India’s new citizenship law that excludes Muslims has them worried. Here’s what it says

Members of the Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP), a student's organisation, burn the effigy of India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a protest against the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Guwahati on March 12, 2024. India's interior ministry said March 11 it was enacting a citizenship law that critics say discriminates against Muslims, just weeks before the world's most populous country heads into a general election. (AFP)
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Members of the Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP), a student's organisation, burn the effigy of India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a protest against the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Guwahati on March 12, 2024. India's interior ministry said March 11 it was enacting a citizenship law that critics say discriminates against Muslims, just weeks before the world's most populous country heads into a general election. (AFP)
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Updated 13 March 2024
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India’s new citizenship law that excludes Muslims has them worried. Here’s what it says

India’s new citizenship law that excludes Muslims has them worried. Here’s what it says
  • Modi’s conspicuous silence over anti-Muslim violence has emboldened some of his most extreme supporters and enabled more hate speech against Muslims
  • India is home to 200 million Muslims who make up a large minority group in the country of more than 1.4 billion people

NEW DELHI: India has implemented a controversial citizenship law that has been widely criticized for excluding Muslims, a minority community whose concerns have heightened under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government.
The rules for the law were announced Monday. It establishes a religious test for migrants from every major South Asian faith other than Islam. Critics argue that the law is further evidence that Modi’s government is trying to reshape the country into a Hindu state and marginalize its 200 million Muslims.
WHAT IS THE NEW CITIZENSHIP LAW?
The Citizenship Amendment Act provides a fast track to naturalization for Hindus, Parsis, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Christians who fled to Hindu-majority India from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan before Dec. 31, 2014. The law excludes Muslims, who are a majority in all three nations.
It also amends the old law, which prevents illegal migrants from becoming Indian citizens, and marks the first time that India — an officially secular state with a religiously diverse population — has set religious criteria for citizenship.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Scores of Muslims have been lynched by Hindu mobs over allegations of eating beef or smuggling cows, an animal considered holy to Hindus

• Muslim businesses have been boycotted, their localities have been bulldozed and Mosques set on fire

• Some Hindutva leaders have made open calls for genocide against Muslims

The Indian government has said those eligible can apply for Indian citizenship through an online portal.
The implementation of the law has been one of the key poll promises of Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in the run-up to the general election, which is scheduled to be held by May.
Modi’s government has dismissed the notion that the law is discriminatory and defended it as a humanitarian gesture. It argues the law is meant only to extend citizenship to religious minorities fleeing persecution and would not be used against Indian citizens.
WHAT MAKES THE LAW SO CONTROVERSIAL?
The law was approved by India’s Parliament in 2019, but Modi’s government held off its implementation after deadly protests broke out in New Delhi and elsewhere. Scores were killed during days of clashes.
The nationwide protests in 2019 drew people of all faiths who said the law undermines India’s foundation as a secular nation. Muslims were particularly worried that the government could use the law, combined with a proposed national register of citizens, to marginalize them.
The National Register of Citizens is part of the Modi government’s effort to identify and weed out people it claims came to India illegally. The register has only been implemented in the northeastern state of Assam, but Modi’s party has promised to roll out a similar citizenship verification program nationwide.
Critics and Muslim groups say the new citizenship law will help protect non-Muslims who are excluded from the register, while Muslims could face the threat of deportation or internment.
WHY ARE INDIA’S MUSLIMS WORRIED?
Opponents of the law — including Muslims, opposition parties and rights groups — say it is exclusionary and violates the secular principles enshrined in the constitution. They say faith cannot be made a condition of citizenship.
On Monday, Human rights watchdog Amnesty India said the law “legitimizes discrimination based on religion.”
Some also argue that if the law is aimed at protecting persecuted minorities, then it should have included Muslim religious minorities who have faced persecution in their own countries, including Ahmadis in Pakistan and Rohingyas in Myanmar.
To critics, Modi is pushing a Hindu nationalist agenda that threatens to erode the country’s secular foundation, shrink space for religious minorities, particularly Muslims, and move the country closer to a Hindu nation.
India is home to 200 million Muslims who make up a large minority group in the country of more than 1.4 billion people. They are scattered across almost every part of India and have been targeted in a series of attacks that have taken place since Modi first assumed power in 2014.
Scores of Muslims have been lynched by Hindu mobs over allegations of eating beef or smuggling cows, an animal considered holy to Hindus. Muslim businesses have been boycotted, their localities have been bulldozed and places of worship set on fire. Some open calls have been made for their genocide.
Critics say Modi’s conspicuous silence over anti-Muslim violence has emboldened some of his most extreme supporters and enabled more hate speech against Muslims.
Modi has also increasingly mixed religion with politics in a formula that has resonated deeply with India’s majority Hindu population. In January, he opened a Hindu temple at the site of a demolished mosque in northern Ayodhya city, fulfilling his party’s long-held Hindu nationalist pledge.

