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VHP’s first lot of stones for Ram Temple arrives in Ayodhya

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vhp

Ayodhya: Almost six months after the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) announced its nationwide drive to collect stones for construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya, two trucks of stones arrived in the temple city on Sunday.

“Two trucks of stones have been unloaded at Ram Sewak Puram, a VHP property in Ayodhya, and ‘Shila Pujan’ (praying of the stones) has been performed by Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, the president of Ram Janam Bhumi Nyas,” VHP spokesman Sharad Sharma said.

Meanwhile, Mahant Nritya Gopal Das told PTI that there was a “signal” from the Modi government that the temple will be built “now”.

“Now, the time has come for the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Lots of stones arrived today in Ayodhya and their arrival will continue. We have signals from Modi government that Mandir (temple) construction would be done now,” he said.

Reacting to the arrival of stones at the VHP headquarters, Faizabad Senior Superintendent of Police Mohit Gupta said that the police was monitoring the situation.

“We are monitoring all the developments minutely. Stones have arrived and being kept in a private premises. Due to this development, if their was any breach in peace or communal harmony we will definitely take action,” he said.

Asserting its resolve to build the Ram temple, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad had in June announced a nationwide drive to collect stones for construction of the temple.

“About 2.25 lakhs cubic ft of stones are required for the construction of the Ram temple and about 1.25 lakh cubic ft of stones are ready at the VHP’s headquarter in Ayodhya. The rest one lakh cubic ft stones would be collected nationwide from Hindu devotees,” VHP leader Ashok Singhal, who died last month in Gurgaon, had said.

The announcement had met with a quick reaction from the administration, which had said that it would oppose the move as the matter was sub judice.

Principal Secretary (Home) Devashish Panda had said that the Uttar Pradesh government would not allow arrival of stones in Ayodhya for construction of Ram Temple.

“Since the matter is sub judice, the government will not allow starting of any new tradition regarding Ayodhya issue,” he had said.

(Agencies)

UN Security Council agrees on Syria peace plan

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Draft resolution calling for peace conference in January and ceasefire adopted unanimously by council’s 15 members.

The conflict in Syria started in mid-2011 after protests against Assad's rule and has killed an estimated 300,000 people [Reuters]

The conflict in Syria started in mid-2011 after protests against Assad’s rule and has killed an estimated 300,000 people [Reuters]

by Al Jazeera

The UN Security Council has unanimously agreed on the text of a draft resolution for peace talks in January and a ceasefire aimed at ending the war in Syria.

All 15 members of the council agreed to approve the text, which came after hours of negotiation between world powers on Friday.

Al Jazeera’s Diplomatic Editor James Bays, reporting from New York said the text was a long time coming and came despite reservations from Russia.

“There was lots of resistance from Moscow but Western diplomats [are] telling me they are very happy with what they have,” he said.

“This will be the first time there’s been a Security Council resolution on Syria and on political transition in Syria during five years of civil war.”

 

John Kerry, US secretary of state, said the resolution aims to install a transitional government within the first six months, paving the way for elections within the next 18 months.

He said any agreement would exclude the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and al-Nusra Front.

“We have emphasised from the beginning that for this to work it has to be implemented by the men and women of Syria and cannot be opposed from the outside,” Kerry said.

“The resolution that we just approved is a milestone because it sets out specific concepts with specific time-frames.

The text does not include mention of Assad’s fate or which opposition groups will be included in peace talks.

Both have been key obstacles in reaching an agreement in talks thus far.

Obama’s remarks

Earlier on Friday, US President Barack Obama reaffirmed his insistence that Assad step down, warning there can be no peace there without a legitimate government.

“I think that Assad is going to have to leave in order for the country to stop the blood, for all the parties involved to be able to move forward in a nonsectarian way,” Obama said at a year-end news conference at the White House.

The conflict in Syria started in mid-2011 after protests against Assad’s rule were violently put down by government security forces.

The war has killed more than 300,000 people according to some estimates, and sent millions of Syrians fleeing for neighbouring countries and Europe, giving rise to the worst refugee crisis since World War II.

