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With $230 million deficit, United Nations could run out of money by October end, warns UN chief Antonio Guterres

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The United Nations is running a deficit of $230 million and could run out of money by the end of this month, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday.

In a letter addressed to the 37,000 employees at the UN secretariat, Guterres said unspecified “additional stop-gap measures” would be needed to pay salaries and entitlements to employees.

“Member states have paid only 70% of the total amount needed for our regular budget operations in 2019. This translates into a cash shortage of $230 million at the end of September. We run the risk of depleting our backup liquidity reserves by the end of the month,” he wrote.


The UN Secretary-General Guterres said member states of the international body have only paid 70 per cent of the total amount needed for regular budget operations in 2019.

In a bid to cut costs, the UN chief also proposed postponing conferences, meetings and also reducing services. He also mentioned restricting official travel to only essential activities along with taking measures to save energy.

Reportedly, Guterres had asked member states earlier this year to increase contributions to the world body citing cash flow problems but the proposal was rejected. He said the ultimate responsibility for the UN’s financial health lies with the member states and only their funding can help sustain operations.

Besides the amount it pays towards peacekeeping operations, the report stated that the UN’s operating budget for 2018-19 is close to $5.4 billion.

Early in January, United Nations chief Antonio Guterres had warned of a liquidity crunch situation and had held te member nations responsible. Guterres had stated that U.N. member states owe nearly $2 billion in peacekeeping funds and the USA is responsible for a third of that amount.

The United States is responsible for 22 per cent of the $5.4 billion regular budget for 2018 and 2019 and more than 28 per cent of the $6.7 billion peacekeeping budget for the year to June 30.

According to UN officials, the United States owed $381 million to the regular budget as of January 1 and $776 million to the peacekeeping budget.

However, President Donald Trump had lamented that Washington is shouldering an unfair burden of the cost of the United Nations and had advised the UN to reform its operations.

Adding to that, the United Nations owes money to some contributing countries. The UN owes India $38 million, the highest it has to pay to any country for the peacekeeping operations as of March 2019. As of March 31, 2019, the total amount payable to troop- and police-contributing countries with respect to active peacekeeping missions was $265 million.

The top contributing countries are India, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and Rwanda. The respective countries pay their troops according to their national salary scales and are reimbursed by the United Nations. As of July 2018, the UN paid $1,428 a month per soldier.

According to a report written by UN chief Guterres in April this year, the UN owes $38 million to India, followed by Rwanda ($31 million), Pakistan ($28 million), Bangladesh ($25 million) and Nepal ($23 million).

Rajasthan: Dussehra procession attacked with stones, curfew imposed in Tonk as Hindus demand arrest of stone pelters

On Tuesday, a tense situation occurred in Malpura town in Tonk district of Rajasthan, after members of a community allegedly resorted to severe stone-pelting during the Dussehra procession, which led to delay in the burning of Ravan effigy.

According to the reports, the Hindus in the area were taking out a Dussehra procession on Tuesday and were confronted by members of another community near a high Muslim concentration area near Saadat Chowraha. A heated argument broke out between two groups resulting in communal clashes as members of the community pelted stones at the procession of Hindus.

Soon, police forces were deployed in Malpura town after clashes erupted. After the stone pelting attack, the Hindus reportedly protested and refused to carry out the procession any further, demanding immediate arrest of the accused. They complained that despite similar incidents of stone-pelting and attack last year, the police officials failed to provide security and ensure such incidents are not repeated.

Kanhiya Lal, the BJP MLA of Malpura protested outside the police station along with more than 150 members of the community. The protestors insisted that they should be provided security to continue their procession from the same area where they were attacked by the mob.

The situation did not improve till late night in Malpura even as senior officials reached the town to pacify protesters. Some shops were also torched during the clashes.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42hQSgWPHF4]

Reportedly, the burning of the effigy was delayed after severe protests by the Hindu communities as the protestors were firm on their stand that they will not burn the effigy unless the stone pelters were arrested. Later, the police officials accompanied by some municipal workers burnt the Ravana effigy early morning today. A curfew has been imposed from Wednesday morning and the internet has been shut down.

