SUPREME COURT REVOKES INSTANT DIVORCE
Supreme court with five benches judge has abandoned the practice of instant divorce by calling Talaq three times, in Islam this way of divorce is unconstitutional, thus relief to Indian Muslim women marking a major victory for women’s rights activists.
The apex court gave a 3-2 majority verdict India’s Supreme Court also stayed the practice.
India is countries with 20 Cr Muslim population, in men dominated society where a Muslim man can divorce his wife in minutes by saying the word talaq (divorce) three times.
This historical court decision came after it considered petitions challenging the so-called “triple talaq” custom. Debate on instant divorce cached heated aruguments between the conservatives and liberal Muslim family. Thus cases were filed by five Muslim women who had been divorced this way and two rights groups.
Three of the judges called the controversial practice “unIslamic, arbitrary and unconstitutional”. The court has also asked parliament to legislate on the issue.
ANTI ROHINGYA TENSIONS ARE ON THE RISE IN RAKHINE STATE
nksagar_1@yahoo.com
Aug 21 at 3:00 PM
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AMBASSADOR TALMIZ AHMAD ADVISER, WEST ASIA & NORTH AFRICA, ANANTA CENTRE
I Political Developments1. Qatar: On 30 July, the foreign ministers of the four Arab states that cut ties with Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt, met in Bahrain to discuss the diplomatic crisis. It was the second meeting for the foreign ministers since the countries cut diplomatic ties and transport links with Qatar on June 5. After their meeting, the four foreign ministers held a joint press conference, saying that the bloc will continue to keep current measures against Qatar in place, but are open to dialogue with the Gulf state if it shows a willingness to change its position and complies with their demands.
Bahrain’s Foreign Minister, Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa, read a statement by the ministers that said: “The four countries are ready for dialogue with Qatar on a condition that it announces its sincere desire to stop supporting and funding terrorism… and implements the 13 demands that ensure peace and stability in the region and world.”
The list includes demands like Qatar should stop financing terrorism, and that it also shuts down its flagship Al Jazeera news network, which the quartet say has been used by Qatar to promote its policies. Other demands include closing a Turkish military base in Qatar, limiting ties with Iran, expelling Islamist political opposition figures and paying restitution for victims of terrorism allegedly linked to Qatar. At issue is Qatar’s support for opposition groups like the Muslim Brotherhood, which Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt deem a threat to their ruling systems and have labelled a terrorist organization.
Qatar has rejected the list as an affront to its sovereignty, but has vowed to combat terrorism financing and in recent weeks issued a decree revising the country’s counterterrorism laws.
Separately, Kuwait has launched one more initiative to re-open dialogue between the estranged GCC members. A Kuwaiti delegation of high-ranking royal family members has been sent across the region to deliver letters written by Kuwait’s ruler to the UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt. According to Kuwaiti sources, the latest effort is an attempt to establish direct dialogue between the two sides. The letters are seeking a clear statement about what demands the boycotting states are unwilling to compromise on and what Qatar must do to end the rift. Their response is expected to be sent to the Qatari leadership to assess their willingness to negotiate on the demands. A sticking point in any attempt to start talks between the two sides is Qatar’s refusal to negotiate before the boycott is lifted.
2. Iran: On 10 August, Reuters reported that the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, will travel to Vienna later this month to discuss Iran’s nuclear activities with IAEA officials. Under U.S. law, the State Department must notify Congress every 90 days of Iran’s compliance with the nuclear deal. The next deadline is October and President Trump has said he thinks by then the United States will declare Iran to be noncompliant.
The U.S. review of its policy toward Iran is also looking at Tehran’s behaviour in the Middle East, which Washington has said undermines U.S. interests in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon. The United States, Britain, France and Germany have complained several times to the United Nations, most recently last week, about Iran’s ballistic missile launches, which they contend are “in defiance” of a 2015 U.N. resolution enshrining the nuclear agreement.
