ISRAEL PM NETANYAHU: MEND WAYS TO CLOSE DOWN AL-JAZEERA IN COUNTRY
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said, he would look for ways to close down the presence of satellite news station Al-Jazeera in the country. He accused the Qatar-based channel of inciting violence during the current standoff between Israel and Palestine.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the old city of Jerusalem has seen unprecedented tensions in the last few days over Israel’s decision to install metal detectors and other heightened security measures at the compound.
Earlier, the four Arab States led by Saudi Arabia had decided to shutter the presence of Al Jazeera from their countries accusing it of supporting the terror groups like Muslim Brotherhood and Al-Qaeda.
In the ongoing Gulf crisis, one of the major demands by the four Arab States from Qatar is to close down the Al Jazeera Channel because of its alleged affiliations to terrorist groups.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he is concerned about the risk of violence escalating in the Old City of Jerusalem, where recent clashes between Israelis and Palestinians have been the bloodiest in years.
Guterres said in a statement that he is particularly concerned about the potential risk of escalating violence and urges all political, religious and community leaders to refrain from provocative action and rhetoric, and call on Israel to demonstrate restraint
GREETINGS FROM THE GERMAN NATIONAL TOURIST OFFICE, INDIA!
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LOK SABHA DISRUPTED BY CONGRESS & TMC
Opposition members from Congress and Trinamool Congress protested in the Lok Sabha today over incidents of lynching and expulsion of six congress members for five days. They have also raised slogans against Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar about the expulsion of members.
During the Zero hour, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge raised the issue of lynching seeking immediate discussion in the house. He said, the number of innocent people have been killed in lynching incidents in different parts of the country and demanded immediate discussion on the issue. He was supported by the TMC leader Sudeep Bandopadhya and CPM leader Mohd Salim.
Both Mr Kharge and Mohd Salim have given adjournment motion a couple of times though it was rejected by the Speaker Sumitra Mahajan. The Speaker said, she has rejected the adjournment motion but never said that there will not be discussion on the issue.
Responding to Opposition members’ demands, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said the government is ready to discuss any issue at any time and condemned the behaviour of Congress members. Mr Kumar said in spite of tendering apology about the suspension incident, the Congress members are trying to disrupt the House.
ED REGISTERS MONEY LAUNDERING CASE AGAINST LALU & FAMILY
Enforcement Directorate has registered a money laundering case against RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his family members in a railway hotels allotment corruption case during UPA rule.
Official sources said, the case has been registered under sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act taking cognisance of a CBI FIR in this regard.
Earlier this month, the CBI had registered a criminal FIR and conducted multiple searches against the former Bihar chief minister and others.
The ED will investigate the alleged proceeds of crime generated by the accused, purportedly through shell companies.
The case dates back to the time when Lalu Prasad was the Railway Minister in the UPA rule.
In the CBI FIR it has been alleged that Lalu Prasad handed over the maintenance of two IRCTC hotels to a company after receiving a bribe in the form of prime land in Patna through a ‘benami’ company.
MOSUL IN GRIP OF HUMANITARIAN CALAMITY
Mosul – With the battle for West Mosul all but over last week, evidence of a humanitarian calamity that is now just beginning to unravel paints the picture of a crisis that may go well beyond previous expectations, reports IOM Iraq’s Hala Jaber.
Crossing one of the floating bridges over the Tigris River that splits Mosul into twin eastern and western sectors, stark differences emerge quickly as changes in scenery appear unexpectedly.
In this tale of two cities, all indications show East Mosul to be recovering at a rapid pace, with much of its life returning to normal and a significant portion of services restored; West Mosul’s rise from the ashes is expected to take much longer.
From the hustle and bustle of life in the eastern sector, a team from IOM, the UN Migration Agency, crossed the bridge into the eerie, even deadly quiet of West Mosul, in stark contrast to the atmosphere of its twin on the other side of the Tigris, where life is recovering swiftly.
Here, life appears to have stopped.
Rows of houses and neighbourhoods lie in total ruins as far as the eye can see. The carcasses of cars, reduced to smithereens and still parked in front of the shells of what used to be homes, are testament to the ferocious fighting that took place in this part of the city.
Roads that once were jammed with vehicles are deserted and mostly disfigured by mammoth craters. Pavements where children used to play now lie under heaps of rubble. Even stray cats and dogs, which recently used to scurry about these streets and neighbourhoods, have mostly left.
The battle to retake Mosul from ISIL came at a high cost. Entire neighbourhoods of a city tracing its history back to 401 BC now lie in ruin. The Old City is almost a ghost town.