Reports state that the police have also restricted internet services in the area and banned newspapers.

Speaking to Times Of India, IGP (Ajmer Range) Sanjib Kumar Narzary said that some people were taking out a Dussehra procession when they had a heated argument with a member of another community. The verbal spat took a violent turn as the two communities clashed with each other and pelted stones. Even as the police resorted to the use of force to disperse the agitators, the local leaders staged a protest outside the police station and demanded arrest of those who attacked the procession.

“Some people are protesting outside the station, we are talking to them to find out a solution. The situation is now under control and no fresh incident of violence has been reported,” Narzary said.

The police officials further said that they have detained six people for further questioning. The police added that additional forces have been deployed in the wake of clashes. The CCTV footages have been recovered to nab the culprits, said a senior police official.

DNA shuts down its Mumbai and Ahmedabad print edition, takes the digital route

On 9th October 2019, DNA announced that it would be taking the digital route and shutting down its print version in Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

DNA note by Editor

In the Editor note published in the print edition, DNA has said that there is a thin line between its digital and print readership. With the overlap in both and their younger audience preferring to consume news digitally, it has decided to discontinue its print version in Mumbai and Ahmedabad and turn completely digital.

The print edition of DNA Mumbai and Ahmedabad are said to stop its publication from 10th October 2019.

The next offering that DNA is planning after going completely digital is launching its mobile application for better and more convenient consumption of news.

DNA was launched in 2005 published in English from Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Pune, Jaipur, Bengaluru and Indore in India. In 2010, it had discontinued its edit page that used to contain editorials, analysis and opinions. DNA, which is owned by the Zee Group has had financial troubles in the recent past.

In an interview with ET Now, Zee MD Punit Goenka allayed investor fears surrounding debt mounting on the Zee Entertainment, saying that his company aims to pay back the outstanding amount in the next three months through asset divestment, ahead of the six-month extension given to them by lenders.

The media industry is going through a massive churn with several cost-cutting measures and channels shutting down. Recently, Anil Ambani owned BTVI had unceremoniously stopped its operations and transmission. There was news of DailyO, India Today’s opinions website also shutting shop due to its targets not being met and had sacked its entire editorial staff. Scroll.in too had sacked a large part of its editorial staff.

USA starts imposing visa bans on Chinese officials tied to mass detention of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang

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The Donald Trump administration has started imposing Visa ban on the Chinese officials who are involved in the mass detention and repression of Uighur Muslims and other minority Muslim groups in China and especially, in Xinjiang. This is the latest step in the string of steps being taken by the United States of America (USA) in what Secretary of State Michael Pompeo has called “the stain of the century.”

According to the USA State Department, there is a Visa ban on those government officials and members of the Communist Party of China who was directly or indirectly involved in the abuse of Uighurs, ethnic Kazakhs and other minority Muslim groups in the far western region of Xinjiang.

“The Chinese government has instituted a highly repressive campaign against Uighurs, ethnic Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and other members of Muslim minority groups,” Pompeo said in a statement Tuesday. “The United States calls on the People’s Republic of China to immediately end its campaign of repression in Xinjiang.”

According to the Immigration and Nationality Act, the State Department has the authority to deny Visa to any individual, whose entry into the United States of America would have a negative impact on the foreign policy of the USA. While the list of names cannot be revealed by the authorities, they have confirmed that the names have been added.

China has not responded kindly to the USA imposing Visa restrictions. The Chinese Embassy in the United States of America took to Twitter to express its strong opposition to the steps taken by the USA.

In a series of tweets, the Chinese Embassy said that China does not have the human rights problem that the USA is claiming. In fact, it went a step further and said that the USA is making these claims up so it can use them as a pretext for justifying its interference with internal matters of China.