In the backdrop of the escalating crisis with North Korea, the last fortnight continued to see comments by regional and American writers on the Trump administration’s confrontation with Iran and its overt commitment to pursue regime change in that country. Mark Fitzpatrick, who was Deputy Assistant Secretary of State at the time of the war with Iraq in 2003, wrote: “The US appears now to be heading toward an analogous situation regarding Iran. Unfounded assumptions, false claims and ideologically-tinged judgements are driving a confrontational approach that could well lead to another war in the Middle East, this time against a more cohesive adversary.”
Amir Handjani of the Atlantic Council has said that Trump’s rejection of the nuclear agreement “could force the Iranian leadership to believe that nuclear weapons are essential for their survival. This is precisely the situation that the United States faces presently with North Korea, which virtually holds East Asia hostage because of its nuclear arsenal.”
Farhang Razaei, Ankara-based scholar of Iranian affairs has suggested that the hostile attitude of the Trump administration could push Iran in a “pivot to the East”, orienting its economy toward Russia, China and the other countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. The SCO is viewed by Iran as a more reliable trade and political partner, particularly since the two countries are partners in Syria in support of the Assad government.
China’s ambitious “One Belt, One Road” project is also seen as very attractive, given that Iran is the centre of both its land and sea projects. In 2016, Iran and China had agreed to increase trade to $600 billion in the next ten years. China’s investments in Iran since the second half of 2016 have increased by 43.5 percent. China has also promised to invest $30 billion in Iran’s gas and oil fields, and another $40 billion in Iran’s mining industry.
3. Iraq: To balance Iran’s influence in Iraq, Saudi Arabia is forging ties with Iraq’s Shiite leaders and is offering to help fund the reconstruction of Mosul and other predominantly Sunni Muslim cities that were devastated in the military campaign against the ISIS. The kingdom has reached out to Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and controversial Shiite scholar, politician and militia leader, Muqtada al-Sadr who, at the end of July, held talks in Jeddah with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Al-Sadr has criticized powerful Iranian-sponsored Shiite militias fighting the Islamic State alongside the Iraqi army as well as Iran’s backing of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
On the Iraqi side, Al-Sadr and Al-Abadi hope that Saudi Arabia will not only help in funding reconstruction of predominantly Sunni Muslim cities that have been left in ruins by the campaign against the Islamic State, but also in building bridges to the Sunni community that feels that it has been marginalized since the 2003 overthrow of Saddam Hussein’s minority Sunni regime.
Fanar Haddad, the distinguished commentator on Iraq’s sectarian divide, has said that Sadr’s visit was, first, a message to his competitors in Iraq’s increasingly fragmented Shiite political scene. The Riyadh visit and the fact that Sadr was hosted at the highest levels of the Saudi establishment will underline his international relevance and burnish his prestige and credentials as an Iraqi statesman.
Again, Haddad notes that Sadr’s visit has demonstrated to Iran — and to Iran’s allies and proxies in Iraq/Sadr’s political rivals — that he not only has options, but he can even push back against Iran and has the power to potentially hurt Iranian interests in Iraq. Thus, Sadr seems to be positioning himself for a pivotal role in Iraq’s political scene after the forthcoming elections.
The opening of border posts is another sign of the thaw in Saudi-Iraq ties: work on reopening the border crossing between Iraq and Saudi Arabia at Arar has been completed and there are plans to open the other seven crossings, the first openings since the Iraq-Kuwait war.
On Iraq’s battlefields, attention is shifting to Tal Afar, 40 km to the west of Mosul, where ISIS fighters are still in control. A senior Iraqi general, Najim al Jubouri, has predicted a relatively easy victory for his forces in the upcoming battle as, in his view, the 2,000 ISIS fighters and their family members are “worn out and demoralised”.
