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ISL-5: ATK, Kerala look for fresh start in opener

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 After a wretched campaign in the previous edition, former champions ATK will renew acquaintances with two-time runners-up Kerala Blasters in the opening match of the Indian Super League (ISL) here at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on Saturday.

The fifth season of the ISL will see 10 teams compete for the coveted crown and in the season opener ATK’s new coach Steve Coppell will take on his former club Kerala.

The ISL this time is expected to be the longest, spanning over six months with three breaks — two FIFA windows (in October and November) and one for India’s preparatory camp for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.

ATK finished ninth last season while Kerala missed out on the semifinal spot by finishing sixth. ATK saw their coach and former Manchester United striker Teddy Sheringham sacked towards the end of their campaign in which they managed to win just four games.

Kerala too saw the removal of coach Rene Muelensteen with former England goalkeeper David James taking over this time.

James tried to steady the ship but it was too little too late as they could only muster 25 points, five adrift of FC Pune City who finished fourth to qualify for the playoffs.

ATK coach Coppell was with Jamshedpur FC last season and the Englishman will use his arsenal to win the coveted trophy this time around.

Asked how he is warming up to the new city, he shared: “It definitely has a different vibe from the other places I’ve been to. I was very fortunate in my first season to be at Kerala and match days were amazing you know, a sea of yellow, but here, you get a sense of a football feeling all week long.

“You know, the people you speak to in the streets, they’re really looking forward to the new season and looking forward to having regular football on their doorsteps again,” he added.

Last season, Coppell made Jamshedpur one of the most defensively resolute sides in the league, an attribute which is a part of his footballing philosophy. But for the new season, the 63-year-old’s plans are slightly different.

“I don’t prioritise it (the defence) to be absolutely honest,” he said. “We just think that it is a part of the team’s preparation. Defence is more about discipline and attacking football is more about creativity and intuition. It’s something you can’t coach. I would be hoping that this season we will be defensively strong, but it’s not something that we have got ourselves to worry about.”

ATK have roped in few big names this time in both Indian and overseas front.

Six of their seven foreign players have prior experience of playing in the ISL including former Bengaluru FC defender John Johnson.

Captain Manuel Lanzarote was one of the best playmakers in the league last season for FC Goa clocking well over 1500 minutes with 13 goals and six assists.

The attacking lineup will have Nigerian Kalu Uche, who was the third highest goal scorer in ISL last year and Brazilian Everton Santos.

ATK have retained 30-year-old English centre back John Johnson, who has a good understanding of Indian conditions having spent five seasons at Bengaluru FC before switching to ATK in 2017.

Of the 19 Indians in the squad, ATK have retained six from the fourth season — Debjit Majumdar, Prabir Das, Eugenson Lyngdoh, Jayesh Rane, Komal Thatal and Hitesh Sharma.

Among the Indians, all eyes will be on midfielder Eugeneson Lyngdoh who will be returning to action after his knee injury in December last year.

For Kerala, this will be the first season for the team without their star owner Sachin Tendulkar.

The cricket legend has sold off his 20 per cent stakes in the team and they will seek a fresh identity in their bid for the elusive title.

Kerala boast of a strong defence with foreigner duo of Cyril Kali and Nemanja Lakic-Pesic along with national team’s Sandesh Jhingan and Anas Edathodika in their ranks.

Kerala have also signed the likes of Zakeer Mundampara, Halicharan Narzary and Seiminlen Doungel who will provide width and pace to the team while going forward this season.

The central midfield position, on the other hand, may be a cause of concern for James as they do not have an Indian name of repute in that crucial area.

The spotlight of the fifth season will be on Jamshedpur who have signed the Socceroos legend Tim Cahill.

The 38-year-old Australian record goalscorer has announced his international retirement after playing in Russia World Cup this year but is not ready to hang up his boots completely just yet.

(IANS)

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas: ‘Jerusalem is not for sale’

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Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas spoke in harsh and unflinching terms about Israel and the US at the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday, while Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used the platform to once again brand the Iran nuclear deal a “lie”.

Abbas began his address by stating that “Jerusalem is not for sale”, drawing applause from the room. He then turned to denouncing in turn Israel’s “racist” nation-state law, the Trump administration’s uncritical support of Israel, and both states’ refusal to abide by international agreements and UN resolutions.
Abbas seeks alternative to US as peace mediator
“This law will inevitably lead to the creation of one racist state, an apartheid state, and thus nullifies the two-state solution,” he said.

In his first speech to the UN since the US moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Abbas said Palestinians now see the US “with new eyes” and no longer as a fair mediator in the peace process.

“This administration has reneged on all previous US commitments and undermined the two state solution,” he said.