Interestingly, China even defended its action against Uighur Muslims. China said, “The counter-terrorism and de-radicalization measures in Xinjiang are aimed to eradicate the breeding soil of extremism and terrorism. They are in line with Chinese laws and international practices, and are supported by all 25 million people of various ethnic groups in Xinjiang”.


China has been involved in mass detention of its Uighur Muslim population. In these detention camps, Muslims are ‘de-radicalised’. They are forced to eat pork and abandon every religious symbol. The Uighur Muslims are not even allowed to keep bears or wear their skull caps.

China snubs Pakistan’s rhetoric on Kashmir, urges both countries to resolve issue bilaterally

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In a huge setback to the terror state of Pakistan, its closest ally China on Tuesday decided to snub Pakistan after it decided to drop references to the UN Charter and Security Council resolutions on Kashmir issue and stressed that India and Pakistan should take the bilateral route to resolve all disputes.

According to a Times Of India reports, in a significant departure from its earlier stand, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that China called upon both countries to enhance dialogue and consultation on issues including Kashmir. To make it worse for Pakistan, the Chinese Foreign Ministry made these comments in presence of visiting Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chief of the Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

“We call on India and Pakistan to engage in dialogue and consultation on all issues, including the Kashmir issue and consolidate mutual trust. This is in line with the interest of both countries and common aspiration of the world,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said on Tuesday.

China’s statement comes ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s upcoming visit to India, which is reportedly scheduled to take place between October 11 and 13.

Earlier, after the historic abrogation of Article 370, Beijing had insisted that Kashmir issue should be properly and peacefully resolved based on the UN charter, relevant UN Security Council resolutions and bilateral agreement. In fact, China had even supported Pakistan by maintaining such a position at a meeting of the UN Security Council on Kashmir, which ended without any outcome.

However, on Tuesday, China indicated that it was willing to engage with India on the issue of Kashmir and ready to go back to its pre-August 5 position when it had held that the Kashmir issue should be resolved bilaterally between India and Pakistan. The omission of references to the UN Charter and Security Council resolutions particularly assumes significance at a time when Imran Khan and Pakistan army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa are in Beijing to meet Xi and other Chinese leaders.

With changing its stand on Kashmir, China now officially confirms to India’s stand that there should be no third-party mediation on the Kashmir issue. “China’s position on Kashmir issue is clear and consistent,” Geng emphasized.

Meanwhile, President Xi Jinping is expected to visit India in the next week. However,  Beijing has not yet formally announced Xi’s visit to India. It has called a press conference on Wednesday to discuss the President’s “outbound tour” where the announcement might be made.

The historic coastal town of Mamallapuram in Tamil Nadu is expected to be the venue for the second India-China informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Last year in April, Prime Minister Modi had visited Wuhan in the first informal summit to strengthen bilateral ties.

Ever since India repealed Article 370, stripping Jammu and Kashmir of its separate status, the Pakistan establishment has been running from pillar to post to garner support to internationalise Kashmir issue. However, major powers of the world have stood by India in declaring that abrogation of special status is an internal issue and urged both countries to resolve the issue bilaterally while rejecting Pakistan’s assertions.

Balrampur, UP: Stone pelting at Durga Puja Visarjan procession as music was not stopped while crossing mosque, 8 arrested

As Navratri and Durga Puja comes to an end, a shocking video has emerged on social media. In a viral video from Balrampur, Uttar Pradesh, that has sparked outrage, a procession for Durga Puja Visarjan can be seen getting attacked by heavy stone-pelting. The police have responded to the video and confirmed that 8 people have been arrested in the incident so far.


The Balrampur police responded on social media website Twitter and confirmed that 8 people have been arrested in connection with the attack and stone-pelting on the Durga Puja Visarjan procession and that the police is taking adequate measures to nab the rest of the individuals involved.


In the video itself, one can see even elderly Muslim men pelting stones at the Visarjan procession and in the distance, one can hear scared screams of individuals as the enraged stone-pelting carried on. One also gets a glimpse of an individual trying to hide in the truck and protect himself as the stone pelting carried on unabated.

