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Veteran Congress leader, ex-union minister Murli Deora dead

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Murli Deora. Photo: Bloomberg

Murli Deora. Photo: Bloomberg

Mumbai: Veteran Congress leader and former union minister Murli Deora passed away here early Monday following a brief illness, a senior party leader said.

He was 77 and the end came around 3.30 am. He is survived by his wife and two sons, including former union minister of state Milind M. Deora.

A former Mayor of Mumbai in 1977-78, and later chief or the Congress Party’s city unit for two decades, he was also Lok Sabha MP from Mumbai South, besides being the union minister for petroleum and natural gas, among other important assignments.

Deora’s body will be kept for public darshan at the Mumbai Region Congress Committee (MRCC) office in south Mumbai and the funeral ceremony will be held at 4 p.m. Monday at the Chandanwadi crematorium in the city.

Top party leaders and politicians cutting across the political spectrum started arriving at the Deora residence to pay their last respects to the high-profile leader.

Deora was one of the pillars of support to the Gandhi family and the Congress Party.

An economics graduate with a strong pro-US temperament, the Mumbai-born Deora had excellent personal relations with top political and business leaders, celebrities and media personalities all over the country.

(IANS)

‘Burdwan blast part of BJP's devious gameplan drafted by RSS’

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derek-o-brien

New Delhi: The Trinamool Congress has called national security adviser Ajit Doval a known RSS sympathizer and revealed that the Burdwan blast was a part of a “devious” master gameplan of the BJP that was “conceived, drafted and approved by RSS”.

“The NSA is a known RSS sympathizer, these plans are hatched at RSS headquarters,” TMC leader Derek O’Brien said on Sunday reacting to Arun Jaitley’s comment on Mamata Banerjee.

Calling it a part of a larger BJP gameplan, the TMC leader said they will come out with more facts in the next 48 hours.

Making a pointed reply to finance minister’s comment stating that Mamata’s action in Burdwan blasts probe was “neither responsible nor nationalistic”, the TMC leader said, “Jaitley ji do what you want but TMC doesn’t need lessons on nationalistic ideas.”

Questioning BJP’s funding, Derek O’Brien asked, “Where did BJP raise their money for LS polls, where is the party getting their big money?”

“Why don’t they (BJP) provide transparent accounts?” he said adding, “If nation knows how much black money is spent by BJP, they will become a blacklisted party.”

Trinamool Congress leadership has said it will raise the issue of black money on the floor of Parliament and seek support of like-minded parties on this issue.

Earlier, Arun Jaitley expressed disappointment over Mamata’s reaction to Saradha scam and Burdwan blasts. “Some individuals connected with the TMC have been involved in making easy money from the Ponzi schemes. The schemes have looted small investors. As a new political Party, it was incumbent on any responsible leader to purge the Party of such leaders. It is regrettable that Mamta Didi instead of doing that has chosen identify herself with the cause of these leaders,” Jaitley said in a Facebook post.

Referring to the Burdwan blasts probe, Jaitley wrote, “The National Intelligence Agency (NIA) has arrested several people who have engineered the blast. They are enemies of the State. The West Bengal Police or the other intelligence agencies have no substantive material to establish that the blast was stagemanaged? If there is no such material, why has Didi chosen to allege that the blast was stagemanaged? Such allegations clearly help the actual culprits. This is neither responsible nor nationalistic.”

Israel bombed 161 mosques in Gaza

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mosque-destroyed-by-israeli-airstrike-2014

by Middle East Monitor

Israel has so far destroyed 161 mosques in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian Awqaf Minister Yousef Dois said yesterday.

He said 41 mosques were completely destroyed and 120 were partially destroyed during the war adding that a number of religious institutions have also been attacked.

Dois continued by saying Israel is taking advantage of the fact that the world’s attention is on Gaza and using this to stop Muslim worshippers from gaining access to Al-Aqsa Mosque. He said rabbis are delivering provocative speeches.

“These acts are clear proofs on the continued religious persecution practiced against Muslims and their places of worship,” he said.

He called upon the Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to take serious steps to deter Israel for its “crimes and violations”, which are increasing daily in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and Jerusalem.

Sexual abuse of Palestinian Child prisoners in Israel

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Sexual Abuse Against Palestinian Child Detainees Reported

by IMEMC News & Agencies

At least 600 Palestinian children were arrested in Jerusalem since last June. Of these chlidren, nearly 40% were reportedly exposed to sexual abuse during arrest or investigation by the Israeli authorities, according to a report by the Palestinian Prisoners Club (PPC).