The city, with about 200,000 residents before falling to Islamic State, experienced cycles of sectarian violence between Sunnis and Shi’ites after the U.S – led invasion of Iraq in 2003 and produced some of Islamic State’s most senior commanders. It has also become the focus of a wider regional struggle for influence. Turkey, which claims affinity with Tal Afar’s predominantly ethnic Turkmen population, opposes the involvement of Shi’ite paramilitary groups fighting with Iraqi forces, some of which are backed by Iran.
4. Yemen : On 7 August, there were reports that thousands of Yemeni troops were conducting a clearing operation aimed at driving Al Qaeda militants from one of their major strongholds in southern Yemen. The offensive in Shabwa Province had started a week earlier and included about 2,000 Yemeni forces backed by dozens of advisers from the United Arab Emirates, and a handful of United States Special Operations commandos providing intelligence and planning assistance. This operation is the latest phase of a heightened campaign against the Yemeni militants since President Trump took office.
As pressure on the Houthis increases, the US commentator Bruce Reidel believes that “Iran is gradually increasing its support for the Houthi rebels in Yemen”. He points out that, rather than eliminating the Iranian presence in the country, “the Saudi-led war is giving Tehran the opportunity to become more influential there than ever”. He says that earlier this year, the powerful head of the IRGC’s Quds Force, Gen. Qasem Soleimani, ordered an increase in aid to the Houthis, including more advisers and experts on the scene and more technology-sharing with the Yemeni forces. Naval mines, anti-tank missiles and drones are among the items sent, as also ballistic missile technology and expertise.
According to Reidel, the IRGC has suffered some casualties in Yemen: at least 23 Iranian soldiers have been killed or captured and another 21 Hezbollah fighters have been lost; Iran is now also sending Afghan Shiite fighters to Yemen, just as it has done in Syria.
Separately, in communications of the UAE Ambassador in Washington, Yousef al Otaiba, that have been leaked recently and published in sections of the US media, Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, is quoted as wanting the war in Yemen to end. The crown prince made these comments to Martin Indyk and Stephen Hadley. (Indyk was a high-level diplomat during both the Clinton and Obama administrations and Hadley a top adviser to former President George W. Bush.)
Indyk relayed the conversation to the UAE Ambassador in Washington. Indyk is also quoted as saying that the crown prince is “ok with the US engaging Iran as long as it’s coordinated in advance and the objectives are clear.” Commentators believe that this position could end the Yemen conflict and possibly even the Saudi stand-off with Iran.
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MIGRATION NEWS FROM SOUTH ASIA
National Multi-Stakeholder Consultation on the Global Compact on Migration in Colombo, Sri Lanka, 25 August 2017
In September 2016, the UN General Assembly adopted the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants, through which heads of States and Governments committed themselves to developing a Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, to be adopted in 2018. The Sri Lankan National Multi-Stakeholder Consultation on the Global Compact on Migration will take place on 25 August 2017 in Colombo and its outcome will feed into the regional consultation for Asia Pacific to be conducted by UNESCAP on 6–8 November 2017 in Bangkok. For more information about the regional consultation, click here: http://bit.ly/2wgJB2l
UNFPA Lecture Series on Population Dynamics and Sustainable Development in New Delhi, India, 25 August 2017
UNFPA India has planned a lecture series to analyse the interlinkages between Population Dynamics and Sustainable Development. The themes of the lecture series this year will include urbanization, migration, demographic change and demographic dividend. The inaugural lecture, scheduled to take place in Delhi at the UN Conference Hall, on 25 August 2017, will be on the topic ‘Urbanization 2030: Emerging Population Issues and Policy Perspectives’. The discussions will cover population dynamics of urbanization in India in the coming years, including rural-urban linkages, migration, and use of data for urban planning. Access the abstract and agenda for further information: http://bit.ly/2iiGyRz
UNFPA India has planned a lecture series to analyse the interlinkages between Population Dynamics and Sustainable Development. The themes of the lecture series this year will include urbanization, migration, demographic change and demographic dividend. The inaugural lecture, scheduled to take place in Delhi at the UN Conference Hall, on 25 August 2017, will be on the topic ‘Urbanization 2030: Emerging Population Issues and Policy Perspectives’. The discussions will cover population dynamics of urbanization in India in the coming years, including rural-urban linkages, migration, and use of data for urban planning. Access the abstract and agenda for further information: http://bit.ly/2iiGyRz
NEPAL INDIA’S SWITZERLAND 80,000 MW CLEAN ENERGY WATER AIR
August22, 2017 (C) Ravinder Singh progressindia2015@gmail.com
This inventor view Nepal as Switzerland of India – which shall provide 80,000 MW of Clean Hydro Power, 250 BCM of Clean Water for about 300m sub Ganga Basin Population.
