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Women can be inducted into National Defence Academy from next year, Centre informs Supreme Court

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Women can be inducted into National Defence Academy from next year, Centre informs Supreme Court

The Centre on Wednesday informed the Supreme Court that the decision to induct women into the National Defence Academy has been finalized. The Government of India, however, has requested the Court to exempt the current academic year to admit women candidates, citing the need to make infrastructural changes.

Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati made this submission before a bench led by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul said, “There’s a good news. A decision has been taken at the highest level of forces and government that girls will be inducted for Permanent Commission through NDA.”

“Please grant status quo in this exams as this needs procedure and infrastructural changes”, the ASG submitted seeking time to make the required procedural changes. 

The court was additionally informed that the decision had been taken following requisite consultation with the three Service Chiefs.

The bench has now asked the ASG to place the developments on record through an affidavit.

“Armed forces are respected forces of this country. But on gender equality they have to do more”, observed Justice Kaul. 

“We are extremely glad to know as ASG submits that Armed Forces have taken a decision to induct females in NDA and other issues are being examined…We complement the ASG for taking a pro-active approach in persuading Armed Forces to take a gender-equal approach,” said the Bench further.

The Court had passed an interim order on August 18 for allowing women to appear in the NDA exams on a provisional basis. The order was basis a writ petition filed by Kush Kalra, who argued that the exclusion of women from NDA was arbitrary, discriminatory and unconstitutional.

Currently, women are recruited in the defence services as short service commission officers. 

Pakistan madarsa educated Hasan Akhund, who sanctioned the destruction of Bamiyan Buddhas, is new Afghan PM: A Profile

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan madarsa educated Hasan Akhund, who sanctioned the destruction of Bamiyan Buddhas, is new Afghan PM: A Profile

On September 7, the Taliban announced Mohammad Hasan Akhund would be the head of the new Taliban government in Afghanistan. Akhund is on the UN sanctions list, where he is described as a “close associate and political advisor to Mullah Mohammad Omar, the first leader of the Talibani movement. American intelligence records describe his career as “one of the most ineffective and unreasonable Taliban leaders.”

He was previously the foreign minister and deputy Prime Minister during the Talibani regime in the country from 1996-2001. Since allied forces took control of the country in 2001, Akhund was head of the Rehbari Shura or the leadership council that was responsible for all the decisions of the radical group. Because of his position in the group, he had a say in military affairs during the 20-year long war with allied forces. Notably, the Rahbari Shura council of leaders, or Quetta Shura, was formed after allied forces under the US’s leadership took control of the country in 2001.

His name was announced as the Prime Minister by Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson, Taliban. He had further named Abdul Ghani Baradar as the Deputy Prime Minister of the country. According to reports published in Reuters, Akhund is often known to be highly respected by fellow Talibs, especially by Haibatullah Akhunzada, the third head of Taliban.

Believed to have been born in the village of Pashmul, in Kandahar province’s Argandab, Hassan Akhund reportedly studied at a seminary in Pakistan before joining the Hizb-e-Islami’s Khalees faction during the anti-Soviet Union resistance.

Akhund was born in the village of Pashmul, Argandab province, Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban. He reportedly studied at a seminary in Pakistan. Later he joined the Khalees faction of Hizb-e-Islami during the anti-Soviet Union resistance. Akhund is believed to be linked to the Pashtun lineage from Ahmad Shah Durrani, who was the founder of modern Afghanistan from the 1700s. Some experts suggest that Akhund is in his mid-60s or maybe older. He is considered more of a religious figure rather than a military or political one.

Akhund is believed to be one of the original 30 members who founded the Taliban. He was the person who had sanctioned the destruction of Bamiyan Buddhas, as per reports.

Abdul Ghani Baradar was also in the race to become the Prime Minister as he was head of the Taliban’s political office in Doha. He led talks with the United States leading to the deal between the two nations and finally the withdrawal of allied forces from Afghanistan.

Actor Siddharth says cricket was better before Dhoni and Kohli and ‘PR’, fans aren’t too pleased

OpIndia Staff
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Actor Siddharth says cricket was better before Dhoni and Kohli and ‘PR’, fans aren’t too pleased

Rang De Basanti actor Siddharth on wee hours of Wednesday tweeted how he was missing the Indian cricket which has now become ‘toxic’. He was speaking about cricket before the emergence of the IPL and cricketers like MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli.

