New Zealand mission to recover bodies from 'highly volatile' volcano island gets underway - Fox News

A daring mission to retrieve the bodies of eight victims of the New Zealand volcano eruption got underway early Friday, even though scientists said they believe there is a risk for another eruption.

New Zealand police said the recovery mission will involve a team of eight military specialists as part of the "high-speed recovery" of the bodies, which Police Deputy Commissioner Mike Clement acknowledged was “not without risk.”

"They will go onto the island and they will make every effort to recover all of the bodies," Clement said at a news conference.

NEW ZEALAND VOLCANO DEAD INCLUDE 2 TEEN BROTHERS FROM CHICAGO AREA; PARENTS STILL MISSING: REPORTS

Clement said early Friday that the location of six of the bodies is already known, but finding the other two may be difficult, according to broadcaster RNZ. Once officials are able to recover the remains, they will be taken to the navy ship Wellington that is waiting close by.

A New Zealand Navy helicopter takes off from Whakatane Airport as the mission to return victims of the White Island eruption begins in Whakatane, New Zealand, Friday, Dec. 13, 2019. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

The continuing volcanic activity has delayed the recovery of the last victims since Monday's deadly eruption, which occurred as 47 tourists and their guides were exploring the island. In addition to the eight bodies left on the island, eight other people were killed and dozens were severely burned by the blast of scalding steam and ash.

Locals sing during sunrise as they wait for the return of the victims after the White Island eruption to be returned to Whakatane, New Zealand, Friday, Dec. 13, 2019. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

As the team of military specialists was boarding a helicopter to be sent to the island, locals gathered along the shoreline in Whakatane to sing and pray while awaiting the return of the bodies, according to the New Zealand Herald.

One woman told a reporter from the Herald as a haka was performed: "This is one way we can contribute together for their safe travels and safe return."

Police have cited the need to preserve evidence that would help identify the victims as a reason to take a methodical approach, but the decision to make a faster recovery attempt appeared to have been partly motivated by weather forecasts.

Rain mixing with the heavy volcanic ash lying on the island could encase the bodies in a cement-like substance, making recovery more difficult.

Plumes of steam rise above White Island off the coast of Whakatane, New Zealand, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

"A lot has to go right for us tomorrow to make this work," police said Thursday.

NEW ZEALAND ORDERS 1,290 SQUARE FEET OF SKIN FOR VOLCANO VICTIMS, DOCTOR SAYS HOSPITAL ‘LIKE A WAR ZONE’

Before the mission got underway, GeoNet, New Zealand's geological hazard information site, said Thursday there was a 50 to 60 percent chance of another eruption within the next 24 hours.

The seismic monitoring agency has maintained the island's volcanic alert level at 2, noting there's been no eruption since Monday. On the scale, 2 signifies unrest while 5 signifies a major eruption.

Volcanologist Nico Fournier warned earlier that White Island remained “highly volatile" after Monday's blast. White Island is the tip of a mostly undersea volcano that's about 30 miles off New Zealand's North Island and has been visited by thousands of tourists each year. It's also the country's most active cone volcano.

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As the recovery operation gets underway, New Zealand medical staff were working around the clock to treat the injured survivors in hospital burn units.

On Thursday, a tourist injured in the eruption was transported to an Australian Air Force plane in Hamilton, New Zealand to be taken elsewhere for additional treatment.

An injured tourist in the volcano eruption is carried to an Australian Air Force plane in Hamilton, New Zealand, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2019. N Australian Broadcasting Corporation via AP (Australian Broadcasting Corporation via AP)

The enormity of the task was clear when Dr. Peter Watson, a chief medical officer, said at a news conference that extra skin has been ordered from American skin banks. Hospital personnel anticipated needing an extra 1,300 square feet of skin for grafting onto the patients, Watson said.

Australian tissue banks have sent 21 square feet to New Zealand to help the survivors.

“Skin is predominantly used in patients who have the most life-threatening burns, usually if they have more than 50% burn over their body,” said Stefan Poniatowski, head of Donor Tissue Bank Victoria.

New Zealand medical staff are still working around the clock to treat the injured survivors in hospital burn units. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation via AP)

A patient with that amount of burned skin doesn't have enough of their own healthy skin to transplant onto the wounded area, he explained. Additionally, in patients with an infection, creating a new wound to transfer their own skin is too risky, Poniatowski said.

Authorities say 24 Australians, nine Americans, five New Zealanders, four Germans, two Britons, two Chinese and a Malaysian were visiting the island at the time of the eruption. Many were from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship that had left Sydney two days earlier.

Fox News' Stephen Sorace and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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2019-12-12 19:01:27Z
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Indian military deployed and internet shut down as protests rage against citizenship bill - CNN

The Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB), which was passed by the country's parliament on Wednesday, has been described by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist government as a means of protecting vulnerable groups from persecution.

Critics, however, say the bill marginalizes Muslims and undermines the country's secular constitution. Others say it risks bringing an unwanted influx of immigrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan into India's northern states.

In Assam and Tripura, angry protesters marched through major cities Wednesday night and Thursday, holding flaming torches and setting alight car tires and piles of cardboard.

Indigenous groups in both states fear naturalizing large numbers of immigrants will change the region's demographics and way of life, fearing the impact on jobs, government subsidies and education.

India's northeast is home to more than 200 distinct indigenous minority groups. Both Assam and Tripura share a border with Bangladesh and some see the arrival of foreigners as a cultural threat regardless of religion; for others, anti-immigrant sentiment remains closely tied to religious divisions.

Images from the protests show crowds chanting slogans and holding signs that read, "We are Assamese and proud" and "Tripura is not the dumping ground of illegal migrants."

