Two schoolgirls gang-raped; nine persons in police custody

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The girls, students of ninth and tenth standards, were raped at a house near Cheriyazheekkal at Vallikkavu in Karunagappally on December 4 and 5

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Adoor: Two schoolgirls were brutally gang-raped with their hands and legs tied. Adoor police have taken into custody nine persons in connection with the incident and a search is on for two others. The accused are natives of Karunagappally, Cheriyazheekkal, and Clappana. They are said to be members of a sex racket.
The girls, students of ninth and tenth standards, were raped at a house near Cheriyazheekkal at Vallikkavu in Karunagappally on December 4 and 5, the police said.
On December 4, one of the accused, who was an acquaintance of the family of one girl, contacted them over phone. Then they were brought to Cheriyazheekkal beach in an autorickshaw. From there, they were taken to the house of a 'friend'. At the house, four persons raped one of the girls after tying her hands and legs with a shawl.
They also tried to take the other girl to a lodge, but she protested. So they locked her in  a room.
The accused later took the girls back to Kadambanad in a car. They asked the girls not to reveal the matter to anyone and to bring their friends next time.
On December 5, one of the accused went to the house of the girl who had refused to go to lodge the previous day. He knew the girl's mother, and told her that he was taking the girl for counselling. He then took the girl to the house at Cheriyazheekkal, called his friends, and raped her too.
At school, one of their friends came to know of the matter and informed a teacher. The school authorities contacted the Child Welfare Committee, Pathanamthitta, and the committee lodged a complaint with the Enath police.
A police team led by Adoor CI M G Babu took the accused into custody on Thursday night and collected evidence. After medical examination, the girls were produced before the Magistrate Court, Tiruvalla, and their statements recorded.
As per the directions of the court, the victims were lodged in a shelter home. After receiving hints that the accused are part of a sex racket, the police have intensified investigation.
Meanwhile, there are already allegations that the police and the authorities are trying to save some of the accused.

Women in Saudi Arabia vote for first time

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Women also stood as candidates, another first, despite the conservative kingdom being the only nation where women were not allowed to drive, BBC reported.

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Riyadh: Municipal elections began on Saturday in Saudi Arabia in which women cast their votes for the first time.

Women also stood as candidates, another first, despite the conservative kingdom being the only nation where women were not allowed to drive, BBC reported.

A total of 978 women have registered as candidates, alongside 5,938 men.

Female candidates had to speak behind a partition during campaign appearances or be represented by a man.

About 130,000 women have registered to vote, officials said. That figure still falls well short of male voter registration, which stands at 1.35 million.

Salma al-Rashed was the first woman to register to vote. "It felt really good," she told BBC.

"Change is a big word but the election is the way to make sure we are really represented."

Elections themselves are a rare thing in Saudi Arabia -- Saturday will be only the third time in history that Saudis have gone to the polls.

There were no elections in the 40 years between 1965 and 2005.

The decision to allow women to take part in election was taken by late King Abdullah and is seen as a key part of his legacy.

The results of the elections are expected to be announced later on Saturday.

Scuffles erupt at Ukraine's parliament; PM dragged from post

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Dozens of lawmakers from Yatsenyuk's party rushed to defend the prime minister and scuffles erupted.

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Oleh Barna, a Ukrainian lawmaker from the Block of Petro Poroshenko, second left, tries pull Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenuk out from the podium during his speech at a parliamentary session in the Parliament in Kiev, Ukraine/AP

KIEV, Ukraine: Scuffles involving several dozen lawmakers have erupted atUkraine's parliament after one deputy tried to drag the prime minister away from the rostrum.
Arseniy Yatsenyuk was giving his report at the Supreme Rada on Friday when a deputy from the president's party went up to the rostrum with a bunch of red roses. After he handed the roses to Yatsenyuk, Oleh Barna took him by the waist and put his hands around his leg, trying to drag him away as Yatsenyuk clutched onto the rostrum.
Barna has been collecting signatures for the resignation of the highly unpopular Yatsenyuk.
Dozens of lawmakers from Yatsenyuk's party rushed to defend the prime minister and scuffles erupted.
Barna's party said later Friday they have expelled him from the parliamentary faction over the incident.
AP

National Herald slugfest could derail reforms

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It is unfortunate that at a time when Modi adopted a conciliatory tone in parliament, a member of his party acted in a manner which introduced fresh complications in the relations between the BJP and the Congress. It is almost as if the right hand does not know what the left is doing.