According to the UN, of the 54 residential districts in West Mosul, 15 are “flattened,” with nearly 32,000 houses destroyed in those areas. A further 23 districts are moderately damaged, with nearly half their buildings destroyed. In the 16 neighbourhoods considered “lightly” damaged, there are a combined 16,000 homes destroyed.
In the Old City alone, over 5,500 buildings have been damaged, according to a satellite imagery assessment undertaken by Habitat. Some 490 homes were destroyed in the final weeks of the offensive.
All five bridges straddling the Tigris River have been mangled; many schools and utility grids are in total ruins. Roads and highways struck by heavy shelling are strewn with gigantic craters. Mosul’s airport has been wrecked, as has the city’s historic railway and at least one university.
Officials estimate that nearly 80 per cent of Mosul’s Medical City is now a burnt shell. The Medical City was the largest health facility in the Ninewa governorate, housing several hospitals, a nearby medical school, laboratories and other medical facilities. Explosive devices still litter its floors. Several cars containing undetonated bombs detected by an IOM colleague remain parked inside.
The UN Humanitarian Response Plan for Iraq, issued in February, warned: “The operation in Mosul has the potential to be the single largest humanitarian operation in the world in 2017,” and requested USD 985 million for the year, including the estimated costs of supporting civilians impacted by fighting in Mosul.
By early July, less than half of that amount – USD 440 million – had been received.
IOM continues to provide humanitarian assistance to the tens of thousands of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in its constructed emergency sites at Qayara Air Strip and Haji Ali, as well as to families that remain in host communities outside the camps.
However, with only 33 per cent of IOM’s USD 28.83 million appeal for the Mosul Crisis received – and 34 per cent of USD 47.46 million 2017 appeal for other areas of Iraq – the funding gap may significantly impact future humanitarian operations.
In response to the Mosul crisis, IOM has provided 287,977 medical consultations and treatments since June 2016, and provided life-saving medical devices to health centres serving large numbers of IDPs. Mobile Medical Teams continue to deliver immediate health services in the areas of greatest need.
IOM has also provided psychological services to 49,100 people, and distributed 61,600 non-food item kits to IDPs. The Organization has distributed a further 38,400 kerosene assistance kits and 9,000 boxes of clothes during the past 13 months as well.
IOM is already contributing to the rehabilitation of infrastructure in three retaken towns affected by the Mosul crisis, including: repairs to water networks, agricultural irrigation canals, a health-care centre, and electricity networks as well as school rehabilitation. It is also working to expand its work to additional retaken areas as and when the security situation allows.
To improve shelter conditions, 17,500 tents and 31 rub halls were installed by IOM and 14,415 emergency shelter kits were distributed. Shelter damage assessments have been conducted in villages south of Mosul, as far as Hamam al-Alil, and planned shelter interventions include critical shelter upgrades and rehabilitation of damaged homes.
Nonetheless, tens of thousands of families have been left without homes. Since the beginning of the Mosul operations in October 2016, the cumulative number of IDPs whose locations of displacement and/or return have been identified by IOM’s Emergency Tracking for Mosul Operations (Displacement Tracking Matrix, or DTM) reached 178,695 families, corresponding to 1,072,170 individuals.
Of these IDPs, more than 846,252 individuals (141,042 families) are still displaced. Another 225,918 IDPs have now returned, with an estimated 80 per cent going back to their districts of origin in East Mosul.
Of all the IDPs currently displaced by the Mosul operations, over 360,100 (or 42 per cent) live in camps and emergency sites around Mosul. IOM’s emergency sites host nearly 22 per cent of these individuals.
IOM Iraq Chief of Mission Thomas Lothar Weiss said, “The scale of destruction in West Mosul is enormous and the challenge of reconstruction is no small feat in ensuring the return of hundreds of thousands of displaced Iraqis to their communities and livelihoods. IOM has been on the ground since the start, providing humanitarian assistance, shelter and livelihood support, and is committed to continue with the help of the necessary funding from its donor partners.”
The DTM is collaborating closely with local authorities to extend the tracking system in West Mosul. DTM will focus particularly on setting up a returnee tracking system where levels of displacement affecting West Mosul are greater compared with those on the eastern bank of the Tigris.
The DTM will soon release its report, Mosul Military Operations: Population Movement Analysis (October 2016 to June 2017). The report provides a chronological examination of displacement and return movements that took place during the military operations which started on 17 October 2016.
IOM’s DTM actively monitors displacement across Iraq.