The PLO leader called on more countries to recognise the state of Palestine and for the UN to enforce the resolutions it has passed on Israel.

“It is insufficient for the general assembly to pass a reinstitution without implementation,” he said, saying that Israel had not implemented even one of the over 700 resolution passed by the assembly since 1949.

Abbas raised the issue of UNRWA, which provides relief and humanitarian assistance to over five million Palestinians, and is battling for survival since the US pulled $300m in funding for the organisation.

He accused the US of attempting to “obliterate” UNRWA, and rubbished its estimate that there are only 40,000 Palestinian refugees.

He reiterated several times that the PLO is fully committed to peace and rejects all forms of violence outright, but stressed that cooperation was a two-way street and Palestine would not be bound by agreements that are reneged on by other countries.

Concluding, Abbas paid tribute to martyrs and prisoners and said to all Palestinians that “we are soon approaching our day of freedom and independence and that the darkness of occupation will soon vanish.”

Netanyahu targets Iran
Speaking shortly after, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used his address to publicly identify what he claims is a secret, previously unknown nuclear facility in Tehran.

Holding up a printed satellite photo with geographic coordinates, he encouraged the public to use Google Maps to locate the site for themselves as proof that Iran has been dishonest about its nuclear ambitions.

He claimed that Israeli intelligence found Iranian authorities had disposed of 15kg of nuclear material across Tehran, exposing residents to dangerous radioactivity.

Calling on the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency by name, he asked Yukiya Amano to investigate the facility “right here, right now”.

“I will never let a regime that calls for our destruction to develop nuclear weapons. Not now, not in 10 years, not ever,” he said, calling on European leaders to join the US and other in abandoning the Iran deal.

He accused EU states of “appeasement” and “rolling out the red carpet” for Iranian president Hassan Rouhani as he expands his military influence in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and elsewhere.

Netanyahu praised the thousands of Iranians who have take to the streets in recent months to protest the government and its response to an economic crisis resulting in dramatic rises in inflation and unemployment.

Withdrawal of funding for Palestinian refugees key in UN talks
“The people of Iran are bravely standing up to a regime that has oppressed them for four decades and squanders their money in bloody wards across the Middle East,” said the Israeli leader.

The only positive result of the Iran deal, he claimed, was bringing Israel and several Arab states “closer together than ever before in an intimacy and friendship that I’ve not seen in my lifetime and would have been unimaginable a few years ago”.

Netanyahu then called for a brief round of applause for US president Donald Trump and US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley for their unwavering support of Israel before defending at length the nation state law from the accusations of Abbas, human rights organisations and the international community.

Claims that Israel is racist or an apartheid state are “shameful” and simply “antisemitism with a band new face,” he claimed, before branding his Palestinian counterpart a Holocaust denier.

Regardless of the new legislation, Jews and non-Jews enjoy equal individual rights in Israel, he said.”

‘Same sort of speeches’
“We have got the same sort of speeches now for quite a few years,” said Yossi Mekelberg, Professor of International Relations at Regent’s University London, referring to the speeches by the Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

“Netanyahu concentrates on Iran because that where he’s comfortable and confident about what he’s saying, and he’s comfortable with the support of the US in the region,” he told Al Jazeera.

“He tries to minimise talking about Palestinian issues because he know that he is in a very small minority in the UN.

“For Abbas, the cutting of the money to UNRWA, the moving of the American embassy to Jerusalem, it’s all going in one direction. The US can’t even be seen as an honest broker in peace negotiations… It’s obviously not something the PA can accept.”

Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Research Fellow at the Forum for Regional Thinking, said Abbas’ wish for more international mediation would likely not be forthcoming.

“European and other nations that may play a constructive role in this context are focused on their own domestic concerns or more pressing international crises, relegating the Palestinian issue to the back-burner,” she said.

“This means a continuation of military rule over the Palestinian people and the daily humiliations and human rights abuses this rule entails.”

Aljazeera

Bengaluru gets Congress Mayor after BJP skips civic poll

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Congress woman corporator Gangambike Mallikarjun was on Friday elected the Mayor of Bengaluru’s municipal corporation after the BJP walked out of the civic poll, said an official.

Gangambike Mallikarjun of the Congress was declared elected as Bengaluru’s 52nd Mayor by 130 votes, Regional Commissioner Shivayogi Kalasad said.

Gangambike’s opponent was the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Shobha Anjanappa but the party did not take part in the election.

Even though the BJP has more corporators, a pre-poll tie-up between the ruling Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) and Congress denied it the coveted mayoral post for a second consecutive year.

Alleging that the Congress and JD-S alliance had “hijacked” Independent corporators who offered support to the BJP, its legislators and corporators staged a walkout.