What led to the stone-pelting

The Additional Superintendent of Police from Balrampur, Uttar Pradesh told OpIndia that the Durga puja Visarjan procession came under attack as it was passing in front of a mosque. Just before the mosque, there is a right turn. The procession that generally has a DJ and plays loud music passes through the mosque.

However, generally, the music is expected to be switched off while the Durga Puja procession passes through the mosque. The music, however, was not stopped and thus, an enraged Muslim community started pelting stones at the procession.

The Additional Superintendent said that the attack on the Visarjan procession might not have been spontaneous and the Muslim community may have been prepared with stones from before, in wait of the procession.

Law and Order in Balrampur after stone-pelting on Durga Visarjan procession

The Additional SP has confirmed that the law and order situation is under control in the area. He has asserted that currently, there is no communal tension in the area after 8 arrests were made in connection with the attack. After swift action by the police, the Durga Visarjan was also completed in peace by the Hindus of the area.

The Balrampur police has also released a press statement now.

Press note by Balrampur police

The press release says that a complaint has been filed against 24 named and several other unnamed individuals under sections 147, 148, 149, 153a, 295a, 336 and 323. The press release also says that other than the 8 people already arrested, 4 teams are on the lookout for the rest of the perpatrators. There is heavy police deployment in the area as well.

 

Rohit Sharma – Is he the right choice as a Test opener?

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Twin Hundreds in his first test as an opener. Yes, Rohit Sharma became the first batsman in history to hit twin hundreds in the very first test as an opener. The fans went berserk with the success of Rohit Sharma, while the critics have some doubt about his fortune overseas.

The trend of making a middle-order batsman as an opener is mostly in the sub-continent. The trend started in the 90s, and the first of them was Ravi Shastri, followed by Sanath Jayasuriya, VVS Laxman (for a little time), Shahid Afridi, Virender Sehwag, and Tillakaratne Dilshan to name a few.

All the batsmen in the world like the ball to come on to bat, and most of these makeshift openers were quite successful in Australia, where the ball comes on bat nicely for the strokeplay. But the concept of seeing off the new ball and making it easier for the middle order has started to vanish since 2000. The hard-hitting openers generally look for a quick start rather than seeing off the new ball. They have been successful in doing that in the sub-continent and to some extent, in Australia. Most of them have increased their overall average because of opening, but that’s where they rely on their stroke play against pace and bounce.

The game has changed over the years, but the conditions haven’t, especially in England, New Zealand, and South Africa. Except for one of the odd series, most of them failed in England, New Zealand, and South Africa. The red ball moves a lot in overcast conditions, which ain’t a rare sight in these three countries. The new ball makes life difficult for any batsman at the top. None of them has excelled in these conditions, so does it make it more straightforward for the teams to look for regular openers rather than makeshift ones in these conditions? At least 15 off 45 against the new ball and giving a chance to middle order is better than scoring 15 off seven balls and putting the team into trouble.

Rohit has not been successful outside the sub-continent as a middle-order batsman, but he is carrying the form of his life this year. Scoring runs at will, which makes a sense to try him as an opener. He is class and looks most elegant when he plays shots at the top in limited-overs.  But he is 32, and he will be playing a maximum of 4 to 5 more years. Prithvi Shaw will be knocking the doors again in November and he is young too. Will the selectors make him sit outside or will they give him a chance who could be India’s permanent opener for the next 10-12 years.

India’s next overseas tour is in February 2020 against New Zealand in their den. Probably Rohit’s biggest test of all. The good thing about the journey is India playing 5 T20I and 3 ODIs before playing 2 Tests, which will help Rohit to settle and adapt the conditions well.