Groups such as ISIL have also conquered large tracts of land, from where they have planned attacks on a number of states including France, Turkey, and Lebanon.

Refugees drown as boat sinks off Turkey

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Turkish media reports that 18 died and 14 were rescued after boat capsized in the Aegean Sea, between Turkey and Greece.

refugees

by Al Jazeera

At least 18 people have drowned after a refugee boat capsized off the Turkish coast near Bodrum, the Turkish Anadolu news agency reported.

The wooden boat carrying refugees, including Syrians and Iraqis, sank on Friday night as it travelled from Turkey’s coastal resort of Bodrum to Greece’s Kos Island.

According to the Bodrum Sea Rescue Society, coast guards retrieved the bodies, including those of children, who drowned.

The incident was the third attempted sea crossing to end in the deaths of refugees in the Aegean this week.

Less than 24 hours earlier, on Friday morning, eight Iraqi refugees, including five children, drowned after a boat sank off near Bodrum, Anadolu reported.

And on Wednesday, at least Syrian four refugees, including three babies, drowned as their boat sank off Bodrum.

The bodies of the dead refugees were taken to the Greek island of Leros and then to Rhodes for medical examination, according to the Anadolu report.

Kos and other Greek Islands are a few kilometres from the Turkish coast.

European border action

The European Commission said in a statement on Tuesday that it will adopt a set of measures to protect the EU’s external borders and manage migration more effectively.

The Commission proposed to establish a European border and coast guard to “ensure a strong and shared management of external borders to further increase security for European citizens”, the statement said.

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) says at least 45,255 refugees and migrants have arrived in the Greek islands from Turkey since the beginning of December.

Since January, at least 907,712 refugees and migrants made the journey to Europe, including 878,495 who have arrived by sea, the IOM said in a report earlier this month.

At least 3,563 people have gone missing or drowned trying to reach Europe, the IOM said in a report released in early December.

The UNHCR put the number of arrivals by sea at 956,683 and 3,625 reported missing or dead.

Don’t speak against India, Sharif tells his ministers

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Nawaz-Sharif

Islamabad: Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has stopped his ministers from giving anti-India statements so that the peace process is not hit, an official said.

A close aide to Sharif said on Friday that the ministers and senior officials had been asked not to issue any statement that could damage the peace process.

“There will be statements only that encourage the dialogue process rather than digging out the past. The PM has asked the close aides and cabinet members to promote peace,” The Nation quoted an official as saying.

He said Sharif was optimistic about better ties with India, which would benefit the whole region.

Sharif was annoyed by statements from India that New Delhi only wanted to discuss Pakistan occupied Kashmir in talks, but understands this is not Inidan government’s policy, the official added.

Sharif, the official said, wanted to give top priority to Kashmir, terrorism and trade when the two sides discuss peace.

Another official said Sharif and the military leadership were on the same page to make peace with India.

“There is no difference of opinion and both agree that there should be no compromise on the stated position on key issues,” he added.

An interaction between Sharif and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in Paris and subsequent meeting of the National Security Advisors in Bangkok set the pace for improvement in the bilateral ties.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj also visited Pakistan on December 8 to attend the Heart of Asia conference.

She met Sharif and his advisor on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz on the sidelines of the conference.

It is expected that Sharif and Modi will meet again in Switzerland in January. The two leaders will be together on January 20 to attend the 46th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos-Klosters.

India’s outgoing High Commissioner to Pakistan TCA Raghavan on Thursday said the relations between the two countries were heading towards betterment.

Analysts said it was a positive development that Pakistan and India agreed to resume comprehensive dialogue to resolve all outstanding issues.

(IANS)

HC quashes probe against Yeddyurappa, DK Shivkumar in land case

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Yeddyurappa, DK Shivkumar

Bengaluru: Karnataka High Court on Friday quashed the Lokayukta proceedings against BJP vice-president and former Chief Minister B.S Yeddyurappa and Energy minister D K Shivkumar.