JD-S corporator Ramila Umashankar was elected the Deputy Mayor.

Of the 198 corporators in the civic body, the BJP has 100, Congress 75, JD-S 15 and there are eight Independents.

IANS

Bangladeshi PM asks for early repatriation of Rohingya refugees

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Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has asked for early repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar.

In her speech at the UN General Assembly General Debate here on Thursday, Hasina regretted the fact that repatriation had not started in a permanent and sustainable manner, reports Xinhua news agency.

“Myanmar is one of our neighbours. From the outset, we have been trying to find a peaceful solution to the Rohingya crisis through bilateral consultations,” she said.

“So far, three bilateral arrangements have been concluded between Bangladesh and Myanmar for Rohingya repatriation. Despite their verbal commitment to take back the Rohingya, in reality the Myanmar authorities are yet to accept them back.

“The Rohingya crisis has had its origin in Myanmar. As such, its solution has to be found in Myanmar… We want an early, peaceful solution to the Rohingya crisis,” the Prime Minister added.

The Rohingya in Bangladesh are living in an uncertain situation, she said.

Bangladesh has made arrangements for their food, clothing, health care, child care and security to the best of its ability. Many countries and organisations, including the UN and the Commonwealth, have shown solidarity with the Rohingya and extended support and assistance for them.

Bangladesh has started working on a new housing facility for the refugees.

“So long the Rohingya are not able to return home, they should, as a temporary arrangement, be able to live in a good and healthy condition,” she said.

Hasina called upon international organisations to work with her country in the relocation of the Rohingya to the new facility.

According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), over 720,000 Rohingya, an ethnic Muslim minority living in mostly Myanmar’s Rakhine state, have fled to Bangladesh since violence broke out in August 2017.

They joined another 200,000 Rohingya who earlier fled into adjacent Bangladesh, said the UNHCR.

(IANS)

Parrikar conferred honorary doctorate by NIT Goa

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Ailing Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar was conferred an honorary doctorate by the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Goa, for his contribution to the coastal state and the country.

The honorary doctorate was handed over by Vice President of India Venkaiah Naidu and received on Parrikar’s behalf by NIT Goa Director Ganesh Mugeraya.

Speaking on the occasion, Naidu said that Parrikar is one of the “best ideal political leaders of the country”.

“Manohar, as I could see from earlier days to now, is one of the exemplary characters. Honest, disciplined, very innovative and how could a man who was Defence Minister of the country leave the post to become the Chief Minister of his own state,” Naidu said.

Parrikar is currently admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in the national capital where he is being treated for advanced pancreatic cancer.

The Vice President also wished Parrikar good health.

Lok Sabha Polls 2019 : EC says over 17 lakh VVPAT machines for polls

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The over 17 lakh paper trail machines required for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls will be supplied by the two public sector undertakings (PSUs) by the end of November, the Election Commission (EC) said on Wednesday.

The EC said it is committed to 100 percent deployment of paper trail machines at all polling stations in future Lok Sabha and legislative Assembly elections.

In a statement issued in New Delhi, it said in order to meet the requirement of 100 percent Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines for all polling stations for the Lok Sabha election, it had placed an order of 17.45 lakh units to Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Bangalore, and Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL), Hyderabad.

“Till date, 9.45 lakh units have been produced by the PSUs. Both PSUs have assured the Commission that the remaining VVPAT units (8 lakh) will be manufactured and supplied to the various states/Union Territories comfortably before end of November, 2018,” the statement said.

The statement said the poll panel would like to allay any “unfounded apprehensions” regarding the supply of VVPATs for the Lok Sabha polls in 2019.

The statement is apparently in response to certain media reports reportedly questioning the availability of the machines ordered for the LS polls.

The commission, the statement said, has been consistently and periodically reviewing the status of production and supply of VVPATs with the heads of the two PSUs, as well as the Technical Expert Committee (TEC), to ensure that the design, production and supply activities of all the units of EVMs and VVPATs is streamlined and completed in a time-bound manner.

The commission has enhanced the requirement of additional VVPATs from 125 percent to 135 percent considering the trend of failure rate of the machines in past elections.

“The commission has estimated 171 percent Ballot Units, 125 percent Control Units and 135 percent VVPATs requirements for upcoming Lok Sabha elections… in case of any error in VVPAT, only VVPAT is replaced… in case of any error in Ballot Unit or Control Unit of the EVM, entire set of Ballot Unit, Control Unit and VVPAT is changed, resulting in an increase in requirement of VVPATs than the requirement of Control Units of EVMs,” the poll watchdog said.

VVPAT is a machine which dispenses a slip with the symbol of the party for which a person has voted for. The slip drops in a box but the voter cannot take it home.