DTM products and information about DTM methodology can be found on the DTM portal: iraqdtm.iom.int
The latest DTM Emergency Tracking figures on displacement from Mosul are available at: http://iraqdtm.iom.int/EmergencyTracking.aspx
For more information, please contact IOM Iraq: Hala Jaber, Tel: +964 751 740 1654, Email:
VIVO PRO KABADDI LEAGUE SEASON 5 TROPHY UNVEILED WITH THE 12 CAPTAINS!
- The opening ceremony, slated for July 28 in Hyderabad, will be preceded by a rendition of the National Anthem sung by Akshay Kumar
- Day 1 will host two matches, Tamil Thalaivas vs. Telugu Titans, and U Mumba vs. Puneri Paltan
HYDERABAD, July 27, 2017: The thrill of electrifying raids and dynamic tackles is just a day away, and the captains of all 12 VIVO Pro Kabaddi teams came together to launch the Season 5 of the league.
Kabaddi stalwarts Anup Kumar, Rahul Chaudhari, Ajay Thakur, Nitin Tomar including international star Meraj Sheykh were among the captains’ present. The first match, on July 28, 2017, will see new team Tamil Thalaivas, led by Ajay Thakur take on Rahul Chaudhari-led Telugu Titans in Hyderabad.
The inaugural ceremony of Season 5 is likely to be a star-studded affair, with eminent sports icons and film personalities expected to attend. Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar will sing a glorious rendition of the National Anthem before the start of the first match of the season.
Gearing up for the 138 exhilarating matches across 13 weeks, the teams have been training fastidiously to prepare for a competitive season. The battle for the league got even more intense with the announcement of a consolidated sum of INR 8 crores as the coveted prize money for the season.
Sanjay Gupta, Managing Director, Star India said, ‘As we stand hours away from the 5th season of VIVO Pro Kabaddi, I am transported back to the day we decided to launch the league. I am filled with immense pride to see how the league has made tremendous impact and grown continuously. It’s now constituted as the biggest domestic sports league with twelve new teams and expanding to new geographies. I look forward to a thrilling season of three months and I am confident that it will make history all over again.’’
Anupam Goswami, League Commissioner, VIVO Pro Kabaddi said, “We are now one day away from the most thrilling season of VIVO Pro Kabaddi ever. I am proud, excited and, at the same time, grateful to the fans, franchises, Star and the federations for supporting us at every step of this journey. I look forward to an engaging season of kabaddi”
Janardan Singh Gehlot, President, International Kabaddi Federation said, “At the Federation, we are eagerly waiting to see how Season 5 of VIVO Pro Kabaddi unfolds. The players and their coaches have invested grueling hours of training to put up a competitive front and give fans an action-packed sport to cheer on for 3 months. We are confident that Kabaddi will continue its upward rise in the days and years to come.”
The season will culminate with the finals slated for October 28, 2017 in Chennai.
From July 28th to October 28th from 7:30 PM onward, fans can catch each match live on the Star Sports network, including the recently launched FTA channel Star Sports First, regional channel Star Sports 1 Tamil, in Kanadda on Star Suvarna Plus, in Telugu on Star Maa Movies and Hotstar.
NITISH KUMAR SWORN-IN AS CHIEF MINISTER OF BIHAR FOR 6TH TIME
Janta Party formed in 1977 after the promulgation of emergency in 1975.
The Janata Party JP was an amalgam of Indian political parties opposed to the State of Emergency that was imposed between 1975 and 1977 by the Government of India under the Prime Ministership of Indira Gandhi and her party, the Indian National Congress (R). In the general election held after the end of the state of emergency in 1977, the Janata party defeated Congress (R) to form the first non-Congress government in the Republic of India
Raj Narain, a socialist leader, had filed a legal writ alleging electoral malpractice against Indira Gandhi in 1971. On 12 June 1975, Allahabad High Court found her guilty of using corrupt electoral practices in her 1971 election victory over Narain in the Rae Bareli constituency. She was barred from contesting any election for the next six years. Economic problems, corruption and the conviction of Gandhi led to widespread protests against the Congress (R) government, which responded by imposing a State of Emergency. The rationale was that of preserving national security. However, the government introduced press censorship, postponed elections and banned strikes and rallies. Opposition leaders such as Jayaprakash Narayan, Satyendra Narayan Sinha, Jivatram Kripalani, Biju Patnaik and Morarji Desai were imprisoned, along with thousands of other political activists. When the State of Emergency was lifted and new elections called in 1977, opposition political parties such as the Congress (O), Bharatiya Jana Sangh, Bharatiya Lok Dal as well as defectors from the Congress (R) joined to form the Janata party, which won a sweeping majority in the Indian Parliament. Narain defeated Gandhi at Rae Bareli in those elections. This Janta Party later split into two mainly Janta Dal and BJP but Janta party after 1980 had little or no impact on Indian politics. Thereafter Janta dal has various offshoots BJD, JD secular, RJD, SP, and many other splinter groups. The regional leaders found their political outfits and the five states has its presence in Bihar JD U, a partner of BJP changed to its RJD has recently gone back to is older allies of BJP. BJP with its neo-leadership now has majority in national assembly with three and half decades of existence and backing of its chief frontal organisation the members are nearly 2Cr across India. BJP state and central rule leadership is building brick by brick across India. PM Modi has gained mass appeal and clinched International acclaim with his spirited ideas and actions which need mass support and action.
