Zakir Naik won't be deported to India: Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamad

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said on Friday that controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, allegedly wanted in India for terror-related activities and hate speech, will not be sent back.  

Naik, a radical television preacher, reportedly left India in 2016 and subsequently moved to largely Muslim Malaysia, where he was granted permanent residency.

According to Indian media reports, New Delhi asked for him to be extradited in January. The two countries have an extradition treaty.

"As long as he is not creating any problem, we will not deport him because he has been given permanent residency status," Mahathir said at a news conference in administrative capital Putrajaya outside Kuala Lumpur, when asked about the reports.

The reports say India had asked for Naik to be sent back for allegedly inciting youth to engage in terror activities via his hate speeches.

Modi in London: PM uses Bharat Ki Baat for Lingayat outreach; 10 points

Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with the Indian diaspora in his 'Bharat Ki Baat, Sabke Saath' programme at Westminster's central hall in London on Wednesday. Addressing the gathered audience, Modi said that he was the servant of 1.25 billion Indians and that he did not wish to write his name in the history books. Modi, who is on a three-day visit to the United Kingdom (UK), spoke on topics as diverse as crimes against women and children in India, his government's performance and programmes, and India's foreign policy, especially with regard to countering terrorism and dealing with Pakistan. During the programme, Modi also spoke of the recent spate of rape cases in the country, including the Kathua rape and murder case and the Unnao rape case involving an MLA from his party.

The surgical strikes conducted by the Indian Army in the aftermath of the Uri attack and the Ayushman Bharat National Health Protection Mission (NHPM), dubbed as 'Modicare' by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), were also some topics of discussion during Modi's interaction. The prime minister also spoke about his personal outlook regarding serving the country and the role of criticism of the government in a democracy.

Sukma attack: Naxals kill 9 CRPF jawans, 6 injured: Top 10 developments

Nine CRPF personnel were on Tuesday killed after suspected Naxals blew up their mine-protected vehicle in Chhattisgarh's Sukma, around a year after a dozen jawans were killed in a similar ambush in the district. Officials said the incident took place around 12:30 PM along the Kistaram-Palodi road of the district when the troops of the 212th battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were out on an operation.

At least nine men have been killed, while two other jawans suffered injuries after the mine-protected vehicle was blown up by multiple improvised explosive devices (IEDs) concealed under the dirt track, a senior official said.

Top 10 developments
1. Naxalites struck in a stunning fashion
The incident took place near Gollapalli on Kistaaram-Palodi road in Sukma district---about 500 km south of state capital. The incident took place today morning when CRPF jawans from the 212 battalion deployed in the area were returning to Palodi camp after an operation.
The blast injured six CRPF personnel, of which four are said to be critical. Injured personnel are being airlifted to Raipur. Soon after the incident, reinforcements were rushed to the spot, around 500 kms from state capital Raipur.
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Hafiz Saeed declared a terrorist: China's failure behind Pakistan move?

Has Pakistan turned over a new leaf when it comes to aiding, harbouring and turning a blind eye to terrorist organisations operating from its soil? Has it finally heeded India's warnings or US President Donald Trump's threats? One might be inclined to believe so, to some extent, given the ordinance promulgated by Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain last week will reportedly lead be the proscription of Hafiz Saeed-linked Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF). The truth could be that Islamabad is facing a tough situation that its friend Beijing has been unable to bail it out of.

However, even as the ordinance was promulgated and signed, Pakistan-baked terrorist organisations attacked military installations in India -- an Indian Army camp in Jammu and a CRPF camp in Srinagar. So, what made Islamabad take a decision that, as Pakistani newspaper Dawn describes, "would end a long-standing ambiguity over the status of Hafiz Saeed-linked JuD and FIF by firmly placing them on the list of proscribed groups"? It could be that a global financial watchdog might have finally compelled the powers that be in that country to take some action.

Note ban effect: Currency printing cost more than doubles to Rs 7,965 crore

Note ban effect - The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) spent Rs 7,965 crore on printing currency notes between July 2016 and June 2017, compared to Rs 3,420 crore in 2015-16, an increase of 133%, according to RBI’s annual report 2016-17.

This was highest over the last 17 years, Bloomberg reported on August 30, 2017.

The rise in expenditure was attributed to newly designed notes of higher denominations and the need to replace demonetised currency, the RBI report said. Banknotes were often airlifted from the presses to RBI offices across the country to ensure currency was available after demonetisation, adding to the cost of distribution.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 8, 2016 announced the withdrawal of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes–which constituted 85% of cash in circulation–in a move to fight corruption, black money, money laundering, terrorism and financing of terrorists as well as counterfeit notes, a narrative that kept changing, as IndiaSpend reported on December 5, 2017.

Of Rs 15.44 lakh crore demonetised currency in circulation, about 99% or Rs 15.28 lakh crore came back to the central bank as on June 30, 2017, the annual report said.
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Oil prices jump after Saudi Arabia and Arab allies cut ties with Qatar

Saudi Arabia and key allies on Monday cut ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting extremism, sending shockwaves through the energy industry as the countries involved include the world's top oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporters.

Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest crude oil exporter, along with the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Bahrain said they would sever all ties including transport links with Qatar, the top LNG exporter in the world. The three Gulf countries said they will give Qatari visitors and residents two weeks to leave.

"(Qatar) embraces multiple terrorist and sectarian groups aimed at disturbing stability in the region, including the Muslim Brotherhood, ISIS (Islamic State) and al-Qaeda, and promotes the message and schemes of these groups through their media constantly," Saudi state news agency SPA said .

While the announcements did not immediately affect oil shipments, benchmark Brent crude futures prices rose over 1 percent to well over $50 per barrel following the news.

Meanwhile, Petronet LNG said on Monday it did not expect any impact on gas supplies from Qatar after Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain severed ties with the Gulf Arab state accusing it of supporting terrorism.

"I don't think there will be any impact on it. We get gas directly from Qatar by sea," R.K. Garg, head of finance at Petronet, told Reuters when asked to comment on the coordinated move to cut relations.Petronet LNG, India's biggest gas importer, buys 8.5 million tonnes a year of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Qatar under a long-term contract. It also buys additional volumes from Qatar under spot deals.

The coordinated move dramatically escalates a dispute over Qatar's support of the Muslim Brotherhood, the world's oldest Islamist movement, and adds accusations that Doha even backs the agenda of regional arch-rival Iran.The three Gulf states announced the closure of transport ties with Qatar and gave Qatari visitors and residents two weeks to leave their countries. Qatar was also expelled from a Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen.
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