In two tweets, he claimed that with the “new generation of demi god worship mixed with administrative and PR power”, it is not the cricket he ‘worshipped’ and now ‘toxicity reigns’. He later added how he missed the time when Rahul Dravid played cricket and wished for him to come back and “dignify Indian cricket again”.

Fans give befitting reply

However, Indian cricket, IPL, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and cricket fans in general were not too happy with the tweet.

Some pointed out how the actors, whose also endorse products and are part of the same PR rung, should not really be pontificating on sportspersons.

As some said, if the means of earning are ethical, one really shouldn’t have issues.

Some pointed out how the cricketers Siddharth was being nostalgic about were also part of advertising and PR game.

Twitter user Vijay Arumugam recalled how in 2002 cricketers like Dravid, Tendulkar and others did not agree with ICC’s ambush marketing clause and were not in a mood to let go of revenue. He pointed out how in 2002, the Indian cricketers made about 60% of their earnings through endorsement deals.

However, as he pointed out as well, there is nothing wrong in an individual securing their income.

And some other realities of the good ol’ times.

‘PhD, Master’s degrees not valuable, mullahs are greatest of all without any degree’: Claims the new Taliban Education Minister in Afghanistan

OpIndia Staff
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‘PhD, Master’s degrees not valuable, mullahs are greatest of all without any degree’: Claims the new Taliban Education Minister in Afghanistan

Three weeks after Kabul fell at the hands of the Taliban, the newly appointed Minister for Higher Education Sheikh Molvi Noorullah Munir rejected the relevance of higher education in Afghanistan.

In a video that has now surfaced on social media, Munir claimed that Mullahs (Islamic clerics) are the greatest of all despite having no higher education degrees. “No PhD degree, master’s degree is valuable today. You see that the Mullahs and Taliban that are in the power, have no PhD, MA or even a high school degree, but are the greatest of all,” he emphasised.

On Tuesday, the Taliban announced the names of cabinet members of the interim government, which will rule the ‘Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’ till a permanent government is constituted. It will be led by Mullah Mohammad Hasan Akhund (Prime Minister) and two of his deputies, namely, Mullah Abdus Salam and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. The acting Prime Minister was chosen by the supreme leader of the Taliban aka Maulvi Haibatullah Akhundzada.

Ban on co-education, segregation of classes on the basis of gender

Earlier, it was reported that the Islamic fundamentalists banned co-education in Herat, which is the third-largest city of Afghanistan under Taliban rule. The Talibs had described co-education as the ‘root of all evils in society. This was, in fact, the first ‘fatwa’ issued by the Taliban after its takeover. Further, it was decided that women lecturers would be allowed to teach only female students and not male students. The decision was taken after a meeting was held between professors, owners of private institutions and Taliban leaders.

After British MI6 chief, CIA chief and Russian NSA visit India for discussions over Afghanistan

OpIndia Staff
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After British MI6 chief, CIA chief and Russian NSA visit India for discussions over Afghanistan

As the focus of the global intelligence community remains fixated on Afghanistan, two top officials from the USA and Russia visited India for discussions on security issues. CIA Chief Bill Burns arrived in India on September 7 to have a discussion on key security issues with Ajit Doval, National Security Adviser, and India’s security establishment amidst the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan. Following the visit of the US NSA, Russian NSA Nikolay Patrushev also visited New Delhi for talks with Indian NSA Doval.

Reports suggest that the conversation between Burns and Doval was centred on Terrorism from Pakistan and the situation that is unfolding in Afghanistan. Burns will go to Islamabad on Wednesday.

There is growing security concerns for both India and the US at regional and global stage as the Taliban has taken back control of Afghanistan. Burns’ visit seems to be highlighting these security concerns. Notably, protests broke in Kabul, Mazar-e-Sharif and Zaranj against the Jihadi regime as it announced Panjshir had fallen. It is believed that the attack on Panjshir was with support from Pakistan. The neighbouring country has also believed to have brokered a deal between various Taliban factions in the presence of Faiz Hameed, ISI chief who was in Kabul on September 6.

Sirajuddin Haqqani has been named as the interior minister of the Taliban government. Notably, he is a designated global terrorist, but he is not the only one in the Taliban’s new cabinet who has been named on the list of terrorists. Several other Talib leaders who are going to hold key positions in the government have their names on the global list of terrorists. UNSC committee chaired by India will soon decide on the Taliban sanctions in the next few weeks.