 


Red Sea trade route will remain too risky: industry executives

Red Sea trade route will remain too risky: industry executives
Updated 29 min 18 sec ago
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Red Sea trade route will remain too risky: industry executives

Red Sea trade route will remain too risky: industry executives
  • The leader of Houthis said on Thursday that the group would monitor the implementation of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas aimed at ending the war in Gaza and continue its attacks on vessels or Israel if it is breached

LONDON: Companies transporting their products around the world are not ready to return to the Red Sea trade route in the wake of a Gaza ceasefire deal because of uncertainty over whether Houthis will continue to attack shipping, industry executives said.

The EU’s naval force in the Red Sea said its “threat assessment remains unchanged.”

The leader of Houthis said on Thursday that the group would monitor the implementation of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas aimed at ending the war in Gaza and continue its attacks on vessels or Israel if it is breached.

Executives from shipping, insurance, and retail industries said the risks remained too high to resume voyages through the Bab Al-Mandab Strait in the Red Sea, through which exports to Western markets from the Gulf and Asia must pass before entering the Suez Canal.

“There is no way I’m putting any of my merchandise on a boat that’s going to go through the Red Sea for some time to come,” said Jay Foreman, CEO of US-based Basic Fun, which supplies toys to major US retailers like Walmart and Amazon.com. Matt Castle, vice president of global forwarding with logistics group C.H. Robinson, said: “It’s not likely the industry will see a large shift back to the Suez Canal in the short term.”

He said this was due to the challenges of securing cargo insur- ance given perceived high risks and time constraints, as imple- menting a new ocean shipping plan would take weeks or months.

 


Ghana’s president, Mali’s PM pledge to boost security ties

Ghana’s president, Mali’s PM pledge to boost security ties
Updated 17 January 2025
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Ghana’s president, Mali’s PM pledge to boost security ties

Ghana’s president, Mali’s PM pledge to boost security ties
  • “Despite the temporary setback, we must keep our relationships strong. Ghana remains in strong solidarity with Mali,” Mahama added

ACCRA: Ghana’s president and Mali’s prime minister have committed to strengthening relations in the face of rising extremist violence and instability across West Africa.
The northern part of Ghana, as well as nearby Togo and Benin, is increasingly faced with incursions by extremist groups based in the Sahel. “Our security is a common objective, and we must work with each other to ensure our subregion is safe,” Ghana’s John Mahama told the press after meeting with Gen. Abdoulaye Maiga in the capital, Accra.
“If your neighbor’s house is on fire, you must assist them to quench it; otherwise, it will spread to yours.” The Ghanaian leader also acknowledged the recent formation of the Alliance of Sahel States by Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, a defense pact formed after the three junta-led states withdrew from the regional West African bloc ECOWAS.
“Despite the temporary setback, we must keep our relationships strong. Ghana remains in strong solidarity with Mali,” Mahama added.
Maiga praised Ghana’s essential role in promoting pan-Africanism — a central theme of the military leaders who have taken power in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, all of whom have turned away from former colonial ruler France.
“The fight for African sovereignty aligns with the vision of President Mahama. We thank him ... for Ghana’s unwavering support,” the general said.
The visit shows the normalization of relations between the three AES states and their neighbors after coups and their ECOWAS exit strained ties.
It also came as Togo’s foreign minister refused to rule out joining the AES, which would give the currently landlocked security and defense pact access to the Atlantic Ocean.

 


Nine deny attack on Israeli firm Elbit’s UK warehouse

Nine deny attack on Israeli firm Elbit’s UK warehouse
Updated 17 January 2025
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Nine deny attack on Israeli firm Elbit’s UK warehouse

Nine deny attack on Israeli firm Elbit’s UK warehouse
  • Four men and five women, aged between 20 and 51, appeared by video link on Friday at London’s Old Bailey Court
  • All nine pleaded not guilty to aggravated burglary and causing criminal damage which has been estimated at 1 million pounds