The PCC says that the daily arrest campaigns constitute a collective punishment against Palestinian residents of Jerusalem.

Attorney with the PCC, Mufeed al-Haj, said that other violations were reported during the apprehension of children, including but not limited to night and predawn raids on family homes, physical and sexual abuse.

According to WAFA, Al-Haj added that, under the applicable laws, minors undergoing investigation should be accompanied by their parents, yet Israeli authorities pay no respect to these laws in many cases.

Forces often ignore laws and arrest Palestinians without even having warrants.

Since last June, Israel has arrested hundreds of Palestinians in Jerusalem and the West Bank, most during predawn and night raids on their family houses.

To accommodate maximum aspirants in boards, CM Siddaramaiah opts for power sharing

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CM Siddaramaiah (Photo credit: IE)

CM Siddaramaiah (Photo credit: IE)

Bengaluru: Karnataka chief minister, Siddaramaiah, who has been dilly-dallying on the issue of nominating heads for state-run corporations and boards for fear of ruffling the feathers of disgruntled leaders, has, in consultation with Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president, G. Parameshwara, finalized list of chosen leaders for these posts.

A list of 95 nominations to important boards and corporations has already been handed over to the party high command on Friday November 21. National president of the Congress, Sonia Gandhi, is expected to give her assent to these names in a couple of days, fulfilling the aspirations of 95 power-hungry politicians, who have been lobbying hard and vying with other leaders for these seats.

However, it is gathered that the term of these heads has been truncated to 18 months, as a compromise formula to accommodate maximum number of candidates. On expiry of the first 18 months, the present candidates will have to leave their posts to make room for fresh faces to be nominated by the party leadership again. The Congress government in the state has 42 more months of tenure, and during the last six months, everyone will be busy will elections. Therefore, the formula worked out presently is to share the next three years on prorata basis.

It is gathered that in tune with the high command directive, people who have been loyal to the party since long, and have worked in organizational positions successfully, have been given preference. Parameshwar said that the list includes 12 KPCC ffice bearers, six district Congress presidents, and leaders belonging to other backward castes. Current legislators, close relatives of leading Congressmen, those who fought in the last assembly election and tasted defeat, and those who recently migrated to the party have been left out as the central leadership’s stand on these candidates remained rigid, it is gathered.

The list it is said, has tried to strike a balance between all the castes and categories of leaders. Digvijay Singh and Rahul Gandhi reportedly expressed their approval for this list.

It is said that a list of about 1,500 members of boards and corporations has also been drawn. These members will be absorbed in about two weeks time.

Japan PM dissolves parliament ahead of election

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Shinzo Abe

Tokyo: The lower chamber of Japan’s parliament was dissolved Friday in readiness for a general election, expected next month, as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe seeks to consolidate his grip on power and reinvigorate his economic drive.

“In accordance with article seven of Japan’s constitution, the lower house is dissolved,” speaker Bunmei Ibuki told the chamber.

Ibuki’s move came after a mandate from Abe, who is going to the polls less than half way through a four-year term.

Abe said earlier this week that he wanted to ask for voters’ endorsement for his decision to postpone a sales tax rise after data showed an earlier hike had knocked the economy off its axis.

His cabinet is scheduled to hold an emergency meeting Friday afternoon to confirm the election will be Sunday, December 14.

“I’m fully aware that it’s going to be a tough election,” Abe told a meeting of businessmen Thursday afternoon in Tokyo.

“Through the election campaign, I want to clarify if the growth strategy we are pushing is right or wrong,” he said.

The last 24 months have seen two of the so-called “three arrows” of “Abenomics” fired — massive fiscal stimulus and a flood of easy money. A third “arrow” of structural reforms remains stuck in the quiver, a victim of the vested interests it is intended to undermine.

“The third arrow has never flown at all, facing resistance” from his own conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Kenji Eda, co-leader of the opposition Japan Restoration Party, said Thursday.

Banri Kaieda, head of the largest opposition Democratic Party of Japan, also said: “We can’t have the (rich-poor) gap widen. We can’t give him a blank cheque for another four years.”

According to opinion polls conducted by the Asahi Shimbun Wednesday and Thursday, the Abe cabinet’s approval rate fell to 39 percent from 42 percent earlier this month.

