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The Economics Times May 03, 2019 The Enforcement Directorate (ED) claims to have identified proceeds of crime to the tune of Rs 212 crore in 12 terror funding cases of which properties worth Rs 59.5 crore have been attached.  The agency has claimed that it has identified 52 such properties purchased from such funds.  In a related development, the agency Thursday filed a charge sheet against controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik on charges of money laundering in a Mumbai Court.  The agency has claimed that it has identified 52 such properties purchased from such funds.  In a related development, the agency Thursday filed a charge sheet against controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik on charges of money laundering in a Mumbai Court.  ED claims to have identified proceeds of his crime totalling over Rs 193 crore. Of these, Naik’s assets worth Rs 50.46 crore have been attached.  These include investment in mutual funds, Islamic international school i

Business Standard May 02, 2019 By Blake Schmidt A mobile app used by police to track citizens in China’s far west region of Xinjiang shows how some of the country’s biggest  technology  companies are linked to a  mass surveillance  system that is more sophisticated than previously known, according to a report from Human Rights Watch. The app uses  facial recognition  technology  from a firm backed by Alibaba Group Holding to match faces with photo identification and cross-check pictures on different documents, the New York-based group said on Thursday. The app also takes a host of other data points -- from electricity and smartphone use to personal relationships to political and religious affiliations -- to flag suspicious behavior, the report said. The watchdog’s report sheds new light on the vast scope of activity  China  is monitoring as it cracks down on its minority Muslim Uighur population in a bid to stop terrorism before it happens. The U.S. State Department says

Graphic Online April 30, 2019 The piloting of the world’s first anti-malaria vaccine for children aged between six months and two years begins in six regions of Ghana today. Known as RTS, S or Mosquirix, the vaccine is being introduced as a boost to Ghana’s National Anti-Malaria Programme. The piloting will be done in 33 districts across the Bono, Bono East, Ahafo, Central, Volta and Oti regions. In a speech read on his behalf at the national launch of the malaria vaccine implementation programme in Cape Coast yesterday, the Minister of Health, Mr Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, announced that the vaccine had undergone the relevant trials and proven to have a good safety profile. The event was dubbed: “Malaria vaccine for Additional Protection.” The vaccine is being introduced as part of routine immunisation for children through the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) of the Ghana Health Service. A child will receive the vaccine in four doses: six months, seven months, nin

Hindustan Times May 02,2019 By Ritesh Mishra The improvised explosive device (IED) blast in Maharashtra’s North Gadchiroli that killed 15 security personnel and a driver on Wednesday is likely to be the handiwork of Maoist cadres from neighbouring Chhattisgarh’s South Bastar region, according to police and intelligence officers. The attack scene – Dadapur Road – borders Dandakaranya and the Maoists’ Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh (MMC) zone, they added. “It is a well-planned attack in which company number four of North Gadchiroli… Maoists played a major role. We have information that some hardcore [Maoist] cadres from South Bastar were also in this part [Gadchiroli] for the last few days,” said an intelligence officer posted in this zone. He added more details about the attack will come after a couple of days. This MMC corridor covers jungles in the three states and is a source of a new worry for the security forces, who believe the Maoists are building it to

The Indian Express May 03, 2019 Jaish imprint: Here's a list of terror attacks carried out by Masood Azhar and his Jaish-e-Mohammad. 1999 IC-814 Hijack:  On December 24, an Indian Airlines flight carrying 176 passengers from Kathmandu was hijacked by terrorists from Pakistan who later turned out to be relatives of Masood Azhar. The flight was taken to Kandahar in then Taliban-administered Afghanistan. Following days of negotiations, passengers were released after Masood Azhar, then incarcerated in India, was handed over to the terrorists. 2001 J&K Assembly Attack:   After reaching Pakistan, Masood Azhar formed the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM). On October 1, a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist drove an IED-laden vehicle to the J&K Assembly and blew it up. The explosion killed 38 people. 2001 Parliament Attack :  Five terrorists of the group breached Parliament’s security in a car carrying a Home Ministry label on December 13 and opened indiscriminate fire. Over a hundred

