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Senior Congress leader and former MLC Mir Aziz Ahmad (86) passed away following age-related illness at his Bengaluru residence on Friday morning.
A staunch Congress party worker, Ahmad held the district Congress president post for more than 10 years.
He had also served as chairman of state minorities commission and as president of state wakf board. He got elected as a member of legislative council in 2003.
PTI
Sabarimala protesters on Saturday stopped two women from Andhra Pradesh from advancing towards the Lord Ayyappa temple as they were from the hitherto banned age group, prompting Kerala Police to arrest three men.
All three hailed from nearby Ranni and they resisted the two women devotees — of two different groups — to advance any further after they had already walked up to the hill.
One of the devotees was 28-years-old and the other was 42. So far 14 women have had to return without praying at the shrine even after a court order allowed their entry to Sabarimala.
The police, however, said they were not informed by these devotees before their ascent to the hilltop shrine as then they would have provided the required security.
The Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left government in the state has vowed to implement a September 28, Supreme Court verdict that allows all women of all age group to offer prayers at the shrine.
The police posted in the temple town came to know about the two Andhra devotees only after protests broke out.
Both women were then escorted back to the Pamba base camp by the police, and the three men were taken into custody for putting up a strong protest.
Hindu groups and other political parties have been protesting here ever since the apex court in September struck down an earlier practice of banning entry of girls and and women aged 10-50.
On November 13, the top court also refused to stay its September verdict, three days before the temple opened for the ongoing two-month long season.
Both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party along with several Hindu groups are up in arms against the verdict.
IANS
Congress leader and Punjab’s Cabinet Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Friday termed Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and his family as “Ali Baba Aur 4 Chor”.
“We heard ‘Ali Baba Aur 40 Chor’ but here you have Ali Baba Aur 4 Chor. KCR, KTR, Kavitha, Harish Rao and Santosh Rao,” Sidhu said at a news conference at the Congress office here.
KCR’s son K.T. Rama Rao, popularly known as KTR, is a Cabinet Minister, while daughter K. Kavitha is a member of the Lok Sabha. KCR’s nephew T. Harish Rao is also a Minister in the state Cabinet, while KCR’s co-brother’s son J. Santosh Kumar is a member of the Rajya Sabha.
The cricketer-turned-politician said Telangana was a revenue surplus state but under KCR it had gone under debt of Rs 2.20 lakh crore because “a family is feeding rampantly on the resources”.
“It is not a democracy. It is autocracy. Autocrats and dictators are ruling the state and same is happening at the top,” he said referring to the Narendra Modi government at the Centre.
Sidhu said Telangana was in total disarray as KCR had turned its strengths into weaknesses.
He also slammed the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief for using harsh language for a youth who questioned him about the promise of 12 per cent reservation for Muslims at a TRS election rally. “Raj-tantra has turned into Goonda-tantra. What crime the boy had committed,” asked Sidhu.
The Congress leader said KCR was hand in glove with PM Modi.
He said without this it was not possible to hold elections in Telangana six months before they were originally scheduled. He said for the first time in the country, a Chief Minister announced the date of elections.
He said KCR and Modi had a deal so that KCR’s son and daughter could get key positions after the Lok Sabha elections.
Sidhu also said demonetisation was the biggest scam, which broke the back of informal economy. He pointed out that 93 per cent of country’s economy was informal and 80 per cent of it dependent on cash.
He alleged that huge cash in spiked currency were deposited in banks which had the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders as their directors.
He said at Ahmedabad District Central Cooperative Bank, in which BJP President Amit Shah was a director, Rs 745.59 crore were deposited in just five days while the annual profit of the bank was only Rs 14 crore.
IANS
The Syrian Foreign Ministry on Friday confirmed that Israel was behind the strikes that targeted Syrian sites south of the capital Damascus a day earlier, state news agency SANA reported.
The attack against Syrian sites in the town of Kisweh south of Damascus was carried out by Israel, the ministry said, Xinhua news agency reported.
On Thursday evening, Syria’s national TV said the Syrian air defence missiles responded to a contentious missile strike, noting that all enemy targets were destroyed and that the foreign attack did not achieve its intended goal.
However, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor based in London, said a missile hit a weapon depot believed to contain weapons for the Iranian-backed Hezbollah in the second wave of attack, after the 45-minute first-round attack failed.
Another missile hit a military base, with no reported losses, the watchdog added.
It is the first Israeli hit since September when it attacked military sites in Syria, causing the Syrian air defences to mistakenly hit a Russian surveillance aircraft.
After the September attack, during which Russian servicemen were killed by friendly fire, Moscow was quick to equip Damascus with the S-300 air defence missile system.
Syria’s Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad told Xinhua in September that the arrival of Russia’s S-300 to Syria would push Israel to reconsider before striking Syria again.
In its statement Friday, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said the Israeli attack on Thursday evening and the US-led attack that killed 30 civilians in eastern Syria on Friday are part of the aggression circle against Syria.
The Israeli attack is another sign of the Israeli support to the terrorist groups in Syria, said the ministry, adding that Israel wants to prolong the Syrian crisis.
IANS
BJP ally Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) chief and Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha on said on Saturday said he will take a final call by December 6 on whether to continue with the NDA or walk out.
“I will not take any decision alone. Decision will be taken after discussion with party leaders at the three-day RLSP’s Chintan Shivir beginning on December 4 at Valmikinagar (in West Champaran district),” Kushwaha told reporters in Motihari.
The Karakat parliamentary constituency member was responding after the Bharatiya Janata Party gave an ultimatum to the RLSP to ensure by November 30 a “respectful” seat-sharing consensus in Bihar for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
A senior RLSP leader on condition of anonymity told IANS: “RLSP will announce a big decision that will affect state politics and will create possibility for political realignment.”
According to party leaders, Minister of State for Human Resource Development Kushwaha was insulted and ignored by the BJP repeatedly that has left him “very upset”.
Kushwaha seeking intervention to settle the issue of seat-sharing in the National Democratic Alliance in Bihar had sought an appointment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, was not given time despite camping in New Delhi for days.
Kushwaha’s hopes were dashed with Modi leaving for Argentina for the G20 summit, without inviting him for any form of talks.
Earlier, BJP national chief Amit Shah had also not given any time to Kushwaha to thrash out matters.
“I have twice tried to meet Amit Shah to discuss a respectful seat-sharing in the NDA in Bihar. Even on Friday, I waited to meet him, but could not. I was not given time.”
In November, Kushwaha said the RLSP has decided to reject the offer made by the BJP.
He said that the party’s state executive has rejected the BJP’s offer. However, he refused to reveal the number of seats that it was offered.
He alleged that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal-United (JD-U) has been trying to split the RLSP and destroy him politically.
IANS
Leaders of India, China and Russia at a trilateral meeting held here had an in-depth exchange of views on expanding mutual cooperation in international forums and to encourage greater interaction among the three countries under new circumstances.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, on Friday agreed on the importance of reform and strengthening of multilateral institutions which have benefitted the world, including the UN, World Trade Organisation (WTO) and well-established as well as new global financial institutions, a statement from the External Affairs Ministry said.
They underscored the benefits of a multilateral trading system and an open world economy for global growth and prosperity.
Calling it an excellent meeting, Modi said a wide range of subjects were discussed which would further cement the friendship between the three nations and enhance world peace.
The three leaders agreed to have regular consultations at all levels to jointly promote international and regional peace and stability, to strengthen cooperation through BRICS, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and East Asia Summit (EAS) mechanisms, to address global challenges such as terrorism and climate change, and to encourage peaceful resolution of all differences.
They also acknowledged the importance of cooperation in Russia-India-China format and agreed to hold further such trilateral meetings on multilateral occasions, the Ministry said.
On the sideline of G-20 Summit here, US President Donald Trump, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Indian Prime Minister also held a trilateral meeting, the first ever of its kind.
IANS
Kabul The death toll soared to 15 in the car bomb attack in Kabul that targeted London-based Security contractor company G4S, Afghanistan’s Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish said on Thursday.
