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Al-Shabab siege of Kenya university leaves 147 dead

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Day-long siege of campus in northeastern town comes to bloody end, with mostly students killed.

kenya-attack-Al-Shabab

by Al Jazeera

At least 147 people have been killed after Kenyan troops cleared a university dormitory in the town of Garissa in northeast Kenya that had been seized by al-Shabab gunmen, the interior ministry says.

Members of the Somalia-based group attacked the campus after dawn on Thursday and were holed up in a dormitory with hostages until the evening.

Officials said 79 students had been injured in the attack, and 587 had been evacuated.

Security forces had encircled the building exchanging sporadic bursts of gunfire with the fighters inside, who were believed to have been holding scores of students hostage.

Witnesses told Al Jazeera they heard heavy gunfire and saw smoke coming from the campus on Thursday evening as the standoff came to an end.

Joseph Nkaissery, the interior minister, said four attackers had strapped themselves with explosives.

A female student who escaped the hostage drama told Al Jazeera that she had stepped over more bodies than she could count as she got out of the university.

Al Jazeera’s Malcolm Webb, reporting from Garissa, said security officials were now working on identifying bodies and moving them to the morgue.

The attack was the worst in Kenya since the 1998 bombing of the US embassy in Nairobi by al-Qaeda, when 213 people were killed by a huge truck bomb.

In 2013, al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack on the Westgate mall that left 67 people dead.

Thursday’s assault began when the first grenades were used before dawn to blast open the gates of the university, near the border with war-torn Somalia.

The masked gunmen then stormed the university as students were sleeping in their dormitories, shooting dead dozens before taking hostages. Al-Shabab said it had set Muslims free and captured Christians.

The al-Qaeda-linked group said the assault was launched in revenge for Kenya sending troops to fight al-Shabab in Somalia.

Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta said the lack of security infrastructure had contributed to the crisis.

“We have suffered unnecessarily due to a shortage of security personnel. Kenya needs additional officers, and I will not keep the nation waiting,” he said.

After the attack, the country’s interior ministry announced a 12-hour curfew starting at 6.30pm in Garissa, Wajir, Mandera, and Tana River counties.

Rescued hostages were treated at a nearby hospital [Alinoor Moulid Bosh/Al Jazeera]

Security forces surrounded the campus after gunmen opened fire indiscriminately in campus hostels [AP]

BJP will rule 10-20 years, party says at leadership meet

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karnataka-bjp

Bengaluru: The BJP, which stormed to power nationally last year, will rule India for 10-20 years, party president Amit Shah announced here on Friday as the party opened a meeting of its top leaders.

“This government has arrived,” Shah said to thunderous applause at the two-day meet, addressing 330 delegates including Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “The BJP will be in power for the next 10-20 years.”

Speaking in chaste Hindi, Shah also listed out the achievements of the Bharatiya Janata Party and Modi’s government since May 2014 on various fronts, including economy and foreign policy.

He said the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government had brought an end to the policy paralysis of the earlier Congress regime. “We have brought a new political culture.”

And after becoming the world’s largest political party, the BJP announced that it would train the over 15 lakh new members while further speeding up its nationwide membership drive.

Party leader Prakash Javadekar, who briefed the media about Shah’s comments, said the BJP had become the biggest party in the world with 9.25 crore members. “We will cross the 10 crore mark soon.”

Among those attending the meeting is party patriarch L.K. Advani.

As it was the executive’s first meeting after the BJP got a majority in the Lok Sabha, an upbeat mood marked the inaugural session at a star hotel in the city centre amidst tight security.

Javadekar pointed out that besides ruling world’s largest democracy, the BJP was in power in a dozen states — “including eight states where we are in power on our own and four in alliance with our partners”.

In his speech, Shah played down the BJP’s shock defeat in Delhi in February but quickly added the party’s Delhi unit needs to revive itself.

“The party president said we have had successes, and one failure in Delhi is not a big deal,” Javadekar quoted Shah as saying.

“He said such things happen. We should not get arrogant after victory and desperate after defeat.”

The Aam Aadmi Party routed the BJP in the February assembly election, winning 67 of the 70 seats. The BJP, which won 31 seats in 2013, could bag only three seats.

Talking about upcoming assembly polls in Bihar, Shah said the “jungle raj” was back in the state since the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) broke away from the BJP.

Riding high on becoming the world’s largest political party, the national executive began its meeting earlier to take stock of its 10-month rule and chalk out strategies to spread its wings in India.

The party’s Karnataka leaders honoured Advani, Modi, Shah and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in the local style by crowning them with the famous Mysore petha (headgear), draping a shawl and garlanding them.

Modi inaugurated the meeting by lighting a lamp with the other three leaders on the dais. The meet was not open to the media.

Shah heaped praise on Modi’s corruption-free government. “The economy is looking up and prices have been brought under control as evident from decline in inflation.