The voters see voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) slip for seven seconds, which would be an acknowledgement receipt for the party they voted for in the election.

The Supreme Court has supported the EC endeavour to use VVPATs in a phased manner to usher in more transparency in voting.

PTI

Trump ‘looks forward’ to visiting India: US official

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US President Donald Trump “looks forward” to visiting India but the timing will depend on his other commitments, according to a senior State Department official.

“I am certain that President Trump looks forward to being able to visit India at an appropriate time,” Alice Wells, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia, told IANS in an interview.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited Trump to be the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations next year.

Asked if Trump would come to the celebrations or would schedule his visit for another time, Wells said that the White House will decide taking into account “both the domestic commitments he has here in the US as well as overseas”.

Wells pointed to the steady stream of US officials who visit India as a symbol of the close ties between the two countries at the official level.

“As somebody who helps manage India relationship, it’s amazing the number of cabinet officials and high-level visitors that we have in India every month of the year,” she said.

“That too reflects the density of the ties between our countries that I think we have over 40 major dialogues that take place between our government agencies and departments.”

Modi first met Trump in Washington in 2017, and also at other multilateral meetings.

A military parade is the centre of the Republic Day celebrations and Trump has been a fan of such parades and wants the US to have one, too.

While these parades are held annually across the globe world as part of patriotic celebrations, the US does not have one.

At Trump’s suggestion a parade was scheduled for November on Veterans Day, which honours former servicemen, and this year it would coincide with the centenary of the conclusion of the First World War.

However, having never having held such a parade, the Defence Department postponed it to possibly next year.

(IANS)

JD(S) contest twelve seats in Lok Sabha polls : H Vishwanath

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By Express News Service


For the upcoming general elections in 2019, JD(S) state president H Vishwanath has stated that the party wants to contest for 12 Lok Sabha seats.

Speaking to reporters, Vishwanath informed that the party will carry its alliance with the Congress into the Lok Sabha elections as well. “Besides the 2 seats that the party had won in the 2014 general elections, they wants to contest in 12 more seats. The party has a solid organisation across the state,” he said.

“Naturally, in the state government, the Congress is enjoying the lion’s share because of its number of MLAs. But in the Lok Sabha elections, we want seats based on our organisational strength. So we are demanding 12 seats,” he added.

He also stated that efforts will be made to resolve issues between the activists of both the parties at the grass root level, to ensure better performance in the Lok Sabha elections.

BBMP Mayor election can now live stream

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Bengaluru residents will be able to watch today the election of the BBMP’s new mayor from the comfort of their own homes or offices as the BBMP has made all the arrangements to live stream the entire election process.

According to BBMP commissioner Manjunath N Prasad, on Friday, the webcasting will start at 11 am and will continue till the end of the process. “The election process will be webcast live. It is the first-of-its-kind experiment in the country,” he said.

Sources said that henceforth, the BBMP will webcast all the monthly meeting proceedings of the BBMP live using the webcast technology. “The BBMP has set up a system to webcast all proceedings live at a cost of Rs. 80 lakhs. This can be live streamed on smartphones also,” said an officer.

Triple talaq ordinance murder of democracy: AIMPLB

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The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), the apex body of Indian Muslims, on Thursday termed as ‘murder of democracy’ and an ‘insult to Parliament’ the ordinance brought by the Centre last week making triple talaq a criminal offence.

AIMPLB Secretary Moulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani told reporters here that the government brought the ordinance through backdoor on an issue which was not very important and where there was room for making legislation democratically and through public opinion.

Rahmani, who is also the spokesperson of the board, said the legislation was unacceptable for Muslims. He pointed out that Muslim women have already rejected it.

On whether the board will challenge the ordinance in the Supreme Court, he said the board’s legal committee will look into it as the ordinance will anyway lapse in six months.

AIMPLB member and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, who also addressed the news conference, said the ordinance would lapse the moment Parliament meets for the next session.

Rahmani said the government tried to bring a bill in Parliament, which was an interference in Shariat and was against the rights of women.

He said it was ironic that the government drafted the bill without consulting the community for which the legislation was being made.

The government also turned down the demand of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha to refer the bill to Select Committee which would have given an opportunity to the community or its representative organisations like AIMPLB to put forth their view.

He claimed that the ordinance was bereft of any logic as it seeks to punish a man for a crime which he has not committed.

“The Supreme Court has set aside triple talaq. When you are saying that when a man gives triple talaq, it will not come into effect, then what for you are sending him to jail for three years?” he asked.

Rahmani said criminalization of triple talaq would increase the number of women deserted by their husbands.

Owaisi said that marriage in Islam was a social contract and to apply penal provisions was unconstitutional.

(IANS)

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