His disapproval rate rose to 40 percent from 36 percent, making it higher than his approval rate for the first time since he took office in December 2012, the survey showed.

Abe has tried to cast the election as a referendum on his decision to delay the sales tax hike to 10 percent, after the first jump to 8.0 percent sent consumers scurrying for cover and took a huge bite out of GDP.

But the Asahi survey said 65 percent of voters were not convinced by his reasoning.

Most commentators agree that the election is a fig leaf to cover Abe’s attempt to consolidate his own position within his fractious LDP, and to fend off challengers in a party leadership election scheduled for September next year.

However, he also runs the risk of undermining his authority if his coalition’s majority is reduced too much.

(AFP)

Julian Assange: Swedish court rejects appeal to lift arrest warrant

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Ruling means WikiLeaks founder still faces extradition to Sweden if he leaves Ecuador embassy in London

Assange

by David Crouch, The Guardian

Stockholm’s appeal court has rejected a demand by Julian Assange’s lawyers to lift the arrest warrant against him, leaving the WikiLeaks founder still facing extradition to Sweden should he renounce his asylum in Ecuador’s London embassy.

“In making this assessment, account must be taken of the fact that Julian Assange is suspected of crimes of a relatively serious nature,” the court said in a statement on Thursday. A Swedish prosecutor first sought Assange’s arrest four years ago following sexual assault and rape allegations, which he denies.

“There is a great risk that he will flee and thereby evade legal proceedings if the detention order is set aside. In the view of the court of appeal, these circumstances mean that the reasons for detention still outweigh the intrusion or other detriment entailed by the detention order.”

But the court also noted that Sweden’s investigation into Assange had come to a halt and prosecutors’ failure to examine alternative avenues of investigation “is not in line with their obligation – in the interests of everyone concerned – to move the preliminary investigation forward”. The ruling is expected to put pressure on prosecutors to find new ways to break the deadlock.

Per Samuelsson, one of Assange’s lawyers in Stockholm, said the court’s criticism of the prosecutor was aimed at her refusal to come to London to question Assange.

“This is crucial because the court said we were right in the wording, but not in the court’s actual decision,” he said.

After the ruling he had spoken to Assange, who was disappointed but confident that they would prevail in the long run.

“Swedish and international law is on our side,” Samuelsson said. “The ruling shows we are on the right track, but unfortunately the court of appeal did not have the courage to overturn the arrest warrant.”

Asked what he meant by the need to pursue “alternative avenues” of investigation, Niclas Wågnert, the appeal court judge in the case, told the TT news agency: “That’s a matter for the prosecutor. One way would be to interrogate him in London.”

Following a rejection of their demands by a lower court in July, Assange’s lawyers argued in submissions to the appeal court that a European arrest warrant issued in November 2010 was being employed as a “coercive measure” against him because it could not be carried out, thereby condemning him to “deprivation of liberty” in order to exercise his right to asylum.

The submission said that, rather than explore possible avenues to break the deadlock, the prosecutor had “violated the principles of consideration urgency, and effectiveness” by refusing to interview Assange in the Ecuadorian embassy and “hiding behind the arrest warrant” as an excuse.

Britain’s Foreign Office said last month it would “actively welcome” a request by the prosecutor to question Assange inside the embassy and would “do absolutely everything to facilitate” such a move.

The appeal court also rejected a demand from Assange’s lawyers for the prosecutor to hand over 200 text messages sent by the WikiLeaks founder’s accusers around the time of his alleged crimes.

Assange has always claimed he is innocent and that he would be prepared to face a Swedish court were it not for a threat that he would be extradited to the US for political crimes. Neither the US nor Swedish governments have responded to his requests for guarantees. Assange has not been charged with any crime, but is being investigated over allegations of rape and sexual molestation.

In response to the appeal, the Swedish prosecutors in the case, Marianne Ny and Ingrid Isgren, said they accepted there was “a temporary obstacle” to executing the arrest warrant, but that it was nonetheless essential to prevent Assange from evading justice. His presence in the Ecuadorian embassy was voluntary and so did not constitute a deprivation of liberty, they said, thereby nullifying defence arguments about disproportionality.

The text messages contained sensitive information about the two women in the case, they said, and information had previously leaked on to the internet and led to the women being harassed. There were, therefore, “grave reasons” to protect the messages, the prosecutors said.