LONDON: Nine people appeared in a London court on Friday to deny offenses including burglary, criminal damage, violent disorder and hitting a police officer with a sledgehammer, over an incident at a warehouse linked to Israeli defense firm Elbit.
The nine, who prosecutors have said were activists from the protest organization Palestine Action, are accused of smashing their way into the Elbit Systems UK facility in Bristol, southwest England, in August.
At a previous hearing, prosecutors said a repurposed prison van was used to smash through fencing before some of the group damaged items in the warehouse using sledgehammers.
Four men and five women, aged between 20 and 51, appeared by video link on Friday at London’s Old Bailey Court. All nine pleaded not guilty to aggravated burglary and causing criminal damage which has been estimated at 1 million pounds.
Seven of them also denied a charge of violent disorder, while one, Simon Corner, pleaded not guilty to a charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, for allegedly striking a police officer with a sledgehammer.
Another nine people also charged with offenses over the incident appeared at Friday’s hearing but did not enter pleas.
The first trial involving eight of the defendants is due to start in November, with the others appearing at two subsequent trials. A hearing will also be held to determine whether the cases should be treated as a terrorism matter.
Pro-Palestinian protesters have repeatedly targeted Elbit Systems UK and other defense firms in Britain linked to Israel in the wake of the conflict in Gaza.
Palestine Action has said the targeted site was Elbit’s new 35 million-pound ($43 million) research and development hub. Elbit’s website says its UK subsidiary employs 680 people at 16 sites, working on multiple programs for the British military.


Trump swearing-in will move inside Capitol Rotunda because of intense cold

Trump swearing-in will move inside Capitol Rotunda because of intense cold
Updated 17 January 2025
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Trump swearing-in will move inside Capitol Rotunda because of intense cold

Trump swearing-in will move inside Capitol Rotunda because of intense cold
  • “The weather forecast for Washington, D.C., with the windchill factor, could take temperatures into severe record lows,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform
  • “There is an Arctic blast sweeping the Country. I don’t want to see people hurt, or injured, in any way”

WASHINGTON: President-elect Donald Trump may take the oath of office from inside the Capitol Rotunda on Monday due to forecasts of intense cold weather.
“The weather forecast for Washington, D.C., with the windchill factor, could take temperatures into severe record lows,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. “There is an Arctic blast sweeping the Country. I don’t want to see people hurt, or injured, in any way.”
The Rotunda is prepared as the inclement weather alternative for each inauguration in the event of inclement weather. The swearing-in was last moved indoors in 1985, when President Ronald Reagan began his second term. Monday’s forecast calls for the lowest inauguration day temperatures since that day.
Alternate plans are required for the more roughly 250,000 guests ticketed to view the inauguration from around the Capitol grounds and the tens of thousands more expected to be in general admission areas or to line the inaugural parade route from the Capitol to the White House.
Trump said some supporters would be able to watch the ceremony from Washington’s Capital One area on Monday, a day after he plans to hold a rally there. He said he would visit the arena after his swearing-in.
The National Weather Service is predicting the temperature to be around 22 degrees (minus-6 Celsius) at noon during the swearing-in, the coldest since Reagan’s second inauguration saw temperatures plunge to 7 degrees (minus-14 Celsius). Barack Obama’s 2009 swearing-in was 28 degrees (minus-2 Celsius). Adding to the bite: Wind is forecast to be 30 to 35 mph (48 to 56 kph), sending wind chills into the single digits.
Trump’s inaugural committee and the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies did not immediately respond to a request for comment.


Italian minister to stand trial over alleged fraud

Italian minister to stand trial over alleged fraud
Updated 17 January 2025
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Italian minister to stand trial over alleged fraud

Italian minister to stand trial over alleged fraud
  • Santanche, a member of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s far-right Brothers of Italy party, denies committing fraud
  • Opposition parties on Friday called on Santanche to resign

ROME: Italian Tourism Minister Daniela Santanche will stand trial for alleged falsification of financial statements at her former publishing company, a Milan judge ruled Friday.
Santanche, a member of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s far-right Brothers of Italy party, denies committing fraud during her time as chair and CEO of Visibilia, a media publisher and advertising agency.
She is the second Meloni minister to stand trial after Transport Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, who was cleared in December over charges relating to his detention of a migrant boat as part of a different government.
“Prosecutors claim the forecasts in the (company’s) business plan were overly optimistic,” Santanche’s lawyer Nicolo Pelanda told reporters at the court.
“It leaves us with a bitter taste in our mouths but we are convinced that we can prove Santanche’s lack of involvement,” he said.
The trial will begin in March.
Opposition parties on Friday called on Santanche to resign. If she does, she would be the second Meloni minister to step down, after a sex scandal last year toppled the culture minister.
Meloni refused last month to confirm whether Santanche would remain in her post if ordered to stand trial.
Santanche is also caught up in two other investigations, including one for alleged benefit fraud.
Milan prosecutors allege Visibilia, which Santanche sold before joining Meloni’s administration in 2022, pocketed government redundancy funds during the coronavirus pandemic for staff members who instead continued to work.
Italy’s highest court will decide at the end of the month whether that case should be transferred from Milan to Rome, after which there will be decision as to whether or not she should stand trial.
Prosecutors are also investigating Santanche over the bankruptcy of organics food company Ki Group-Bioera, which she used to co-manage.