Just Hydro Power 400 BU a year @ 10 cents per unit and 250 BCM of Clean Regulated water alone are $50b Nepal’s resources and India is its exclusive market.
Every year Mighty Rivers originating in Nepal flood 30% to 40% of sub Ganga Basin. Multipurpose Dams – Producing 400,000 MU of electricity every year shall deliver 250 BCM of Clean Regulated water.
When Rail, Road and Tourism infrastructure is established – it could be $20b annual Tourism Potential and 90% originating from India. We could see Bullet Trains packed with tourists arriving in Nepal every holiday season and weekends.
Food Processing, Transport, Housing, Hotels & Resorts, Financial Services Industries too shall come up.
India-Nepal Goods and Services Trade may exceed $100b in 15-20 years.
When UAE can attract Best Investments & Technologies – and DEVELOP why can’t India and Nepal learn from Dubai experience?
We should let Japan Develop India’s Bullet Train Network as an Example – than some Politician dictating ‘Commercial Decisions’. When Japan started developing its Bullet Train network in 1962-65 its per capita GDP was about $2000 or so.
Hoover Dam was built in 4 years – Sardar Sarovar Dam is not ready in 30-40 years. Nepal should engage best Contractors in the world for Dams – let Nepal & India subcontract.
Two old important articles are attached here regarding Hydro Power in Nepal and Switzerland Like Clean Water & Air.
This applies to Himalayan States of India also from J&K to North East.
Ravinder Singh, Inventor & Consultant, INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES AND PROJECTS
Y-77, Hauz Khas, ND -110016, India. Ph: 091- 9871056471, 9718280435, 9650421857
Ravinder Singh* is a WIPO awarded inventor specializing in Power, Transportation,
Smart Cities, Water, Energy Saving, Agriculture, Manufacturing, Technologies and Projects
INADEQUATE PROJECT MANAGEMENT SKILLS CAUSING INDIA, LOSS OF RS1.71 LAKH CRORE
- Project Management can help India save loss of 1.71 lakh crore, says Project Manager’s Association president Dr A S Pillai
- The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation states, country lose money worth crores due to project delays
- PMA is in conversation with various government agencies to make the Project Manager’s certification programme mandatory to escape the losses incurred due to project delays
- PMA is currently training The Delhi Metro, Indian Oil Corporation and National Thermal Power Corporation etc.
New Delhi, August 21, 2017: Mr A S Kiran Kumar, Chairman ISRO today inaugurated Project Managers Global Summit on “Propelling Sustainable Growth Through Competent Project Management” (21-22 August 2017) at Hyatt Regency, New Delhi.
Project Managers Global Summit, 2017 is a global event which provides an international platform to various sectors to discuss about best practises, latest updates in project management, success stories through lectures, presentations and panel discussions.
Industry Stalwarts and thought leaders like Mr A S Kiran Kumar, Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Dr A Sivathanu Pillai, (Padma Bhushan) Former CEO & MD, BrahMos Aerospace, Mr G Sateesh Reddy, Scientific adviser to Raksha Mantri & Mr K S Jamestin, VP PMA ONGC Ltd.