Legal opinion in Sweden is sharply divided on the case, with some arguing that the deadlock must be broken, principally by the prosecutors travelling to London to interview Assange. Politicians are reluctant to be seen to put pressure on prosecutors, while public opinion has wearied of the case.

Mats Larsson, a columnist for Expressen, Sweden’s largest tabloid, argued last month: “Everyone is tired of the Assange circus … it is high time it was resolved.”

Justice after 13 years: 8 Muslim youths accused of links with SIMI acquitted by Kurla court

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Tanvir Ahmed Ansari. Photo: YouTube Screenshot

Tanvir Ahmed Ansari. Photo: YouTube Screenshot

Mumbai: Eight persons, accused of having links with the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), were today acquitted by a local court for lack of evidence.

Those acquitted by the metropolitan magistrate’s court in suburban Kurla include Ehtesham Siddiqui and Tanvir Ahmed Ansari, who are also facing a trial in the July 2006 Mumbai train blasts case.

“The court acquitted all the eight accused after I argued that there was no evidence,” said their lawyer, advocate Sharif Sheikh.

He said Mumbai police had begun a crackdown throughout the city against SIMI on September 27, 2011, the day it was banned by the Centre under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

“Police raided an office in Kurla and claimed to have found some literature, photo of Osama bin Laden besides other material,” Sheikh said.

However, the court granted bail to all the accused as the copy of the notification in the official gazette had not reached the state home department on the day of ban.

Sheikh said that few minutes after all the eight accused were granted bail, police arrested them for allegedly shouting anti-national slogans in the court premises.

When the case came up for hearing, he argued that on the day of their arrest there was no notification, hence their arrest was bad in law.

“In the slogan-shouting case, police had produced only policemen as witnesses while no advocates or litigants were brought as witnesses,” said Sheikh.

The court acquitted all the eight persons in both the cases.

Karnataka-cadre IPS officer Rupal Kumar Dutta to lead 2G probe

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cbi_headquater

Bengaluru: The Central Bureau of Investigation has appointed Rupal Kumar Dutta, additional director, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to head the 2G spectrum scam probe. The decision came after Supreme Court’s order asking the CBI chief Ranjit Sinha to recuse from 2G scam investigation and prosecution.

Sinha attended the office on Friday, even though the demand for his resignation and suspension, even from some of his predecessors grew louder after the SC decision.

A 1981-batch IPS officer from the Karnataka cadre, Dutta is the overall in-charge of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of the agency which is probing the 2G cases.

“As per the directions of the Supreme Court of India, Director CBI has recused himself from the investigation and prosecution of the case relating to 2G spectrum allocation. As directed, RKDutta, Additional Director, who is the senior-most officer of the investigating team in the case, will henceforth be overall in-charge of the case,” read the CBI statement issued on Friday evening.

SC bench headed by Chief Justice H L Dattu on Thursday refused to pass an elaborate order on the issue, stating that it would “tarnish” the “image and reputation” of the premier investigating agency.

The SC order has also put a question mark on Sinha’s continuation as the agency chief. Sources in the Home ministry stated that the best option for Sinha is to go on leave on his own, so that government may not have to initiate any action for his replacement. He is retiring on December 2, this year.

A panel including Home secretary, the secretary of the Department of personnel and the Chief vigilance commissioner recommended name of Sinha as the agency chief in 2012 after which he was appointed by the Prime minister.

Interestingly, the then opposition leaders Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley had opposed the appointment and written a strong letter to Prime minister Manmohan Singh. “We must record our strong disappointment and disapproval of this act of the government,” the letter read.

After the enactment of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act in January this year the provisions of the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act, 1946, which governs the functioning of the investigation agency, were changed including the requirement of consultation with the outgoing CBI director in the selection process.

According to the Lokpal Act, the selection of the CBI chief has to be done by a committee headed by the Prime minister, and comprising the LoP in the Lok Sabha and the Chief Justice of India or a Supreme Court judge nominated by him as members. As of now there is no recognized LoP in Lok Sabha.

Now, BJP led NDA government, which has largely remained silent on the issue may have to amend the act during the winter session of the parliament starting on November 24.

Dutta, a BTech from IIT Kanpur and MBA from Swinburne University in Australia, has held several important positions in anti-corruption, training and other divisions/zones of the CBI from 1988 to 1996 and 2000 to 2006.

