1. Live: Turkey Coup; Parliament Bombed, 17 Soldiers, 2 Civilians Dead
Turkey is under siege, as the country’s military has taken control of Ankara and has bombed the Parliament. Explosions have been reported in Istanbul and Ankara. President Erdogan has asked the people to come out into the streets in protest of the coup. Two civilians have been shot dead as coup-attempters opened fire on a crowd in Istanbul, according to Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency.
F-16s have been used to fire at helicopters which are reportedly carrying coup-planners.
2. Nice Attacks: Attacker Might Have Links to ‘Radical Islam’, Says French PM
A day after the horrific attack in Nice in France, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls on Friday called the man who rammed his truck into a crowd in the city a ‘terrorist’ with probable links to radical Islam.
France has plunged into mourning for the 84 people killed in the attack when a truck rammed into a crowd celebrating Bastille Day in the riverfront town. Anti-terrorism prosecutor Francois Molins said the Tunisian attacker was ‘completely unknown’ to the intelligence services but that the assault was “exactly in line with” calls from jihadist groups to kill.
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Meanwhile, an Indian couple: Aishwary Singh and Akanksha narrowly escaped death in the Nice attack. Minutes before the attack, he managed to convince his wife to step onto the pavement from the streets. No sooner had the Jaipur couple stepped on to the pavement and into a McDonald’s to pick up a meal, than the truck driver sped through the street they were on; killing 84.
(Sources: The Times of India)
3. ‘28 Pages’ Report Leaked; Saudi Government Involvement in 9/11 Inconclusive
The United States Congress has released a report to probe links between the government of Saudi Arabia and the 9/11 attacks. The report states multiple suspicions but no proven ties, documents declassified on Friday showed.
Part of a Congressional report that had been kept under wraps for more than a decade showed US intelligence believed that Saudi officials may have had multiple contacts with some of the 9/11 hijackers.
Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were Saudi citizens.
The finding, however, is no smoking gun for Saudi involvement.
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‘28 Pages’ 9/11 Report Out, Evidence of Saudi Role Inconclusive
(Sources: The Times of India)
4. Zakir Naik Also Set up Two Real Estate Firms
Zakir Naik is not just a televangelist. Beside his NGO, Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), Naik also set up two real estate companies and a video and television software production house in Mumbai in the period between 2005 to 2008, according to records available with the Registrar of Companies (RoC). The RoC records show that Naik and his wife, Farhat Zakir Naik, were promoters-cum-directors of the two real estate companies till March 2013.
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The companies were called Longlast Construction and Right Property Solution. Both these companies did not report any income in the seven-year period between 2009 and 2015.
(Source: The Indian Express)
5. Burhan Wani Aftermath: Kashmir’s First IAS Topper Slams Media for ‘Sadistic Propaganda’
On Friday, Kashmir’s first topper in the Indian civil services examination hit out at a section of the electronic media for ‘pitching one Kashmiri against another and breeding more alienation’ in the state rocked by violence over the killing of militant leader Burhan Wani.
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By juxtaposing my photos with the images of a slain militant commander, a section of national media has once again fallen back upon its conventional savagery that cashes on falsehoods, divides people and creates more hatred.Shah Faesal
Shah Faesal, whose success in the 2009 civil services exams turned him into a role-model for Kashmiris, vented his anger in a Facebook post after a section of the media juxtaposed his images with the slain militant commander to highlight what they said were two sides of the Valley.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
6. In Maharashtra, Ration Meant for Poor Children Is Falling Prey to Contractors and Private Firms
It has been reported that contractors and private firms propped up women self-help groups (SHGs) and Mahila mandals to tighten their hold on the lucrative supplementary nutrition business in the state. This can be considered skirting around directive of the Supreme Court on the issue.
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Single Women in Maharashtra Are Denied Land Rights and Security
According to a newspaper report, the number of women’s groups, shortlisted for the contracts in the first step of a three-tier clearance process, had either sub-contracted the production to for-profit firms, subverting the 2004 directive of the Supreme Court or were acting as fronts for such firms.
(Source: The Indian Express)
7. BJP Calls on Congress to Set GST Ball Rolling, Next Meeting Soon
There might be progress on the GST Bill after all. The Centre has sought to capitalise on the Congress’s willingness to look afresh at the Goods and Services Tax Bill by reaching out to them. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar walked into Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad’s Parliament chamber, to build a consensus on the GST legislation. There was no breakthrough, but both sides said they would meet again, possibly on Tuesday, to take talks forward.
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(Source: The Indian Express)
8. Arunachal: Tuki Wanted More Time but Floor Test on Schedule
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Nabam Tuki will seek a trust vote on Saturday. Setting the stage for a face-off between the Congress and the ruling BJP at the Centre, the governor had declined to defer the trial of strength.
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The odds are heavily stacked against Nabam Tuki, who has only 14 MLAs in the assembly with an effective strength of 58.
His rival and former chief minister Kalikho Pul, on the other hand, claims the support of 43 MLAs including 30 from his own party, the People’s Party of Arunachal (PPA). Pul had formed a rebel Congress government in February before his group merged with the regional party.
(Sources: Hindustan Times)
9. Bihar CM Nitish Kumar Takes Swipe at PM’s Frequent Foreign Visits
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on Friday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his frequent foreign visits and the NDA government’s strong publicity campaign on the completion of two years in power.
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I believe in working silently. I don’t have too much interest in foreign visits.Nitish Kumar, Chief Minister, Bihar
Nitish said as much while addressing a labour resources department’s programme on the occasion of World Youth Skills Day. Though Nitish didn’t mention Modi’s name, the entire audience erupted in laughter.
(Source: The Times of India)