able to inform the world, we have to be able to freely contact relevant figures in the public discourse, speak with people on the ground, and gather critical information. Any hint of government surveillance that hinders this process is a violation of press freedom and harms the public’s right to know.”

Read more at the Intercept.

WHO declares Liberia Ebola-free

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With no new cases reported in 42 days, WHO says West African nation is now free of disease that killed 4,700 there.

ebola

by Al Jazeera

Liberia has been declared free from Ebola after no new cases were reported for over a month, the World Health Organisation has said.

Peter Jan Graaf, the head of the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency, urged vigilence until the worst-ever recorded outbreak of the virus was extinguished in neighbouring Guinea and Sierra Leone.

No new cases were reported in 42 days – twice the maximum incubation period for the deadly disease.

“We’re proud of what we collectively managed to do but we need to remain vigilant,” he said. “The virus is not yet out of the region and as long as the virus is in the region we’re still all of us potentially at risk.”

Medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said that Liberia’s completion of the WHO’s benchmark for the end of an Ebola epidemic should not lead to complacency.

“We can’t take our foot off the gas until all three countries record 42 days with no cases,” said Mariateresa Cacciapuoti, MSF’s head of mission in Liberia.

She urged Liberia to step up cross-border surveillance to prevent Ebola slipping back into the country.

A total of 11,005 people have died from Ebola in the West African countries of Liberia, neighbouring Guinea and Sierra Leone since the outbreak began in December 2013, WHO reported.

At least 4,700 of those have been in Liberia, where the outbreak peaked between August and October, with hundreds of cases a week, sparking international alarm.

Helped by the visible US military presence, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s government launched a national awareness campaign to stem the infectious disease, which is spread by physical contact with sick people.

Heightened surveillance

The UN Special Envoy on Ebola, David Nabarro, said this week that Liberian authorities had pledged to maintain heightened surveillance for at least a year after being declared Ebola-free on Saturday.

Nabarro suggested that, even though fewer than 20 new cases were reported in Guinea and Sierra Leone last week, it could take months to get to zero.

International aid organisations were forced to step in as the Ebola outbreak ravaged the region’s poorly equipped and understaffed healthcare systems.

MSF – which was highly critical of the slow response by the United Nations and western governments – opened the world’s largest Ebola management centre in Monrovia, with a capacity of 400 beds.

According to the WHO, a total of 868 health workers have caught the virus in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone since the start of the outbreak, of whom 507 died.

International Medical Corps (IMC), a charity that ran two Ebola clinics in Liberia, appealed for international support in rebuilding the healthcare system there in the wake of the virus.

“Now is the time to build on the momentum we have generated to strengthen the Liberian health system … and change attitudes to keep the people of Liberia safe long into the future,” said Anouk Boschma, IMC’s acting country director in Liberia.

Hosni Mubarak sentenced to three years in jail for corruption

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The former president of Egypt and two sons are also handed fines over embezzlement during his rule.

Former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak was accused of ordering the killings of hundreds of people during the 2011 Arab Spring that resulted in his ouster.

Former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak was accused of ordering the killings of hundreds of people during the 2011 Arab Spring that resulted in his ouster.

by Al Jazeera

An Egyptian court has sentenced ousted president Hosni Mubarak and his two sons to three years in prison for embezzlement.

Mubarak and his sons Alaa and Gamal were present in the caged dock on Saturday, wearing suits and sunglasses.

They had already been sentenced to three years on the same charges but an appeal court overturned the verdict and ordered a retrial.

The trio were also fined $16m.

Mubarak’s lawyers may try to appeal the verdict, the AFP news agency reported.

Supporters shouted in anger as Judge Hassan Hassanin announced his verdict and it was not immediately clear whether it will include time he has already served since his country’s 2011 revolt.

Some of those backing Mubarak wore T-shirts emblazoned with the former leader’s face. They waved and blew kisses as the 87-year-old entered the courtroom, according to the Associated Press.

Omar Ashour, a lecturer in Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter, told Al Jazeera the sentencing would be seen as “nothing” by Egyptians who protested to end Mubarak’s rule.

“When we see the series of brutal abuses that happened under Mubarak in his 30-year reign, it will be seen as nothing, especially when we look at the trial happening now of former-President Mohamed Morsi,” he said.

“It tells you that there is very high politicisation of the judiciary.”

The corruption case, dubbed by the Egyptian media as the “presidential palaces” affair, concerns charges that Mubarak and his two sons embezzled millions of dollars worth of state funds over the course of a decade.

The funds were meant to pay for renovating and maintaining presidential palaces but were instead allegedly spent on upgrading the family’s private residences.

Mubarak was sentenced to three years, his sons to four in the case, prior to having the verdicts overturned.

The heaing, at a police academy on the outskirts of Cairo, took place in the same courtroom where Egypt’s first freely-elected president, Mohammed Morsi, was sentenced to 20 years in prison last month.

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