He has also held the posts of Joint Director, DIG and SP. He has been associated with the investigation of a number of sensitive cases, including those entrusted to the Centre Bureau of Investigation by the Supreme Court and high courts that have ended in conviction of the accused persons.

Dutta has held various positions in Karnataka as Superintendent of Police (Karwar and Davangere), DIG Intelligence, Security Vigilance and Northern Range and IG North Eastern Range.

He has also served as Additional Director General of Police (Law & Order) and also as ADGP in Karnataka Lokayukta. Dutta has been awarded the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service.

Tunisian wins Muslim beauty pageant, calls for free Palestine

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Computer scientist Fatma Ben Guefrache was announced the winner and received a prize which includes a gold watch, a gold dinar, and mini pilgrimage to Mecca.

Winner of the 2014 World Muslimah Awards Fatma Ben Guefrache (C) of Tunisia walks with children during the grand final in Yogyakarta. (Photo: AFP/Adek Berry)

Winner of the 2014 World Muslimah Awards Fatma Ben Guefrache (C) of Tunisia walks with children during the grand final in Yogyakarta. (Photo: AFP/Adek Berry)

by Channel News Asia

Prambanan: A Tunisian woman called for a free Palestine as she won a pageant exclusively for Muslims in Indonesia on Friday (Nov 21), seen as a riposte to Western beauty contests.

Eighteen finalists, who include a doctor and a computer scientist, paraded in glittering dresses against the backdrop of world-renowned ancient temples for the contest in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country.

Computer scientist Fatma Ben Guefrache was announced the winner and received a prize which includes a gold watch, a gold dinar, and mini pilgrimage to Mecca. “May almighty Allah help me in this mission, and free Palestine, please, please, free Palestine and the Syrian people,” the tearful 25-year-old woman said.

The 18 finalists were required to wear the Muslim headscarf and judged not only on their appearance, but also on how well they recite verses from the Koran and their views on Islam in the modern world. “We want to see that they understand everything about the Islamic way of life – from what they eat, what they wear, how they live their lives,” said Jameyah Sheriff, one of the organisers.

The World Muslimah Award first drew global attention in 2013 when organisers presented it as a peaceful protest to Miss World, which was taking place around the same time on the resort island of Bali.

While it remains popular in some countries, British-run Miss World has faced frequent accusations that it is degrading to women, and a round in which contestants pose in bikinis has been a lightning rod for criticism.

In an effort to appease hardliners, Miss World organisers axed the bikini round for the Bali edition, but the event still sparked demonstrations from Islamic radicals who dubbed it a “whore contest”.

Headscarves not scary

British contestant Dina Torkia said she hoped this year’s World Muslimah Award would not only provide a contrast to Western beauty pageants, but would also dispel prejudices against Islam. “I think the most important thing is to show that we are really normal girls, we are not married to terrorists. This scarf on my head isn’t scary,” she told AFP.

However the 2014 pageant has faced challenges, with seven finalists dropping out and others struggling with Indonesia’s complex bureaucracy to obtain visas. Most who pulled out did so because their families did not want them to travel alone, Sheriff said.

The Indian contestant missed her initial flight as she was being questioned by officials who were suspicious of a woman travelling alone and wearing a headscarf, although she managed to get on a plane later.

Others have gone to great lengths to take part in the fourth edition of the event, with Masturah Jamil quitting her teaching job in Singapore after her employer would not give her time off to participate.

Organisers hope to present positive role models for Islamic women around the world and the contestants, who are aged between 18 and 27, include a newly qualified doctor from Bangladesh.

But not everyone was enjoying the final rounds, with Britain’s Torkia saying her initial optimism had turned into disappointment. “I came into this competition hoping that I would leave with my faith increased, but so far it’s been a lot about promotion and media and looking nice,” she said.

Friday’s finale caps a lengthy process, which included an online audition followed by two weeks of events in Indonesia. During their time in Indonesia, contestants have visited orphanages and nursing homes, and had their pictures taken at Borobudur, a famous Buddhist temple close to Yogyakarta, Java’s cultural heartland.

The finale takes place on a stage against the backdrop of Prambanan, a ninth-century complex of Hindu temples on the island of Java that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Hosting the event at a Hindu site was a conscious decision to show that Muslims are accepting of other religions, organisers said.

AFP/ec

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