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There are unlikely to be any outright winners in the latest confrontation between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress over the National Herald case which entails a legal battle involving Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

What is more, there will be an unsavoury twist to the case with less than comforting implications for the BJP if the Congress's crown prince carries out his threat of courting imprisonment. Even if the ruling party dubs such an act as theatrical, it will be aware that the sight of Rahul Gandhi behind bars cannot but be embarrassing for the BJP.

Such a dramatic turn of events may fuel speculation that the absence of a sound legal defence has compelled the Congress to turn the encounter into a political duel. But such tricks of the trade are an acceptable part of democratic politics. For the BJP, the immediate problem will be the future of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill since the Congress is bound to use the charge of being a victim of political vendetta to stall parliament.

It is a provocative tactic which seemingly suits Rahul Gandhi's post-sabbatical belligerence which is increasingly resembling his late uncle Sanjay Gandhi's confrontational brand of politics. If the fate of the GST Bill is sealed for the time being, the BJP may wonder whether the penchant of the maverick in its ranks, Subramanian Swamy, to involve his adversaries in court cases may have backfired.

The BJP may argue that Swamy has been acting on his own in pursuing the National Herald case and that it is mean-minded of the Congress to mix up the GST Bill with its own legal difficulties in a Goebbelsian manoeuvre, as Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has said. But, since democracy is known to be messy, the case for the compartmentalization of its various aspects may not be foolproof.

As it is, the Congress has found a supporter in Mamata Banerjee even if she is playing her own game of keeping the Congress away from a possible alliance with the Left in West Bengal before next year's assembly elections.

Besides, both the Congress and the Trinamool Congress have a point in saying that the interest which the central authorities have shown in the National Herald case is not visible in the Vyapam and the public distribution system scams in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, which are governed by the BJP.

Nothing demonstrated the extra interest that the authorities have taken in the National Herald case more clearly than the transfer of an Enforcement Directorate official who had dismissed the charges against the Congress leaders. The transfer was quickly followed by the appointment of another official and the revival of the case after Swamy had accused the previous incumbent of having been favourably disposed towards the Congress.

It is now up to the judiciary to address the nitty-gritty of the affair. But public interest will be focussed more on how the political skirmishes unfold than in the details of the case.

As Sonia Gandhi's comment that she is Indira Gandhi's daughter-in-law shows, she and her party have in mind the blunder committed by the Janata government in 1977 when it tried to implicate the doughty former prime minister in legal tangles.

Indira Gandhi's spirited response - like a sherni or lioness, as was said at the time - paved the way for the Congress's return to power in 1980.

History may not always repeat itself - or does so in the form of a farce, as Marx said - but even if the Congress under Sonia Gandhi is not what the Congress was under Indira Gandhi, the BJP also is not as much of a winner as it was last year, as its massive defeats in Delhi and Bihar have shown.

The party has also exhibited a vindictive streak as its cases against Teesta Setalvad for her role in aiding Gujarat's riot victims show. Its acts against reputed NGOs like Greenpeace also underline a similar mentality. Its claim, therefore, that the Narendra Modi government is no more than a bystander in the face-off between the Congress's big guns and Swamy, who is a member of the BJP's national executive, will not be widely believed.

For all practical purposes, therefore, it is going to be a Tom and Jerry show with neither emerging with flying colours. Each side will try to hit the other where it hurts the most - the Congress by creating a ruckus in parliament even if it earns the reputation of being petty-minded, and the BJP by arguing that none in the Congress's first family - Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Robert Vadra - is above the law.

The endless slugfest, however, between the two "national" parties (although neither has a presence in all parts of the country) carries the threat of not only derailing the reforms - Swamy has suggested that the GST can be dumped for the sake of fighting corruption - but also of fostering the impression that the parliamentary system is becoming unworkable.

It is unfortunate that at a time when Modi adopted a conciliatory tone in parliament, a member of his party acted in a manner which introduced fresh complications in the relations between the BJP and the Congress. It is almost as if the right hand does not know what the left is doing.

India, Japan ink MoU on peaceful use of nuclear energy

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The MoU was inked by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi poses with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe for photographers before their meeting, in New Delhi/AP

New Delhi: India on Saturday inked an MoU with Japan on civil nuclear energy and announced that the deal was not just about commerce and clean energy but also a sign of mutual confidence and partnership for a secure world.

The MoU was inked by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe.

"No friend will matter more in realising India's economic dreams than Japan. We have made enormous progress in economic cooperation as also in our regional partnership and security cooperation," said Modi after signing the deal.