The Indian Express  May 02, 2019 Maharashtra DGP Subodh Jaiswal on Wednesday promised to give a fitting reply to those behind the IED blast in Gadchiroli that left 16 people, including 15 security personnel, dead. The DGP said it would be unfair to say that the incident was a result of an intelligence failure. Advertising “We have the wherewithal to give a befitting reply to the attackers… I do not think it would be fair to use the term intelligence failure. The Maharashtra police takes all precautions and this is indeed a sad incident…,” Jaiswal said at a press conference in Mumbai. The DGP said that during the Lok Sabha elections — the four-phased polls in the state concluded on April 29 — the police had received intelligence that there could be a possible Maoist attack. He said, proper police presence was ensured in the region and the elections were held smoothly. Nearly 40 people linked to left-wing terrorism were killed by security forces last year. Jai

The Indian Express May 02, 2019 The steps taken by the  BJP  government such as demonetisation and implementing the Goods and Services Tax (GST) had “wreaked havoc” on the most marginalised section of workers, the All India Unorganised Workers Congress (AIUWC) said on International Labour day on Wednesday. Advertising “The condition of workers in the country is going from bad to worse, be it inadequate wages, absence of workplace safety, lack of employment opportunities, non-compliance of labour laws and continued assault on labour laws by the Modi government,” AIUWC chairman Arbind Singh was quoted as saying in a press release issued by the Congress. “Acche din aanewale hain only led to anti-workers policies,” Singh said. The AIUWC, a wing of the Congress party, celebrated World Labour Day across the country with the theme — “Mazdoor ka hath – Congress ke sath”. “The jolts caused by the anti-worker policies of demonetisation and GST have wreaked havoc on the m

Dawn  May 02, 2019 Britain's opposition Labour Party on Wednesday called for “real action” after parliament became the first in the world to vote to declare a climate emergency. “Thanks to pressure from the Labour Party, the UK just became the first country to declare an environment and #climate emergency,” the party said on its Twitter page. “Now it's time for real action to tackle climate change.” Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said he hoped the vote “will trigger a wave of action from parliaments and governments around the world”. He hopes the move will increase pressure on the government and is demanding that the country takes action to help avoid more than 1.5 degrees centigrade of warming, requiring global emissions to be cut by almost half of 2010 levels by 2030. The vote was taken following 11 days of protests organised by climate activists Extinction Rebellion that brought several London sites to a standstill. Extinction Rebellion called the vote a “first ste

The Hindu May 01, 2019 The listing of Masood Azhar as a UN designated terrorist ends an anomaly and India’s battle that has lasted two decades. In October 2001, the UNSC committee had listed the Jaish-e-Mohammad, noting that it was the organisation Azhar founded and funded with help from Osama Bin Laden, but didn’t ban Azhar himself. Later after the 26/11 attacks, India proposed the ban, but was thwarted by China which refused to accept evidence against Azhar. In 2016 and 2017, China repeated that move, although it accepted other listings against terrorists based in Pakistan, raising the sense that Azhar was especially protected by Pakistan’s establishment. In 2019, after the Pulwama attacks, and world pressure, however, it seemed China could no longer hold out. Despite that, China did place a hold on the listing on March 13, which it has now removed. While there are several reasons for the u-turn by China now, two seem key: post-Wuhan summit between Prime Minister Nare

The Wire May 01, 2019 By Ekta Kumar The use of military power to influence hostile countries and attain foreign policy objectives is not a practical option anymore. This is especially true for powerful, developed countries like the US. Given the severe financial repercussions and weakening domestic support for such costly endeavours, the US is increasingly making a case for the use of economic sanctions as a policy tool. Economic sanctions are not new, but under the Trump administration, it seems to be the preferred alternative to deal with both friends and foes. The US Department of Treasury has an increasingly  long list  of individuals, corporations and countries on whom restrictions are being imposed. The measures can range from a simple set of tariffs to a full-blown economic blockade. These measures can sometimes be unfair. Last year, the US had a change of mind and decided to ignore the 2015 Iran nuclear accord that it signed with its longtime foe after much deliber