Speaking at the event, Dr Pillai said, “India is a growing economy and the success of leading programs like ”Make in India” is vital for maintaining growth trajectory of the nation. In order to realise this, it is pertinent that we follow the proven methods and techniques of Project Management, to control time and cost overrun.”
He added that the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation states that government has registered loss of around Rs 1.71 lc crore reported due to project delays. “It is sad that the country is losing such humongous amount only due to inefficiency and training skills. We can help the government to escape this by training professionals through PMA.”
Chairman ISRO, DR Kumar supported the statement. He said, “Training of a project manager is not a new concept. It has been there for years now. Institute project management approach in the space programme was started by Sara Bhai. We all have been trained and this is the reason for our successful programmes.”
Stressing on the need of making Project Manager’s certification mandatory, Dr Pillai said that we are in continuous talks with government bodies to seek a policy level engagement with PMA that can help the nation overall. “We are hopeful that the government do something about this”.
About PMA: PMA India is the Sole Member Association of the International Project Management Association (IPMA) in India. PMA is a registered society, established in 1993, with the vision to çreate a Project oriented India (POI)’which fervently supports the objectives and initiatives of the Govt. of India.
With a wide network of 14 chapters across the country, PMA has awarded certifications to over 5500 professionals.
For further details or clarifications:
Sujoy Kumar Chowdhury, 9810629170
PEOPLE OF NARMADA VALLEY WRITE LETTERS TO PRIME MINISTER
Various Organisations from Madhya Pradesh and People of Narmada Valley write letters to Prime Minister; Demand unconditional release of Medha Patkar, Santu, Vijay and Dhurji
MP Govt wilfully delaying the release of Medha Patkar, Case dairy not produced in the High Court on time
Rehabilitation related cases by Narmada Oustees faces judicial delays, Next Hearing on September 7
Non-cooperation continues in the rehabilitation work as Govt maintains silence on Andolan’s demands
Badwani, Madhya Pradesh | August 21, 2017: A letter writing campaign to Prime Minister was undertaken in numerous villages of Narmada Valley demanding withdrawal of all criminal cases and unconditional release of Medha Patkar, Santu, Vijay, and Dhurji, NBA activists lodged in jail since August 9th. They gave detailed picture of the incomplete and unjust rehabilitation work and asked, “will the lakhs of people be drowned without complete and just rehabilitation? Will the lives of lakhs of people be sacrificed to pay the price of Development? Will you accept the drowning of lakhs of trees and cattle in independent India ?”
Along with these critical questions, they also requested the prime minister to take a serious note of the demands raised by the 32-year-long struggle, Narmada Bachao Andolan, and direct the Madhya Pradesh government to accept the ground-reality and complete just rehabilitation as per the NWDT Award and Supreme Court judgements of the 192 villages and one township affected from Sardar Sarovar Dam in Madhya Pradesh. Kisan Sangharsh Samit and many other organisations held demonstrations and also wrote letters to Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan with similar demands.
Administrations delaying tactics, keeping Medha Patkar and other activists in jail
NBA condemns the Madhya Pradesh government’s attempts to keep Medha Patkar in prison through various delaying tactics. She has been in prison since August 9th. She was jailed after her release from the Indore Bombay Hospital same day. Since that day, administration has wilfully delayed and also imposed a number of false charges aganst her including that of kidnapping government officials on Day 7th of her indefinite fast. Last week, she was produced in the Kukshi court through video conferencing after a days delay on account of link failure where she was denied bail. Even today, the government delayed the bail proceedings in the Indore High Court by not producing the case diary. The bail application will now be heard later this week sometime, as we write there is no clarity on this.