Stating that there was deep value for the strategic partnership between Japan and India, Modi said: "Shinzo has been prompt and positive on our economic proposals many of which are now unique to India. Japanese private investments are also rising sharply."

The two countries also inked two deals on security operations to deepen defence relations and for defence manufacturing.

Abe said: "We have taken relationship to a new level."
 

Deportation for absent expats under study

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 RIYADH: The Passport Department in cooperation with the ministries of labor and interior are studying possible penalties, including deportation, for expatriate workers who are absent from work without valid reasons.
The Passport Department also wants expatriates living in the Kingdom for more than six years to record their fingerprints and other biometric details, Sulaiman Al-Yahya, director general of the department, was quoted as saying by a local publication on Thursday.
Al-Yahya said expatriate workers are obliged to fulfill their contractual obligations and can only be absent for health or other valid reasons. However, if their employers harm them they can file complaints with the Labor Ministry, the police or business chambers, he said.
He said expatriate workers also cannot leave their current employers to work for other companies if this is in contravention of labor legislation. This would result in their employers asking the police and other government bodies to take action against them, he said.
He said that the department wants to ensure that the rights of workers and employers are protected, and urged them to register on the Labor Ministry’s Absher system.
If an employer registers a report on the system that an employee is absent, then the worker is informed immediately. This can help resolve disputes, with the worker then immediately being able to challenge the report if it is untrue, he said.
He said that all services would soon be delivered by mail for citizens and residents. To make use of this system, everyone has to register their addresses with the Passport Department, he said.
Al-Yahya said the department is poised to launch a series of new e-services soon to facilitate services for citizens and residents, so that there is no need to visit offices in person.

Hate crime: US woman throws coffee at praying Muslim men

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 CASTRO VALLEY, California: A California state worker has been caught on video making anti-Islamic slurs and then throwing coffee and an umbrella at a group of Muslim men praying at San Francisco Bay Area park.
KNTV reported Wednesday that East Bay Regional Park District spokeswoman Carolyn Jones says the district’s police officers were forwarding their investigation to the district attorney’s office for review.
Jones said prosecutors will then decide whether to charge Department of Corrections administrative worker Denize Slader.
Slader’s actions at Lake Chabot Regional Park in Castro Valley were captured on video and posted on Facebook by Rasheed Albeshari.
Online news site NBC Bay Area reported that park police have recommended misdemeanor battery charges to prosecutors.
It also said the Department of Corrections, where Slader works, is also investigating the allegations.
It quoted East Bay Regional Park District spokeswoman Carolyn Jones as saying, It is legal to pray in the park, and talk to people in the park. It is not legal to hit people in the park."
In the video, Slader is heard saying Albeshari’s “people have tortured” others.
"Your mind has been taken over, brainwashed. You have nothing but hate," she screamed.
At that point, a park ranger arrives and tries to pacify Slader.
Albeshari is then heard saying that "this lady is talking about my God." He said the woman talked against Allah.
When she noticed that she was being filmed, the woman lunged toward Albesharri.
NBC Bay Area quoted Jones as saying the woman threw coffee and her umbrella at Albesharri.
Albeshari told the KNTV there is no question that what happened was a hate crime.
"This lady and the people who think her way are the ISIS of America. They're a minority group...they don't represent America."
NBC Bay Area said the Department of Corrections, where Slader works, is also investigating the allegations.
It quoted Department of Corrections spokesman Luis Patino as saying the agency "expects its employees to abide by a code of conduct that includes respecting the rights of others regardless of personal characteristics including ancestry and religion.
“In addition to the police investigation, an internal CDCR investigation into the incident is ongoing,” Patino told the site in an e-mail.
Slader's hate-crime comes just days after a Muslim couple massacred 14 people attending a holiday party in San Bernardino, California.
The massacre has also led Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to proposed that Muslims be banned from entering the United States, eliciting condemnations at home and abroad.
NBC Bay Area quoted Slader as bragging that many people in the Bay Area support Trump.