Five attackers were among those killed in the Wednesday night attack and 29 people were injured, Xinhua news agency reported citing the official.
Taliban militants claimed responsibility for the bombing.
Zabihullah Majahid, who claims to speak for the Taliban outfit, claimed that first a militant blew up his explosive-laden car next to the company, opening the way for others to enter the company’s compound and begin targeting anyone inside.
Earlier reports put the number of casualties at one dead and 11 injured.
G4S was yet to make any comment about the situation following the attack on its branch.
(IANS)
Buenos Aires Terming the India-US-Japan partnership as “Jai” (literal: victory), Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the partnership between the three nations would go a long way in ensuring world peace and prosperity.
“If I put it differently, Japan, America and India is Jai. In Hindi, ‘Jai’ means success,” Modi said after the first-ever trilateral meet with US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of the G-20 summit here.
“In a way, Jai (the trilateral meet) is a message of success and we are making a new beginning. Our arrangement I believe, will play a big role in promoting world peace and prosperity,” Modi said.
Modi said it was a “good occasion” as the three nations dedicated to democratic values met to discuss how to promote peace, prosperity and stability in the world.
“I am glad both US and Japan are our strategic partners. Both the leaders (Turmp and Abe) have been my good friends. It is a good opportunity to work together.
Briefing the media about the meeting Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said that it was a “very warm meeting” and Trump and Abe complimented Prime Minister Modi for the “reforms and development that he has done”.
“The three leaders exchanged views on the Indo-Pacific. They all agreed that free, open, inclusive and rules-based order is essential for the regional peace and prosperity. The Prime Minister offered some ideas on how we should take forward on the concept of Indo-Pacific and how the three countries can work together to promote this concept,” Gokhale said.
He said that Modi felt it was necessary that the three countries reach out to all the stakeholders to explain the benefits of Indo-Pacific strategy and their advantages to these countries.
“The leaders also agreed to the central role of Asean and they also agreed to work on maritime and connectivity issues and to synergise efforts in this regard,” Gokhale said.
He said that the three leaders felt that such meetings were useful and they should continue on the margins of subsequent G-20 meetings.
“Overall, there was a very positive atmosphere and the outcome of this first trilateral has been very encouraging. Prime Minister Modi and the other two leaders were pleased with this outcome,” Gokhale added.
Earlier, making an intervention at the first session of the G-20 meet on global economy, future of work and women’s empowerment, Modi highlighted some of the flagship programmes of his government undertaken to modernise economy and promote inclusive growth, such as Jan Dhan Yojana, MUDRA Yojana and Start-up India.
(IANS)
Mumbai Superstar Aamir Khan is saddened knowing about the devastation Cyclone Gaja wrought on Tamil Nadu and has urged his fans and followers to contribute generously to alleviate their suffering.
“I’m very saddened to hear of the devastation caused by Cyclone Gaja in Tamil Nadu. Let us all come together to help our brothers and sisters there who are suffering. Let us try and contribute in any way that we can,” the Bollywood actor tweeted on Friday.
Tamil superstar-politician Kamal Haasan, who has visited the cyclone-ravaged areas of the state, thanked him for the gesture.
“Thank you so much Aamir Khanji. In many ways people like you make us feel it is truly ‘One Country’,” Kamal wrote back.
Cyclonic storm Gaja crossed Tamil Nadu coast on November 16 leaving over 50 people and thousands of livestock dead and damaging properties, standing crops, coconut groves, banana plantations and power distribution infrastructure in several districts.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and sought the central’s assistance of Rs 15,000 crore for 12 districts hit by the cyclone.
(IANS)
Srinagar Minimum temperatures dropped further across the Kashmir Valley on Saturday with Leh in Ladakh region recording minus 9 degrees Celsius, the Met said.
Kargil came a close second at minus 8.5. Minimum temperatures dropped due to a clear night sky, an India meteorological department official said.
Srinagar city recorded minus 1.4, Pahalgam minus 5 and Gulmarg minus 3.3.
Jammu city recorded 9.6, Katra 9, Batote 5.9, Bannihal 7.9 and Bhaderwah 2.3 degrees Celsius.
(IANS)