NBA intensifies struggle
On August 19, 2017, approximately 5000 people marched to the office of the SDM, Kukshi, and submitted a memorandum detailing about the illegal arrest of Medha Patkar, Santu, Vijay, and Dhurji, and asked for their unconditional release immediately. The march was organised as part ofjail bharo andolan by the NBA, challenging the numerous false cases filed by the Badwani and Dhar police against 2500 people from different villages. These are nothing but the intimidation and an attempt at muzzling the dissent and provoking the non-violent struggle of the people. NBA demands that State immediately withdraws these cases otherwise whole valley is ready to voluntarily go to jail. The Andolan remains committed to the struggle for justice and warns the government of non-cooperation in rehabilitation work if it does not release the arrested people immediately and withdraws cases. The project affected people have already started to refuse any assistance in the official work unless there is concrete dialogue on the demands raise by the Andolan. Yesterday, people politely asked the rehabilitation survey team to go back as MP government has still not acted on the people’s demands.
NBA intensifies struggle
On August 19, 2017, approximately 5000 people marched to the office of the SDM, Kukshi, and submitted a memorandum detailing about the illegal arrest of Medha Patkar, Santu, Vijay, and Dhurji, and asked for their unconditional release immediately. The march was organised as part ofjail bharo andolan by the NBA, challenging the numerous false cases filed by the Badwani and Dhar police against 2500 people from different villages. These are nothing but the intimidation and an attempt at muzzling the dissent and provoking the non-violent struggle of the people. NBA demands that State immediately withdraws these cases otherwise whole valley is ready to voluntarily go to jail. The Andolan remains committed to the struggle for justice and warns the government of non-cooperation in rehabilitation work if it does not release the arrested people immediately and withdraws cases. The project affected people have already started to refuse any assistance in the official work unless there is concrete dialogue on the demands raise by the Andolan. Yesterday, people politely asked the rehabilitation survey team to go back as MP government has still not acted on the people’s demands.
In High Court Today
Today, on August 21, 2017, the case regarding the arrest of Medha Patkar under section 365 was scheduled for the hearing. However, the office of Advocate General deliberately misinformed the Kukshi police station to produce the case diary (case no. 9029/17) on 22nd August, and not on August 21 – the day of the hearing. Thus police failed to produce the case diary on time and thereby delaying any decision on the case. Senior advocate Anand Mohan Mathur brought to notice this delay to the court at 10:30 AM and requested to proceed with the trial, the Honourable Justice then asked the government lawyer to arrange the case dairy by afternoon and adjourned the hearing till then. But till 4 PM, government lawyers didn’t produce the case diary in a clear attempt to delay the hearing in the matter. As per the latest reports, the hearing of the case has now been rescheduled to August 23, 2017. This only shows the desperation of the government and every attempt at keeping Medha Patkar in jail. NBA would like to make it clear that the governments delaying tactics is not going to dampen the spirit of struggle. They can delay proceedings but can’t defeat us.
Case in Indore High Court on the R&R
The Indore High Court has now given another date in the ongoing SLP filed by the Oustees of Narmada Valley, with regard to incomplete R&R as per the orders of Supreme Court and NWDT Award. The next hearing will be on September 7, 2017. The question on our minds is, can the lives of lakhs of people be sacrificed in the name of development? Will the people of Narmada Valley get justice before the government fills the Sardar Sarovar Reservoir to its full capacity by October 10, 2017 ? Can we silently allow the drowning of the age old Narmada Valley civilization, with lakhs of people, centuries-old villages, millions of trees, livestock, sites of religious and archaeological importance this easily ?
Narmada Bachao Andolan remains steadfast in its resolve to fight this injustice and is not going to allow the governments to perpetrate this injustice. Our struggle has inspired many across the word and we know that they are all with us in this time of crisis.
We request you all to take action and sign this petition and spread the word https://tinyurl.com/y9tto9oj
Bhagirath Dhangar, Deven Tomar, Sanobar Bi Mansoori, Kailash Yadav, Surbhan Bhai, Rohit Thakur, Kamla Yadav, Ranveer BhaiContact: 9179617513 | 9867348307
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