“A number of policy initiatives and administrative measures have been taken to revive growth and improve infrastructure.”

The meeting will deliberate over various issues, including the controversial land acquisition bill which was stalled by the opposition in the Rajya Sabha.

The executive will also draw a plan to expand the party’s footprint in states like Andhra Pradesh, Telengana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal and the north-east region where its presence is minimal.

“The meeting will also work out strategies to capture power in Bihar where elections are due this year,” a party source said.

(IANS)

India to have largest Muslim population by 2050; Hindus to be third largest in world: Report

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indians-muslims

Washington: Hindus will become the world’s third largest population by 2050, while India will overtake Indonesia as the country with the largest Muslim population, according to a new study.

According to the Pew Research Center’s religious profile predictions assessed data released today, the Hindu population is projected to rise by 34 per cent worldwide, from a little over 1 billion to nearly 1.4 billion by 2050.

By 2050, Hindus will be third, making up 14.9 per cent of the world’s total population, followed by people who do not affiliate with any religion, accounting for 13.2 per cent, the report said.

The people with no religious affiliation currently have the third largest share of the world’s total population.

Muslims are projected to grow faster than the world’s overall population and that Hindus and Christians are projected to roughly keep pace with worldwide population growth, the report said.

“India will retain a Hindu majority but also will have the largest Muslim population of any country in the world, surpassing Indonesia,” it said.

“Over the next four decades, Christians will remain the largest religious group, but Islam will grow faster than any other major religion,” according to the report.

The report predicted that by 2050 there will be near parity between Muslims (2.8 billion, or 30 per cent of the population) and Christians (2.9 billion, or 31 per cent), possibly for the first time in history.

There were 1.6 billion Muslims in 2010, compared to 2.17 billion Christians.

“The number of Muslims will nearly equal the number of Christians around the world,” it added.

If the trend continues, Islam will be the most popular faith in the world after 2070, it said.

By 2050, Muslims will make up about 10 per cent of the Europe’s population, up from 5.9 per cent in 2010.

Over the same period, the number of Hindus in Europe is expected to roughly double, from a little under 1.4 million (0.2 per cent of Europe’s population) to nearly 2.7 million (0.4 per cent), mainly as a result of immigration, it said.

In North America, the Hindu share of the population is expected to nearly double in the decades ahead, from 0.7 per cent in 2010 to 1.3 per cent in 2050, when migration is included in the projection models. Without migration, the Hindu share of the region’s population would remain the same.

Buddhism is the only faith that is not expected to increase its followers, due to an ageing population and stable fertility rates in Buddhist countries, such as China, Japan and Thailand.

The projections considered fertility rates, trends in youth population growth and religious conversion statistics.

(PTI)

President gives nod to land ordinance

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Republic Day Pranab Mukherjee

New Delhi: The land acquisition ordinance, which the government could not get converted into a legislation in Rajya Sabha due to stiff opposition, was today re-promulgated, a day before it is to lapse.

President Pranab Mukherjee has signed the ordinance as recommended by the union cabinet on March 31, official sources said. The earlier ordinance is to lapse tomorrow as it has not been converted into a legislation during the first part of the budget session as required under the Constitution.

The fresh ordinance, which is the 11th by the Narendra Modi government, incorporates nine amendments that were part of the bill passed in Lok Sabha last month. It is pending before the Rajya Sabha where the ruling NDA coalition lacks the numbers to get it passed.

The pending measure, titled Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amendment) Bill, that was passed in Lok Sabha sought to replace the ordinance that was promulgated in December.

The Opposition was not in a mood to oblige the government and, in fact, mounted a strong campaign against it. Led by Sonia Gandhi, the Opposition parties demanded the passage of the original land bill that was passed during the UPA regime.

To enable re-promulgation of the ordinance, the government last week got the Rajya Sabha prorogued.

Under the Constitution at least one of the Houses has to be prorogued for Government to issue an ordinance. Parliament is currently on a month-long recess after the Budget session started on February 23.

The land ordinance was among the six executive orders issued by the government in the inter session period. While five of them were cleared by Parliament, the land measure is stuck.

(PTI)

12-year-old Muslim girl wins Bhagwad Gita contest defeating 3,000 participants

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Maryam-Siddiqui-Gita

New Delhi: Twelve-year-old Maryam Siddiqui, a class VI student from Mumbai has won the first position at the ‘Gita Champions League’ contest, defeating 3,000 participants. The written competition based on the Bhagwad Gita was organized by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon) in January.

A student of Cosmopolitan High School, Mira Road, Maryam had always been inquisitive about religions and read them during her free hours. “I have always been inquisitive about religions and I often read up on them during my free time. So when my teacher told me about this contest I thought it would be a good chance to understand what the book is about. My parents too supported my idea of participating in the contest,” said Maryam, according to a Times of India report.