Two separate complaints were filed by social activist T.J. Abraham and Kabbale Gowda, alleging that Shivkumar had purchased 4.2 acres of land at Benniganahalli from the original owner, despite it being acquired by the BDA, and had allegedly got it de-notified with the help of the then chief minister Yeddyurappa.

Following the complaints, Yeddyurappa and Shivkumar had filed petitions seeking quashing of the proceedings.

In a big relief, on Friday, Justice Anand Byrareddy, in his verdict pronounced that the allegations leveled against the petitioners did not constitute criminal acts.

(Agencies)

National Herald case: Sonia, Rahul appear in court, granted bail

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sonia-rahul-gandhi

New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party vice president Rahul Gandhi were granted bail in the National Herald case on Saturday by a court here.

They appeared in the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Loveleen in the Patiala House courts complex amid tight security.

A team of Special Protection Guard (SPG), Border Security Force, and anti-bomb squad has been deployed at the Patiala House court premise here.

A large number of Congress party workers gathered at the party’s headquarters to express solidarity with the two top leaders.

Sonia Gandhi had reportedly asked party leaders and supporters from other states not to throng the capital on Saturday.

Congress leaders have alleged a “political vendetta” for the National Herald cheating and misappropriation case involving the Gandhis.

“Its a political vendetta. We will fight the legal battle in accordance with law. We have complete respect for the judicial process,” said Congress spokesman R.S. Surjewala.

Another Congress leader and senior advocate Abhishek Manu Shinghvi said: “We have faith in the judiciary, all legal options including bail are available. We will proceed to court in a serious and dignified manner. No reason for hype.”

The court had ordered Sonia and Rahul Gandhi to appear on Saturday in connection with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy’s complaint in the National Herald case.

On June 26 last year, the trial court issued summons to the Congress leaders on Swamy’s complaint about “cheating” in the acquisition of Associated Journals Ltd (AJL) by Young India Ltd (YIL), a firm in which Sonia Gandhi and her son each own a 38 percent stake.

The Delhi High Court last week dismissed the plea of the Gandhis to quash the summons issued to them by a trial court.

(IANS)

UN adopts resolution to cut off ISIL funding

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The Security Council passed a resolution to disrupt all funding sources for ISIL in its first finance ministers meeting.

ISIL gets their money from ransom payments and other criminal activities [AP]

ISIL gets their money from ransom payments and other criminal activities [AP]

by Al Jazeera

The United Nations Security Council has unanimously adopted a resolution to cut off all sources of funding for the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq (ISIL) and other groups it classifies as terrorist organisations.

In its first meeting at the finance ministers’ level on Thursday, the 15 member states stepped up their efforts to disrupt money supply for ISIL, including preventing access to ransom payments.

The Council called for “enhanced actions, from closing financial system loopholes to stopping the abuse of charitable causes, as well as updating the existing ISIL and al-Qaeda Sanctions List”.

The UN calls ISIL a splinter group of al-Qaeda and stresses that “any individual, group, undertaking, or entity supporting ISIL or al-Qaeda” is subject to UN sanctions, including an asset freeze, travel ban and arms embargo.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the Council at the start of the debate on Thursday that ISIL has been far too quick and successful in attaining resources for their violent and deadly acts.

“As Daesh (another name for ISIL) and other terrorist groups disseminate their hateful propaganda and ratchet up murderous attacks, we must join forces to prevent them from acquiring and deploying resources to do further harm,” he stressed.

Ban called for increased international cooperation in sharing information and expertise, especially in stopping the illegal trade of cultural artefacts, and closer cooperation with the private and charitable sectors to identify suspected transactions, the UN press release released on Thursday said.

The Council also called on members to be prepared to detect any diversion of explosives, raw materials and components that can be used to manufacture improvised explosive devices or unconventional weapons.

The US said earlier this month that ISIL has made up to $1.5bn from looting banks in Iraq and Syria and through black market oil sales.