China calls the video of shackled and blindfolded Uighur Muslims ‘normal’, defends repression of its Muslim population

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Reacting to a shocking video of shackled and blindfolded Chinese Uighur Muslim population being transferred to ‘re-education centres’, the Chinese authorities seemed to normalise the atrocities meted out to Uighur Muslims by claiming that they were carrying out ‘normal’ judicial activities. A video from Xinjiang province of China purportedly shot from a drone has come to fore which shows the detainees being led from trains with their heads shaven, eyes covered and hands tied.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGYoeJ5U7cQ]

The video of shackled and blindfolded Uighur Muslims emerged online even as the United States mounts pressure on China for its inhuman treatment of the Muslim population of the Xinjiang province. The United States has recently blacklisted 28 Chinese companies and government agencies over Uighur repression.

The alleged prisoners seen in the video are sitting in rows outside what appears a train station eyeballed by a phalanx of SWAT officers. The detainees, many of whom are believed to be minority Uighur Muslims are seen wearing purple vests with ‘Kashgar Detention Center’ written on their backs. According to some reports, China is shifting some of the Uighur Muslims from detention centres to actual prisons.

China has been facing the flak from many countries in the world for its unprecedented crackdown against the ethnic minority-Uighur Muslim population in Xinjiang. Incriminating reports blaming Beijing of interning members of its Muslim population – by “re-educating” them away from their faith have emerged.

It is believed that China has resorted to this measure as a response to riots and violent attacks that the government has endured recently at the hands of Muslim separatists in the Xinjiang province. In these detention centres, Muslims are allegedly compelled to unlearn their traditions, pan their Islamic practices and extend their loyalty to Xi Jinping’s Communist Party. They are railroaded into eating pork. If recent evidence is to be believed, China has separated the Uighur Muslim children from their parents before indoctrinating them in camps disguised as schools and orphanages.

In 2015, China had banned civil servants, students and teachers in its mainly Muslim Xinjiang region from fasting during Ramadan and ordered restaurants to stay open. In a policy paper released by Beijing, it has justified its decision of detaining Uighur Muslims claiming that it has been taken in response to riots and violent attacks that the government has suffered at the hands of Muslim separatists in the Xinjiang province. In these detention centres, Muslims are allegedly compelled to unlearn their cultures, criticise their Islamic practices and extend their loyalty to Xi Jinping’s Communist Party.

TMC MP Nusrat Jahan gets death threats and a fatwa for celebrating Durga Puja, Rajdeep Sardesai rues hidden ‘Islamophobia’

The TMC MP Nusrat Jahan drew the ire of a Muslim cleric for offering Ashtami prayers and partaking in the traditional Dhaak at Kolkata’s prominent Suruchi Sangha Durga Puja in New Alipore, Kolkata, West Bengal on Sunday. The cleric Mufti Azad Wasmi of the prominent Darul Uloom Deoband slammed the TMC MP for embracing Hindu traditions and grimly suggested her to change her religion instead of bringing disrepute to Islam. Soon after, he issued a fatwa against the newly elected TMC MP Nusrat Jahan for marrying outside her religion and wearing the Hindu adornments of a married woman like Sindoor and Mangalsutra. In fact, Congress supporter from Assam wanted Nusrat killed for being a “bad Muslim”.

As the Darul Uloom Deoband cleric issued a fatwa against the MP, various news channels started broadcasting the hatred directed at Nusrat Jahan for celebrating Durga Puja. However, this didn’t sit well with the controversial journalist Rajdeep Sardesai who proceeded to trivialise the hostility shown towards Nusrat by alleging that the underlying agenda of news channels debating over an ‘unknown’ Maulana’s comments against the TMC MP is nothing but Islamophobia.


Rajdeep alleged that the perpetual agenda of news channels showing an ‘unknown’ Maulana’s remarks on TMC MP Nusrat Jahan dancing at Pujo is Islamophobia while the real issues, according to him, such as economy, environment were ignored by such channels.  It is interesting to note that Rajdeep likens expose of the Muslim cleric for his supremacist and bigoted opinions by various news channels to hidden Islamaphobia.