Maryam has always had conversations based on religion with her parents and had studied material provided by Iskcon for almost a month before answering the 100 mark multiple choice question based test.

“Our family believes that one needs to respect and accept all religions. No religion preaches hatred or wrong,” said Maryam’s father, Asif Siddiqui.

Earlier in March, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had said that the government will introduce teaching of Bhagwad Gita in schools across the state from the coming academic session.

(Agencies)

Al Qaeda frees 300 inmates in Yemen jailbreak

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Khalid Batarfi, a senior Al Qaeda figure who had been held for more than four years, was among more than 300 prisoners who escaped from the jai. — Reuters/file

Khalid Batarfi, a senior Al Qaeda figure who had been held for more than four years, was among more than 300 prisoners who escaped from the jai. — Reuters/file

Aden: In a surprise attack, Al Qaeda militants stormed a prison in southeastern Yemen on Thursday, freeing several hundred inmates including one of their leaders, a security official said.

Two prison guards and five inmates were killed in clashes, the official said.

Qaeda militants stormed the center of the city of al-Mukalla, the capital of the southeastern province of Hadramawt, which was still controlled by pro-Hadi forces.

The militants also clashed with troops guarding the local adminstration complex in the city, a branch of the central bank and the police headquarters.

Khalid Batarfi, a senior Al Qaeda figure who had been held for more than four years, was among more than 300 prisoners who escaped from the jail in Hadramawt province, the official told AFP.

Batarfi is among Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s (AQAP) top regional commanders, known for his leading role in a 2011-2012 battle with Yemeni government troops during which extremists seized swathes of territory in the south and east.

The remote area is also the ancestral home of former al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, whose father was born in a valley before moving to neighbouring Saudi Arabia.

Yemen has descended further into chaos since a Saudi-led coalition launched air strikes a week ago against positions held by Shia rebels and their allies across the deeply tribal country.

Observers have warned that Yemen-based AQAP, classified by the United States as the network’s deadliest franchise, could exploit the unrest to strengthen its presence in the country.

(Agencies)

Giriraj's comments in 'very bad taste', may file complaint: Nigerian High Commissioner

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O B Okongor

New Delhi: The Nigerian High Commission took strong objection on Wednesday to the racist remarks by Union minister Giriraj Singh in which he refereed to a Nigerian woman and demanded an apology for the “unacceptable” comments.

Acting High Commissioner of Nigeria O B Okongor said a complaint may be filed with the External Affairs Ministry as Singh’s comments were in “very bad taste”.

“We expect the minister to withdraw the comments and apologise to the Nigerian people. We will notify our government about the issue,” he said.

Singh kicked up a major row with his remarks as he wondered whether Congress would have accepted Sonia Gandhi’s leadership if she was not white-skinned.

“Had Rajiv Gandhi married a Nigerian woman and if she was not a white-skinned woman, would the Congress have then accepted her leadership?” the minister of state for micro, small and medium enterprises told journalists in Bihar’s Hajipur on Tuesday.

His comments drew condemnation from political parties and various women leaders.

The Nigerian envoy said the High Commission would “notify” the Nigerian government about the minister’s comments.

Asked whether the High Commission would file a formal complaint with the Ministry of External Affairs, he said, “We need to file a complaint.”

(Agencies)

Modi reaches Bengaluru for BJP national executive meet

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Photo: PTI

Photo: PTI

Bengaluru: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here on Thursday on a three-day visit to attend the BJP’s national executive meeting, which got underway at a hotel in the city earlier in the day.

Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Bharatiya Janata Party’s national vice president B.S. Yeddyurappa and state unit president Prahlad Joshi received Modi after he landed at the HAL airport.

As hundreds of BJP cadres and supporters waited in the hot sun outside the airport to greet the prime minister, Modi suddenly alighted from the car and walked up to them, waving and smiling at them.

“We are humbled by Modi’s gesture to get down from his car and greet us in person. He is our party’s true leader and connects well with the workers,” an elated party worker told IANS.

Amid tight security, Modi drove to Raj Bhavan in a convoy, which was escorted by a fleet of police and VIP vehicles that blocked vehicular traffic on the 8-km route.

After resting for some time, Modi will drive to the Lalit Ashok hotel, two km from Raj Bhavan, to address party members in the evening.

On Friday, Modi will participate in the inaugural meeting of the party’s national executive at the same venue and later address a public meeting at the National College grounds.

“Modi will also attend the second day’s executive meeting on Saturday and address party members in the afternoon before lunch and leave for Delhi later,” a party official told IANS.

Though the national executive meeting is the first after the BJP came to power at the Centre in May 2014, it is the fourth time the meet is being held here after the first in 1993, second 1999 and the third 2008, when the party was in power in the southern state for five years.

