NEW DELHI TIMES R.N.I. No 53449/91 DL-SW-1/4124/20-22 (Monday/Tuesday same week) (Published Every Monday) New Delhi Page 24 Rs. 7.00 31 May - 6 June 2021 Vol - 31 No. 18 Email : [email protected] Founder : Dr. Govind Narain Srivastava ISSN -2349-1221 Demolition of Barabanki Mosque Learning is a lifelong process driving A Bookworm’s Lockdown A Conspiracy or Law Enforcement? in momentous change "COMPUTERS ARE USELESS. They can only give you answers,” said One of the continuous With the onset of the second wave Picasso in 1968, the year in which Intel processes that individuals of Coronavirus in India, the news was founded and Stanley Kubrick’s acquire throughout their headlines and timelines of social 2001: A Space Odyssey was released. life is that of learning. media platforms got flooded with Picasso didn’t change his mind. Over Learning is imperative for news of communal harmony the last half century computers have the personal as well as the amidst pandemic. Contrary become immensely better at providing professional growth of the to the popular opinion, answers, but not so good at asking individual helping him/ Hindus and Muslims questions. A good book asks questions. her to better understand showed exemplary A better one raises questions you never the surroundings and courage and determination in knew existed. The key to a lockdown facing all the... helping each other during... can lie in a book... By Dr. Ankit Srivastava Page 3 By Dr. Pramila Srivastava Page 24 By M J Akbar Page 20 By NDT Special Bureau Page 2 Who killed Princess Diana? Healers by day, Messiahs by Killing in the name of God is inhumane, night: The Silver Lining! concept of sacrificial animals need revisit Watching the Duke of Cambridge Prince William blame When Uma Nair, a retired English teacher from Don Around the world Muslims mark the Festival of Sacrifice the BBC and journalist Martin Bashir as contributing to Bosco School, New Delhi, contracted COVID-19 in April on the 10th day of the holy month of Dhu-al-Hijjah. It his mother Princess Diana’s death left me surprised... this year, she went through an unfathomable... honours Abraham’s willingness to slay his son... By Tarek Fatah Page 2 By Aseem Sharma Page 20 By Smt. Maneka Sanjay Gandhi Page 22 For critical insights One Year* Five Year* Subscribe Rs. 350 Rs. 1500 To Subscribe E-Paper Whatsapp +91 9999 331 600 * Details on Page 21 1 twitter@NewDelhiTimes facebook.com/newdelhitimes www.NewDelhiTimes.com 2 31 May - 6 June 2021 Opinion NEW DELHI TIMES Assad returns in Syria: West fumes election” in Syria did not represent any ◆ By NDT Special Bureau progress towards a political settlement. @NewDelhiTimes In a separate briefing the United States [email protected] Department of States official called on the international community to reject the attempt ashar al-Assad has been re-elected to by the Assad regime to claim legitimacy the post of the Syrian President after B without protecting the Syrian people, without sweeping the 2021 Presidential Elections. respecting its obligations under international The voting took place on May 26, 2021 law, including humanitarian law and human and a day later, Syria’s Parliament Speaker, rights law, and without meaningfully Hammoud Sabbagh, announced the final participating in the UN-facilitated political results. “The incumbent President Bashar al- process to end the conflict. The European Assad won the election, securing the support PC :Getty Images Union, in a similar vein has stated that the of 95.1% of the voters,” Sabbagh told a May 26 elections in Syria were devoid of news conference in Damascus. “The voter blood, we defend you Bashar,” and “We participate”. On the day of the voting, i.e., any genuine democratic representation. The turnout was 78%,” he said, adding that over only choose three: God, Syria and Bashar.” on May 26, the Foreign Ministers of France, EU High Representative, Josep Borrell, 14 million citizens took part in the election. Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and The elections in Syria were declared a farce the United States of America issued a joint issued a statement mentioning that the The Speaker drew attention to high not only by the opposition political groups statement that categorically stated that the Syrian elections undermined efforts to find a responsibility of the people “that surpassed but by the West too, including the United elections in Syria were neither free nor fair sustainable solution to the Syrian conflict. “It all expectations”. “Syrians showed that Nations, the European Union and the United and in complete contravention of the UN led cannot lead to any measure of international they are full of determination to stand States. On April 28, the United Nations peace process. normalisation with the Syrian regime. The against