Darul Uloom Deoband is a prominent Islamic university in India which enjoys considerable sway over the Sunni Muslim population residing in the country. However, Rajdeep attempted to whitewash the bigotry displayed by one of the official clerics of the Darul Uloom Deoband by calling him an ‘unknown’ Maulana and thereby condoning his rants against the TMC MP. Instead of calling out the cleric for his fundamentalist and intolerant views, Rajdeep placed greater emphasis on his propaganda to disparage the news channels who had the temerity of exposing the cleric for his deeply problematic views.

Nusrat Jahan has found herself in the firing line of the Muslim fundamentalists ever since she got married to a Hindu Jain man. She was first targeted when Nusrat walked into the Parliament to take oath as an MP while wearing sindoor and bangles, traditionally worn by Hindu married women. Chauvinistic Muslims resorted to insulting her with bigoted comments online for apparently marrying outside her community. They also seemed unhappy about her embracing her husband’s culture in the Indian Parliament.

Dismissing a Muslim cleric as ‘unknown’ does not take away the fact that his opinions were soaked in bigotry against a Member of Parliament of the country for embracing and following Hindu traditions that millions in the country associate themselves with. It is also noteworthy that while the opinions of every Modi-supporter is considered the bane of Modi himself, a Congress supporter issuing death threats to Nusrat has been summarily ignored by the secular crowd. Exposing a bigot for his bigotry is not Islamophobia but it is an attempt to keep the cultural and pluralistic fabric of the country intact and untorn.

UK Labour MP Barry Gardiner who had taken NDTV’s Nidhi Razdan to task over her Modi-hate comes out in support of revocation of Article 370

The Labour Party in the UK has been facing severe backlash for taking a pro-Pakistan, appeasement-centric stand over the Jammu and Kashmir issue. Not only several Labour leaders have been actively involved in the anti-India protests in the UK after the abrogation of Article 370, but the party was also condemned and slammed by the Indian consulate for its open endorsement of Pakistan’s views in the recently passed resolution.

However, Labour MP Barry Gardiner has come out openly supporting India’s decision regarding Article 370. In a recently published op-ed, the Brent North MP has slammed UK politicians trying to interfere in Indian government’s policy and administrative decisions. He has slammed the UK politicians who are using the issue to divide communities in the UK.

Gardiner has discussed the complex history of Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan’s attempts to create unrest and violence in the region. Further, supporting the central government’s move, he has stated that Article 370 was discriminatory towards women, gay persons and minorities in Jammu and Kashmir, kept them deprived of the rights that are granted by the Indian constitution and has deprived the region of economic development.

Barry Gardiner’s op-ed on easterneye.biz

It is notable here that Barry Gardiner is the same MP who had taken NDTV’s Nidhi Razdan to task when she had asked him a blatant politically motivated question exposing her and NDTV’s inherent bias against the then Gujarat CM Narendra Modi in 2013.

Gardiner had in 2013 invited the then Gujarat CM Narendra Modi to address the UK house of commons. Nidhi had questioned him, “But you know he is also an extremely controversial figure here in India, and around the world. There has been so much controversy over him even in the UK, where there was a boycott of him in a sense until last year. He’s still not been given a visa to the United States. He is a controversial figure. You realise this would create controversy.”

To this Gardiner had slammed Nidhi’s biased views and had called out her questionable journalistic behaviour. He had even asked her why she is ignoring the Supreme Court verdict and the fact that Modi has been re-elected by the people of Gujarat again and again.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-ePJ7KIEkY]

It is notable here that the Indian government had reacted strongly to the Labour Party’s resolution and had slammed the move terming it ‘unfounded and uninformed’. The Indian High Commission in London had cancelled the annual Labour Friends of India dinner event on the same day the resolution was tabled at the Labour party’s conference.

India’s foreign minister S Jaishankar had stated that there is no question of engaging any Labour party members on this issue and has added that the Labour party is just pandering its vote bank interests.