PM Modi today dedicated Dr Kalam Memorial at Rameswaram this morning in presence of Tamil Nadu Governor Vidyasagar Rao, chief minister Edapadi K Palaniswamy, Central and State Ministers and other dignitaries.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said making of a developed India in all fronts by 2022, coinciding with 75th year of Independence, would be the true tribute to be paid to Dr APJ Abdul Kalam.
Prime Minister in a public rally appealed that all 125 crore Indians should contribute to realise the dream of a developed India. In the rally, Mr Modi inaugurated a slew welfare measures and development schemes.
Prime Minister in a public rally appealed that all 125 crore Indians should contribute to realise the dream of a developed India. In the rally, Mr Modi inaugurated a slew welfare measures and development schemes.
He distributed sanction letters to fishermen for getting Long Liner Trawlers. For the scheme under the Blue Revolution initiative, the Centre has sanctioned 200 crore rupees towards distributing 300 trawlers in the first phase, and 86 crore rupees has been allocated by the state as its share.
Prime Minister Modi said the scheme would help Indian fishermen to go deep into the sea and enhance their economic activities besides avoiding crossing international maritime borders that often leads to detention.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also flagged off a weekly train between the pilgrim centres of Rameswaram and Ayodhya. He dedicated to the nation a 9.5 kilometers long stretch of National Highways linking the Dhanuskodi island with the mainland. Dhanuskodi remained virtually cut off since the devastating cyclone 53 years ago.
In his address, Mr Modi said a progressive India is possible only with the states progressing. He added that the Centre is working closely with all state governments including the Tamil Nadu administration.
He said Eighteen Thousand Crore rupees has been spent on making lakhs of youth of the nation skilled in the past three years. He expressed hope that the ambitious Sagar Mala scheme would help generate plenty of jobs including those living in coastal areas.
Mr Modi asked the Tamil Nadu Government to send proposals for housing schemes for the needy and promised that the Centre would consider them favourably. He said an estimated 8 lakh families are in need of housing and added that the Government is spearheading initiatives to meet the need
JD(U) President Nitish Kumar was today sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Bihar for the sixth time and BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi was sworn-in as the Deputy Chief Minister. Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi administered him the oath of office and secrecy at Raj Bhavan in Patna.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated Nitish Kumar on taking over as Bihar Chief Minister. In a tweet, Mr Modi said, he is looking forward to work together for Bihar’s progress and prosperity.
A special session of the Bihar Assembly has been convened tomorrow for Mr Nitish Kumar to prove his majority on the floor of the House. The decision was taken in the state cabinet chaired by Mr Kumar.
Nitish Kumar had resigned as the Chief Minister last evening citing irreconcilable differences with RJD on corruption charges against Lalu Prasad’s son and former Deputy CM Tejaswi Prasad Yadav.
Later, the JDU President joined hands with the BJP to form a new government in the state. He was elected the leader of the JD(U)-NDA alliance at a meeting at his residence. After the meeting, Mr Kumar and Mr Sushil Modi drove to the Raj Bhawan to stake claim to form the new government.
With the support of 132 MLAs, NDA enjoys a comfortable majority in 243-member State Assembly where 122 MLAs are requited to prove majority.
Meanwhile, Tejaswi Yadav met the Governor early this morning to register protest over Nitish Kumar being invited to form the government ahead of the RJD, which is the single largest party in the state.
RJD has also convened a meeting of legislators this evening to chalk out a strategy in view of the political scenario in the state. State Party President Ramchandra Purve said, under the leadership of Tejaswi Prasad Yadav, the party will discuss various issues.
Congress has also convened a meeting of its legislators. The meeting will be chaired by senior party leader CP Joshi.
RJD Chief Lalu Prasad said, Nitish Kumar joined hands with BJP to ensure raids by CBI and Enforcement Directorate on RJD leaders.
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has said, Nitish Kumar has betrayed the people of Bihar by joining hands with the BJP.
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