dangerous challenges and wrote Special Envoy for Syria, Geir O. Pedersen political process must be fully inclusive to another glorious page in the history of stated before the United Nations Security The statement said, “We denounce the Assad ensure that all segments of Syria’s society their country,” he added. Abdullah Saloum Council that the elections in Syria were not regime’s decision to hold an election outside are involved in shaping the country’s future Abdullah and Mahmoud Ahmad Marei were a part of the political process established of the framework described in UN Security unity and reconciliation”, the statement said. two of Assad’s main rival candidates in the by the Security Council resolution 2254. Council Resolution 2254 and we support the election. Marei got 3.3 per cent of the vote, The UN Special Envoy remarked, “The UN voices of all Syrians, including civil society The West is unanimous in denouncing the while Mr. Saloum received 1.5 per cent, is not involved in this election and has no organisations and the Syrian opposition, Syrian elections as farce and illegitimate and Sabbagh said. mandate to be. who have condemned the electoral process in contravention to the UN led peace process. as illegitimate”. Further, the joint statement There are countries with vested interest who “Thank you to all Syrians for their high The UN continues to stress the importance of said that free and fair elections should are backing Assad from behind the curtains sense of nationalism and their notable a negotiated political solution to the conflict be convened under the UN supervision but at the end, those who are going through participation… For the future of Syria’s in Syria. In this regard, resolution 2254 to the highest international standards of hell is none other than the Syrian population. children and its youth, let'’ start from mandates the UN to facilitate a political transparency and accountability. Radical Islamic migrants reaching to Europe tomorrow our campaign of work to build process that culminates in the holding of conceal their identity as innocent Syrians. hope and build Syria,” Assad wrote on free and fair elections in accordance with For an election to be credible, all Syrians They are after all part of some grand plan his campaign’s Facebook page. The a new Constitution, administered under should be allowed to participate, including but what, time will tell. From over a decade electoral victory of Assad was celebrated in United Nations supervision to the highest internally displaced Syrians, refugees, and the country has been facing a civil war and Damascus and the coastal city of Tartus, by international standards of transparency and members of the diaspora, in a safe and God knows when it will end. his supporters who waved flags and pictures accountability, with all Syrians, including neutral environment. The statement said of Assad. They chanted, “With our soul, members of the diaspora, eligible to that without these elements, the “fraudulent Godspeed Syria, Godspeed! Who killed Princess Diana? to perform to get to the source of a story or Canadians coming out of the Victoria Day secure interviews with the most inaccessible weekend need to know, Victoria was well ◆ By Tarek Fatah elites of society, be they movie stars or even aware of this racist animosity towards Abdul Author & Columnist, Canada minor celebrities such as Malala Yusufzai and did not tolerate it. @TarekFatah or terrorists like Bin Laden, some requiring Fritz Ponsonby, her assistant private [email protected] payments via PR agencies or agents. secretary, articulated her unwavering anti- atching the Duke of Cambridge Prince In the case of the 1995 Princess Diana racist stance in a letter: “The Queen insists W William blame the BBC and journalist interview, Martin Bashir admits he fudged on bringing the ‘Munshi’ forward, and if it Martin Bashir as contributing to his mother some financial statements and made her were not for our protest, I don’t know where Princess Diana’s death left me surprised. brother Charles Spencer facilitate the she would stop,” he wrote. “But it is no use, interview. Makes me wonder whether her for the Queen says it is ‘race prejudice’ and Did Prince William truly believe that when brother would have gone along if the price that we are jealous of the poor Munshi.” Princess Diana uttered the words, “There was right? were three of us in this marriage” — Victoria knew that the royal court would not PC :Getty Images referring to Prince Charles’ extra-marital Every word that Princess Diana spoke in the pay Abdul the same respect once she was dead, so she heaped gifts and titles upon him. affair — it was Martin Bashir who had fed interview was hers. At no stage did Martin wife Meghan Markle faced to the attitude The Queen’s fears were justified.