Kejriwal’s fresh salvo, claims CBI told to target Opposition

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CBI-Kejriwal

New Delhi: The confrontation between Delhi’s ruling AAP and the Centre Friday intensified with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal making fresh allegations that CBI has been asked to “target” the opposition and “finish those who don’t fall in line”.

Kejriwal’s latest salvo came a day after he demanded that Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley be removed from the Cabinet for alleged corruption in Delhi District Cricket Association (DDCA) which he had headed for 14 years till 2013.

Jaitley had rejected the allegations calling it was a propaganda technique of Kejriwal to deflect attention when he himself was in the “dock”.

Kejriwal today tweeted, “A CBI officer told me yesterday that CBI has been asked to target all opposition parties and finish those who don’t fall in line.”

The AAP chief once again chose the social media route to level the charges. He had virtually live-tweeted the CBI raid at his Principal Secretary Rajendra Kumar’s office in the Delhi Secretariat on Tuesday.

Kejriwal had said Jaitley’s assertion that AAP’s allegations against him are “unsubstantiated and non-specific” could not be treated as “gospel truth” as the charges against him were “very, very serious”.

(Agencies)

Bajrang Dal workers protest Dilwale’s screening in Bihar

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Dilwale

Patna: Bajrang Dal activists in Bihar on Friday protested against the release of Shah Rukh Khan starrer “Dilwale” and stopped the film’s screening at two theatres, police said.

Angered by Shah Rukh’s statement on intolerance in the country, they shouted slogans and opposed the screening in Araria and Patna districts.

At one of the theatres, the activists burnt an effigy of Shah Rukh and threatened to take their protest to different places in the coming days.

(Agencies)

 

DDCA row: AAP poses 5 questions to Jaitley

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arun jaitley

New Delhi: The AAP today put “five specific” questions to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley relating to its allegations of corruption in Delhi’s cricket body DDCA under his watch and accused him of giving “vague” response to the charges.

Calling Jaitley a “master of half truth and beautiful lies”, AAP leader Ashutosh made certain fresh allegations against the Finance Minister and said his comments that there was no specific charges against him was “misleading”.

Jaitley has strongly rejected the allegations calling them a propaganda technique of Kejriwal to deflect attention when he himself was in the “dock” following a CBI raid in Delhi Secretariat.

Addressing a press conferencehere, Ashutosh accused DDCA of allowing private firm 21st Century to sub-lease 10 corporate boxes at Feroz Shah Kotla stadium and claimed the firm owned by a friend of Jaitley was extended financial benefit to the tune of over Rs 5 crore for the deal.

The AAP leader asked Jaitley to clarify who were members of the 21st Century and whether it had any of his kin.

The AAP leader also accused Jaitley of putting pressure on ONGC to give an amount of Rs 5 crore to Hockey India and sought to know what was the reason behind it.

Alleging huge financial bungling in reconstruction of the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium, the AAP leader said although public sector entity EPIL was paid Rs 57 crore for the project the remaining Rs 57 crore out of the total expenditure of Rs 114 crore was distributed among nine companies.

“The registered address, e-mail and directors of these companies were same. Did Jaitley know about these companies and is it not corruption,” asked the AAP leader.

On Jaitley’s comments that the SFIO report had absolved him, Ashutosh said the Finance Minister hid the fact that punishment for offences mentioned by the central agency included imprisonment.

“We had raised specific questions and Jaitley gave vague answers. That is why we are coming out with five specific questions for him,” AAP leader Sanjay Singh said.

The AAP leaders also asked Jaitley to tell about his relationship with Hockey India chief Narendra Batra.

They said Delhi Government last month had set up committee to probe irregularities in DDCA after getting a communication in this regard from Union Sports Ministry. They said Home Ministry had communicated to Sports Ministry about irregularities in DDCA following which it wrote to Delhi Government.

Following a CBI raid in Delhi Secretariat in connection with charges against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s Principal Secretary Rajendra Kumar, AAP has been claiming that the Central agency carried out the searches to target the AAP chief and was looking for a file relating to graft in DDCA.

Since then, the party has been demanding resignation of Jaitley from the Union Cabinet.

(PTI)

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