Security expert Nitin A. Gokhale while discussing India visit of the Security Agencies’s heads, said in a tweet, “What does it say about New Delhi’s role in the region that both the CIA Chief and Russia’s powerful security czar are in India at the same time.”

The prime concern for India at the moment is the spike in Pakistan’s infiltrations into India. As Burns visit wrapped up, Nikolay Patrushev, Russian NSA, arrived in India to have consultations on Afghanistan with Doval. By the time this report was written, a high-level meeting between Doval and Patrushev had already started in Delhi.

Earlier, Chief of British MI6 Richard Moore also visited India to discuss the ongoing situation in Afghanistan. Gokhale wrote, “One more visitor to New Delhi may have gone unnoticed in the past week: the Chief of British MI6, Richard Moore. It is anybody’s guess what he wanted in India after the UK appears to have blatantly sided with Pakistan over the situation in Afghanistan.”

India has already exchanged noted on Taliban-ruled Afghanistan with the security chiefs from the US and UK, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to meet General Nikolay Patrushev, often called the right-hand man of Russian President Vladimir Putin. It is going to be a follow-up of the conversation between PM Modi and President Putin over the telephone on August 24. Gen Patrushev came to India at the invitation of NSA Ajit Doval. Reports suggest he is also scheduled to meet Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar. As per reports, issues related to Pakistan, China and Afghanistan would be in focus during the meeting.

NDTV quoted an official saying, “Like any other country, even Russia wants an inclusive government in Afghanistan and has made it clear that they also hope that Afghan soil would not be a source of terror emanating to the other countries of the region.”

Russia still maintains an embassy in Kabul, however, it is seriously concerned about long-term security concerns in the Jihadi group-led regime in Afghanistan. On Monday, Kudashev had expressed his concerns over terrorism stemming from Afghanistan spreading to Kashmir after the Taliban took over the nation. He said India and Russia shared concerns over terrorism and Afghanistan should not become a source of spreading terrorism.

West Bengal: 3 Bombs hurled at BJP MP Arjun Singh’s house near Kolkata

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: 3 Bombs hurled at BJP MP Arjun Singh’s house near Kolkata

On September 7, unknown miscreants hurdled three crude bombs outside the house of BJP MP Arjun Singh in the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. Notably, when the bombs were hurdled at night on Tuesday, security personnel were present outside the premises.

The bombs were allegedly thrown by three men on a bike at the home of the BJP MP at Jagatdal, around 100 km from Kolkata. The incident took place around 6.30 am. State BJP BJP chief Dilip Ghosh has said the assailants are most probably from Trinamool Congress.

Singh was not at his home at the time of the attack and was in Delhi. However, his family was present in the house. The police have reached the spot and scanning CCTV footage to identify the miscreants. As of now, the motive behind the attack is unclear, as per the reports. The additional police force from Barrackpore Commissionerate has been deployed outside his residence.

West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar expressed his anguish over the attack. He said in a tweet, “Wanton violence in WB shows no sign of abating. Bomb explosions as this morning outside the residence of Member Parliament Arjun Singh are worrisome on law and order. Expect prompt action, West Bengal Police. As regards his security, the issue has earlier been flagged.”

West Bengal BJP has claimed that the ruling party Trinamool Congress was behind the attack. On the other hand, TMC has refuted the claims and said it was due to the internal quarrel between Bengal BJP.

Singh was also attacked in April by a mob in Belgachia, North Kolkata. He had deemed it as a planned incident. He also alleged that when his security personnel tried to disperse the mob, someone fired gunshots.

French cement company Lafarge paid ISIS terrorists millions to keep Syria factory running, can be charged with ‘crimes against humanity: Details

OpIndia Staff
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French cement company Lafarge paid ISIS terrorists millions to keep Syria factory running, can be charged with ‘crimes against humanity: Details

French cement behemoth Lafarge could be charged with ‘crimes against humanity’ in Syria’s civil war after the highest court in France on Tuesday overturned a decision by a lower court to dismiss the charges.

Lafarge, now part of Swiss group Holcim, is under formal investigation in France after it acknowledged that its Syrian subsidiary paid middlemen to negotiate with terror groups in their efforts to keep their factory running in the country after conflict erupted in 2011.

While in its internal investigation, the company admitted that its Syrian subsidiary financed armed groups to help protect staff at the plant in Syria, it has rejected a host of charges against it, including that it was complicit in committing ‘crimes against humanity’ by financing the terrorist groups.

