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INDIA
Saturday, June 17, 2017
Hang those who eat beef: Sadhvi Saraswati A sadhvi attending a conclave of various Hindu outfits here has said those who eat beef should be hanged in public, sparking a row amid the raging debate over cattle slaughter and consumption of beef. The remark made by Sadhvi Saraswati on Wednesday evening was condemned by the Congress, whose leaders demanded that the BJP-led government in Goa lodge an FIR over the “hate speech” and put her under arrest. “I would recommend the Government of India that those who consider it as a status symbol to eat the meat of one’s own mother should be hanged in public. Then only people will realise that it is our duty to protect ‘gau mata’,” the sadhvi said during the inauguration of
the All India Hindu Convention at Ramnathi village here. She also exhorted the Hindus to keep arms at their homes to protect themselves. “If we do not stock arms, we will be destroyed in future,” she said. “Today Bharat is under attack from all directions. “Efforts are being made to separate Kashmir from Bharat and also stop the Amarnath pilgrimage. BharatmataGaumata are under attack,” she added. Slamming the demand by some political parties to ban the right-wing outfits calling for the creation of the “Hindu rashtra”, she said they should realise that no power in the country can prevent the Hindus from establishing the “Hindu Nation.”
Neeru Chadha first Indian woman to be member of top UN body In a significant victory for India at the UN, international law expert Neeru Chadha has won a crucial election to a top UN judicial body that deals with disputes related to the law of the sea, becoming the first Indian woman to be appointed a judge at the tribunal. Chadha, an eminent lawyer and the first Indian woman to become the chief legal adviser in the ministry of external affairs, won the election on Wednesday to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) for a nine-year term from 2017 to 2026. Chadha got 120 votes, the highest in the Asia Pacific group and was elected in the first round of voting itself. The candidate from Indonesia got 58 votes, Lebanon 60 and Thailand 86. All three candidates went to a second round of voting in which Thailand won the other seat in the Asia Pacific group. Election was held here for a total of seven seats. India’s Permanent Representative to the
UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin expressed gratitude for the broad support of countries that resulted in Chadha’s “emphatic success” at the elections to the ITLOS. “It reflects both an appreciation of India’s global standing in matters of international law and the recognition for Chadha’s expertise as a lawyer and negotiator on contemporary issues related to the Law of the Seas,” Akbaruddin told PTI. “The Tribunal is composed of 21 independent members who are elected from among persons enjoying the highest reputation for fairness and integrity and of recognised competence in the field of the law of the sea,” according to the information on the ITLOS website. Meanwhile, the External Affairs Ministry spokesperson in New Delhi hailed Chadha’s election to the ITLOS saying, “Indian expertise on ITLOS stage! Neeru Chadha elected as 1st woman on Int’l Tribunal 4 Law of Seas w/most votes in Asia Pacific Group.”
Congress targets Modi over failure in job creation The Congress on Thursday accused the Narendra Modi dispensation of failing to fulfil its promise of creating two crore jobs every year, and asked the prime minister to make his position clear on BJP president Amit Shah’s claim that it had never made such an electoral promise. Senior Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma also raised apprehension about the changes in H-1B visa rules by the US administration, and asked Modi to raise the issue with US President Donald Trump and seek credible assurances from him during his visit later this month. He dubbed as “futile” the prime minister’s “much-delayed cosmetic” exercise of holding a meeting with Niti Ayog, the government’s policy think-tank, on job creation and said
it came after the government realised the seriousness of the crisis. “The prime minister should make it clear whether he agrees with his party president Amit Shah that the BJP had never promised to provide jobs or to create jobs. He should make his position clear. He cannot remain silent and if Amit Shah is right, this means another false promise and the complete betrayal (of the people) by the BJP,” he told reporters. He said the prime minister should stop making false claims and he must realise after three years in power that the time for propaganda and publicity was over. “Did the prime minister not talk about job creation for the youth of the country? When it is time for giving answers, they are making excuses,” Sharma said.
Russia made no offer to mediate on Indo-Pak issues India on Thursday said Russia had not made any mediation offer to it to resolve Indo-Pak issues, and asserted that Moscow was “well aware” of New Delhi’s position of bilateral resolution of all such matters in a terror-free environment. The remarks by External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay came following reports in the Pakistani press that Russia expressed its intention to mediate between the two countries.\A senior diplomat in the Russian embassy in New Delhi also rejected the reports and said it was Pakistan’s “wishful thinking”. The Pakistani media quoted Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria as saying “we welcome UNSC Permanent Member Russia’s attention and intention to play a role in this long-standing issue on the UNSC agenda”. Zakaria was asked about reported offer
made by Russian President Vladimir Putin during his meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on the sidelines of the SCO Summit earlier this month. Asked for his reaction, Baglay said, “No offer of mediation was made by Russia to India. Russia is very well aware of India’s consistent position to address all outstanding issues with Pakistan bilaterally in an environment free of terrorism and violence.” The senior diplomat in the Russian embassy also rejected reports of any mediation offer. “We do not have any information of such an offer made by our president. Russia is clear in its position that Indo-Pak issues need to be resolved, bilaterally, and we will never ever suggest anything contrary to that. “It seems wishful thinking on part of Pakistan,” said the diplomat, on the condition of anonymity.