“Modi will also interact with the BJP’s members in parliament and state legislatures on the margins of the meet and collect feedback from them on the people’s perception of the 10-month-old NDA government at the Centre,” the official said.

Keeping in view Modi’s penchant for his pet project Swachch Bharat Abhiyan (or Clean India Mission), the cash-starved Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) swung into action and spruced up some of the thoroughfares, roads and footpaths Modi will pass through during his stay in the city till Saturday afternoon.

In view of the presence of senior party leaders L.K. Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, party president Amit Shah, union ministers Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley, M. Venkaiah Nadu, Ravi Shankar Prasad and Rajiv Pratap Rudy, security has been tightened in the city, especially around the venues where Modi will visit.

(IANS)

Saina in quarters, Prannoy, Kashyap lose in Malaysia Open

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Photo: Ben Stansall/AFP

Photo: Ben Stansall/AFP

Kuala Lumpur: World No.1 Saina Nehwal reached the quarter-finals while men’s singles shuttlers H.S. Prannoy and Parupalli Kashyap suffered crushing defeats in the second round of the $500,000 Malaysia Open Superseries Premier at the Putra Stadium here on Thursday.

Olympic bronze medallist Saina registered a facile 21-13, 21-9 win in 30 minutes against Chinese qualifier Xue Yao in the second round of the women’s singles event.

In the last eight stage, the 25-year-old Hyderabadi, who currently trains under Vimal Kumar in Benagluru, will face World No.15 Sun Yu. The Chinese worked hard for her 21-17, 20-22, 21-17 victory over Malaysian Beiwen Zhang.

Prannoy, who jumped three places to be 14th in the World rankings on Thursday, lost 15-21, 14-21 in 52 minutes to five-time World champion Lin Dan of China.

World No.17 and Commonwealth Games champion Kashyap received a 10-21, 6-21 thrashing in 35 minutes at the hands of reigning World champion Chen Long of China.

In another heartbreak for India, leading Indian women’s doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa lost 23-21, 8-21, 17-21 in 58 minutes to the Indonesian pair of Nitya Krishinda Maheswari and Greysia Polii.

In the quarter-finals, World No.1 Chen will face Kento Momota, who crushed Hu Yun 21-6, 21-9. Two-time Olympic champion Dan awaits the winner between India’s Kidambi Srikanth and Chinese Tian Houwei.

(IANS)

Scientists record warmest day ever in Antarctica

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The unprecedented highs occurred nearly three months past the usual warmest time of the year in the Antarctic Peninsula

An aircraft en route from Antarctica's Esperanza Base to Marambio Base. (Photo: Sebazac/flickr/cc)

An aircraft en route from Antarctica’s Esperanza Base to Marambio Base. (Photo: Sebazac/flickr/cc)

by Deirdre Fulton, Common Dreams

Two Antarctic weather stations recorded unprecedentedly high temperatures in March—offering grim evidence of accelerating climate change.

A potential Antarctica record high of 63.5 degrees Fahrenheit was recorded on March 24 at the Esperanza Base, just south of the southern tip of Argentina—a temperature exceeding any figure yet observed on the Antarctic landmass or Peninsula, according to the Weather Underground blog. The previous record high at the base, of 62.7 degrees Fahrenheit, was recorded in 1961.

The Esperanza reading came one day after a nearby weather station, at Marambio Base, saw a record high of its own: 63.3 degrees Fahrenheit.

“One surprising aspect of the temperatures measured recently at Esperanza and Marambio are that they occurred in autumn, nearly three months past the usual warmest time of the year in the Antarctic Peninsula,” notes Weather Underground.

The Guardian further explains:

[W]hether the recent readings represent records for Antarctica depends on the judgment of the World Meteorological Organization, the keeper of official global records for extreme temperatures, rainfall and hailstorms, dry spells and wind gusts. The WMO has recorded extreme temperatures in Antarctica but not settled the question of all-time records for the continent,according to Christopher Burt of Weather Underground.

One complicating factor is debate about what constitutes “Antarctica”. Both Esperanza and Marambio lie outside the Antarctic circle, though they are attached to the mainland by the frozen archipelago that is the Antarctic peninsula.

A separate study published in the journal Science at the end of March found that some ice shelves in the western part of the continent have lost up to 18 percent of their thickness in less than two decades.

The floating ice shelves surrounding the Antarctic Ice Sheet act as a “buttress to the ‘grounded’ ice, helping slow the flow of the ice sheet’s glaciers into the ocean,” Science journalist Carolyn Gramling explained.

She continued: “But warming ocean waters have been eating away at the underside of these ice shelves, thinning them in many places and reducing their ability to buttress the ice. This effect is particularly apparent in parts of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS), long regarded as the more vulnerable part of the continent to climate change. Two regions of the WAIS, the Amundsen and Bellingshausen seas, have experienced especially dramatic losses of ice over the last couple of decades.”

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