In 2019, the Paris Court of Appeal had dismissed the ‘crimes against humanity’ charge, asserting that the financial dealings by the company were not aimed at funding Islamic State’s grisly agenda of torturing and killing innocent people.

However, it did rule that the company be charged on three counts—financing terrorism, violating an EU embargo and endangering the lives of others. The verdict was challenged by 11 former employees of Lafarge Cement Syria(LCS) at the court of Cassation, with the help of NGOs.

On Tuesday, the court of Cassation overturned the lower court’s judgement on complicity, stating that “one can be complicit in crimes against humanity even if one doesn’t have the intention of being associated with the crimes committed.”

“Knowingly paying several million dollars to an organisation whose sole purpose was exclusively criminal suffices to constitute complicity, regardless of whether the party concerned was acting to pursue a commercial activity,” the court observed.

The court also noted that “numerous acts of complicity” would go unpunished if they adopted a more lenient approach in interpreting crimes.

Lafarge is accused of paying over 13 million Euros to ISIS to keep its Jalabiya plant running after other French companies had left the country.

But the ruling does not mean that Lafarge would automatically face trial on the charge of “crimes against humanity”, one of the most serious crimes laid against a French company in a foreign country in recent years.

The court sent the matter back to investigating magistrates to review the complicity charge.

The top court also quashed the lower court’s decision of maintaining the charge of endangering others, asserting that it was unclear whether the French Labour Law could be applied in the current case.

However, the court did uphold the charge of bankrolling terrorism, which Lafarge had tried to have dismissed.

Along with the company, eight Lafarge executives, including former CEO Bruno Laffont, are also charged with financing a terrorist group and/or endangering the lives of others, as per reports.

Lafarge left Syria in September 2014 after the terrorists of the Islamic State captured its plant in Jalabiya, about 15 kilometres northeast of the regional capital Aleppo.

However, Lafarge is not the only company that has been accused of complicity in crimes against humanity for its efforts to continue its operations in a foreign country.

Earlier in 1990s, twelve Nigerians filed a case against energy giant Shell in a US Court, accusing it of assisting extra-judicial killings, torture, rape and crimes against humanity in the Niger Delta. However, in 2013, the US Supreme Court had dismissed the case, saying they did not have jurisdiction in the matter.

Shikhar Dhawan and Aesha Mukerji separated after eight years of marriage, Aesha shares emotional Instagram post

OpIndia Staff
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Shikhar Dhawan and Aesha Mukerji separated after eight years of marriage, Aesha shares emotional Instagram post

Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan and Aesha Mukerji have reportedly parted ways after eight years of marriage. The news of the batsman’s divorce has come as a shocker to his fans as the couple is very popular, often cited on social media as “couple goals”. 

Dhawan tied the knot with Mukerji in 2012 and had a son with her named Zoravar. Mukerji was earlier married to an Australian businessman and has two daughters from the first marriage.

Aesha Mukerji took to Instagram to share her ordeal. Mukerji began her lengthy post by sharing how she thought ‘divorce was a dirty word until she became a two-time divorcee.’

Aesha Mukerji’s Instagram Post

She then went on to share her experience with handling divorce which made her feel like a failure. “I felt as if I had let everyone down and even felt selfish. I felt that I was letting my parents down, I felt that I was letting my children down and even to some extent I felt as if I was letting God down,” she said in her post. 

She also confessed that having to go through it the second time is going to be terrifying for her. “Being divorced once before already, felt like I had more at stake the second time round. I had more to prove. So when my second marriage broke down it was really scary. All the feelings I felt when I went through it the first time came flooding in. Fear, failure and disappointment x 100. What does this mean for me? How does this define me and my relationship to marriage?” Mukerji expressed in her Instagram post. 

Mukerji had been sharing several posts around divorce on Instagram for the past few months. On June 09, she posted that divorced women should not feel sad for their decision and rather feel empowered for choosing themselves.

Aesha Mukerji’s Instagram post from June 09

Dhawan on Tuesday too shared an Instagram post talking about ‘loving ones work.’

Shikhar Dhawan’s Instagram Post

“It takes complete dedication, and love towards work to succeed,” he said in his post. His fans flooded the account with ‘stay strong’ messages wishing the cricketer all the luck for his future.

Dhawan after recently leading India in a limited-overs series in Sri Lanka, is all set to play the Indian Premier League 2021 in UAE for Delhi Capitals.