Grand mufti lauds soldiers for protecting Saudi borders

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RIYADH: Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh has commended the nation’s soldiers for not only guarding the Saudi borders but also protecting the Islamic religion.
“The soldiers positioned at the Saudi borders are protecting religion, the country and the Ummah and fighting for the sake of Allah,” Al-Asheikh said.
The grand mufti made the statement during a campaign organized by King Saud Medical City (KSMC) recently to donate blood for the soldiers.
The campaign was in cooperation with the General Secretariat of the Council of Senior Ulema (Scholars) under the slogan “The valiant soldiers, we are all with you.”
Al-Asheikh, also the head of the Permanent Committee for Islamic Research and Issuing Fatwas, advised the troops “to fear Allah because you’re a Mujahideen fighting on Allah’s behalf.”
For his part, Sheikh Dr. Abdullah Al-Mutlaq, adviser at the Royal Court and member of the High Council of Ulema, told the soldiers, “You, at the border areas, are better than the world we live in now.”
On the other hand, Dr. Fahd Al-Majid, secretary general of the Council of Ulema, lauded the efforts of KSMC got organizing the blood donation drive.
“This blood donation campaign has two messages. One is for the whole country and its citizens regarding the importance of blood donation,” he said. Dr. Al-Majid added that the other is “for the soldiers to know and understand that we are totally in support of them,” adding that the blood donation drive has generated a lot of interest.
Dr. Haitham Al-Falah, KSMC executive director, added that the campaign “comes as a matter of national duty since it’s for soldiers who care for our comfort and protection.”
He thanked the General Secretariat of the Council of Senior Ulema for their participation in the campaign.

‘Sudden’ cut in expat work force rejected

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 RIYADH: A sudden and drastic cut in the expatriate work force to provide jobs for young unemployed Saudis would harm the national economy, according to a senior Labor Ministry official.
Deputy Labor Minister Ahmad bin Salih Al-Humaidan said this move would be unwise because 85 percent of the labor market consists of expatriates. “Such measures, if taken, would harm the labor market which mostly caters for private sector needs and consequently harm the national economy.”
He made the comments at the 7th Riyadh Economic Forum (REF), in response to calls from participants for the government to take drastic measures to solve youth unemployment.
“The private sector is our major partner in providing jobs for Saudis, so it is not wise to harm it that way. We rather prefer a gradual phasing out of the foreign work force to solve the problem of Saudi unemployment,” he said.
At its conclusion here on Thursday, the forum adopted more than 24 recommendations after three days of discussions by Saudi experts, businesspeople, and government officials.
Among the recommendations include setting up of special courts to resolve jurisdiction over disputes; and a committee of local and international experts to be formed to overhaul the justice system.
The forum also recommended that a special body be set up, which would report to the Council for Economic and Development Affairs, that would secure and oversee funds used to build information technology infrastructure in line with moves toward developing a knowledge economy.
The participants also recommended that the 30,000 small businesses in the country should be assisted to become part of the e-retailing system in the country; and for a national computing institute to be set up in Riyadh to provide e-learning courses.
It was also recommended that the government and private sector start establishing short and long term goals for the use of renewable energy across all sectors of the economy.

Zuckerberg’s defense of Muslims floors Erdogan

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 ISTANBUL: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday praised Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg for emphasizing the difference between Islam and terror, after the billionaire posted a message defending Muslims against discrimination.
Erdogan, who once threatened to ban Facebook in his country, used his official page on the website to respond to Zuckerberg both in Turkish and in English.
“I highly value Mark Zuckerberg’s message for pointing out the profound difference between Islam and terrorism since these two concepts are often mentioned in the same breath these days,” he wrote.
“As I always express on different platforms, Islam is a religion of peace. Murderous networks that abuse Islam for their self-serving goals are massacring innocent people every day, particularly Muslims.”
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Zuckerberg said that the Muslim community should not have to fear being “persecuted for the actions of others” following attacks in Paris and elsewhere carried out by extremists.
“If you’re a Muslim in this community, as the leader of Facebook I want you to know that you are always welcome here and that we will fight to protect your rights and create a peaceful and safe environment for you,” he said.
The supportive message came just days after Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump caused international outrage by demanding a ban on Muslims traveling to the United States.
Erdogan, who was elected president last August after ruling Turkey as premier for over a decade, has in the past made no secret of his disdain for social media, vowing to “eradicate” Twitter ahead of local elections in March 2014.
The government blocked Twitter and YouTube days before March 2014 local elections after they were used to spread a torrent of audio recordings implicating Erdogan and his inner circle in an alleged corruption scandal.
He had at the time raised the option of a ban on Facebook, arguing that his opponents were using the social media site to attack him.
But the Turkish strongman appears to have softened his stance in recent times.
His official Facebook page is now used regularly to post his speeches and statements, while Erdogan in February even finally began tweeting from the official handle @RT_Erdogan.