After Joe Biden, US State Dept shows signs of declining mental health, expresses disappointment over lack of women in Taliban govt

OpIndia Staff
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After Joe Biden, US State Dept shows signs of declining mental health, expresses disappointment over lack of women in Taliban govt

Even as reports of atrocities carried out by the Talibs on women, who are often given sub-human treatment by the Islamist group, emerge from Afghanistan after the Jihadist group took over, US state department in what appears to be tone-deaf misplaced priorities issued a statement expressing ‘disappointment’ over lack of women in Taliban government.

According to a report by The Hill, the US State Department issued a statement after Taliban announced new government formation in Afghanistan. The statement said that the government announced by Taliban “consists exclusively of individuals who are members of the Taliban or their close associates and no women.” 

Mullah Hassan Akhund has been made the acting Prime Minister of Taliban government and US most wanted and Pakistan spy agency ISI’s favourite Sirajuddin Haqqani of Haqqani network is the Interior minister.

The Taliban does not quite hold women in high regards especially because of stricter implementation of the Islamic Sharia. In a recent video, one of the Taliban leader was seen comparing women to watermelon to justify wearing hijab. Explaining the importance of the hijab, the Talibani official says: “Do you buy a sliced melon or an intact melon. Of course the intact one. A woman without a hijab is like a sliced melon.”

Soon after taking over Afghanistan, Taliban covered up posters of women and whitewashed them. They had claimed they would give women the rights under the Sharia. In the previous Talibani government, women were subjected to public flogging in the late 90s. The Taliban had also placed a ban on music and imposed severe punishments on those who violated the Sharia law, such as chopping off the hands of thieves, lashing women in public and stoning people over the allegations of adultry.

Considering that, the fact that US State Dept lamented over lack of women representation in the government, was more reflective of the woke and ‘liberal’ privilege it has. The irony was not lost on netizens who pointed it out.

Some thought The Hill headline was that of The Onion, a popular satire website.

Netizens also pointed out how Taliban really doesn’t quite care about what the US State Dept thinks about women representation in their government.

Oops. Looks like they didn’t see this coming.

Clearly, sorted priorities.

There have been speculations of declining mental health of US President Joe Biden especially after the bizarre comments given by him in recent past. US journalists have often wondered if Joe Biden is showing more signs of dementia and a man in decline as his stammering, stuttering and a complete lack of coherence after his recent townhall meeting.

In August 2021, after Taliban took over Afghanistan, experts again raised questions over his declining mental health after he confused facts about his own son. During the interview with Stephanopoulos, Joe Biden claimed incorrectly that his late son Beau served in the Navy in Afghanistan before correcting himself that he served in the Army in Iraq. The moments where he committed the gaffes were not aired but were revealed in the transcript that were revealed.

Joe Biden has earlier suffered from two brain aneurysms and a heart condition that causes dizziness and confusion.

Jewel heist in France: Bvlgari showroom robbed in Paris, suspects fleeing in BMW arrested

OpIndia Staff
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Jewel heist in France: Bvlgari showroom robbed in Paris, suspects fleeing in BMW arrested

On Tuesday (September 7), the police in Paris nabbed three men on the suspicion of looting a high-end jewellery store to the tune of $12 million (10 million euros). The armed robbery was carried out at a Bvlgari store in Place Vendome in Paris, a neoclassical square that epitomises French luxury.

As per reports, a group of three armed men stormed into the newly revamped jewellery store before midday. Equipped with sharp suits, they carried out the heist and then escaped in a BMW car. Four other accused fled on scooters. The French police tracked the three accused down near the Les Halles shopping mall, which is located about 3 km away from the Bvlgari boutique. The cops opened fire at their car, forcing them to flee on their feet. They were eventually arrested while a manhunt had been launched to apprehend the other accused.

While speaking about the matter, police officer Noura B. informed, “It’s not the first time Place Vendome is targeted…These weren’t (just) pistols they were armed with. Using large guns, taking that kind of risk … is something that happens rarely.” The Bvlgari store was recently renovated for expansion onto the Place Vendome, besides the inclusion of marble columns to highlight Roman origins. The boutique is owned by Bernard Arnault’s LVMH. Reportedly, several jewellery stores were targeted in the Place Vendome area recently, with a heist of $2.4 million in July at a Chaumet Store and another at Dinh Van.

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