Police arrested and clashed with the protesters, using batons and firing tear gas. About 1,800 people have been detained in Tripura since Wednesday, according to Rajiv Singh of the Tripura police force.

On Thursday, Indian military and paramilitary forces were deployed across the two states. In the Assam capital of Guwahati, the state's largest and most important city, authorities have shut down the internet "for an indefinite period," and announced a curfew.

But thousands defied the curfew Thursday after the All Assam Students Union (AASU) asked people to gather at Latasil cricket ground for a public meeting. Local celebrities joined the students, using anti-Modi, anti-CAB and anti-government slogans.

Following the end of the procession, protesters dispersed into small groups and some were later tear-gassed. Earlier in the morning, police had tried to stop the protests by firing tear gas shells and stun guns.

The AASU has announced a mass hunger strike in Guwahati Friday and have asked people to join them.

Transit has also been affected by the unrest, with two domestic airlines canceling all flights to Assam Thursday.

National and local leaders are now calling for calm and order, with Modi appealing directly to Assam residents.

"I want to assure them -- no one can take away your rights, unique identity and beautiful culture. It will continue to flourish and grow," said Modi.

The bill, which will now be sent to the President to be signed into law, was approved in India's upper house Wednesday by a margin of 125-105, having previously passed the lower house 311-80.

Promise 'rings hollow'

Opponents of the bill say it is another example of how Modi and his his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have pushed an agenda of Hindu nationalism onto secular India, a country of 1.3 billion people, at the expense of the Muslim population.

The BJP, which was re-elected in May, has its roots in India's Hindu right-wing movement, many followers of which see India as a Hindu nation.

In August, the Indian government stripped the majority-Muslim state of Jammu and Kashmir of its autonomous status, essentially giving New Delhi more control over the region's affairs. That same month, nearly 2 million people in India's Assam were left off a controversial new National Register of Citizens, which critics feared could be used to justify religious discrimination against Muslims in the state.

And last month, India's top court gave Hindus permission to build a temple on a disputed centuries-old holy site, which holds significance for both Hindus and Muslims. The ruling on the Ayodhya site was seen as a blow to Muslims and came at a time when Muslims increasingly see themselves as second-class citizens.

The BJP maintain the bill is about protecting religious minorities by allowing them to become citizens.

India's Home Minister Amit Shah said in a tweet Wednesday that the bill "will allow India to open its doors to minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who are facing religious persecution."

"It is well known that those minorities who chose to make Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan their home had to constantly live in the fear of extinction," Shah said. "This amended legislation by Modi government will allow India to extend them dignity and an opportunity to rebuild their lives."

But opponents say India's claims that the citizenship law aims to protect religious minorities "rings hollow" because it excludes Muslim minorities who face persecution in neighboring countries, including the Ahmadiyya from Pakistan, Rohingya from Myanmar, and the Tamil from Sri Lanka.

"The bill uses the language of refuge and sanctuary, but discriminates on religious grounds in violation of international law," said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch, in a statement.

Addressing Parliament on Tuesday, Shah said that Muslims "will not benefit from this amendment because they have not been persecuted on the basis of religion."

Speaking to Parliament on Wednesday, he added: "Who are you worried about? Should we make the Muslims coming from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan citizens of the country? What do you want -- that we give every Muslim coming from any anywhere in the world citizenship? ... The country cannot function this way."

Journalist Ahmer Khan contributed to this report.

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2019-12-12 14:54:00Z
52780491427020

Indian military deployed and internet shut down as protests rage against citizenship bill - CNN

The Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB), which was passed by the country's parliament on Wednesday, has been described by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist government as a means of protecting vulnerable groups from persecution.

Critics, however, say the bill marginalizes Muslims and undermines the country's secular constitution. Others say it risks bringing an unwanted influx of immigrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan into India's northern states.

In Assam and Tripura, angry protesters marched through major cities Wednesday night and Thursday, holding flaming torches and setting alight car tires and piles of cardboard.

Indigenous groups in both states fear naturalizing large numbers of immigrants will change the region's demographics and way of life, fearing the impact on jobs, government subsidies and education.

India's northeast is home to more than 200 distinct indigenous minority groups. Both Assam and Tripura share a border with Bangladesh and some see the arrival of foreigners as a cultural threat regardless of religion; for others, anti-immigrant sentiment remains closely tied to religious divisions.

Images from the protests show crowds chanting slogans and holding signs that read, "We are Assamese and proud" and "Tripura is not the dumping ground of illegal migrants."

Police arrested and clashed with the protesters, using batons and firing tear gas. About 1,800 people have been detained in Tripura since Wednesday, according to Rajiv Singh of the Tripura police force.

On Thursday, Indian military and paramilitary forces were deployed across the two states. In the Assam capital of Guwahati, the state's largest and most important city, authorities have shut down the internet "for an indefinite period," and announced a curfew.

But thousands defied the curfew Thursday after the All Assam Students Union (AASU) asked people to gather at Latasil cricket ground for a public meeting. Local celebrities joined the students, using anti-Modi, anti-CAB and anti-government slogans.

Following the end of the procession, protesters dispersed into small groups and some were later tear-gassed. Earlier in the morning, police had tried to stop the protests by firing tear gas shells and stun guns.

The AASU has announced a mass hunger strike in Guwahati Friday and have asked people to join them.

Transit has also been affected by the unrest, with two domestic airlines canceling all flights to Assam Thursday.

National and local leaders are now calling for calm and order, with Modi appealing directly to Assam residents.

"I want to assure them -- no one can take away your rights, unique identity and beautiful culture. It will continue to flourish and grow," said Modi.

The bill, which will now be sent to the President to be signed into law, was approved in India's upper house Wednesday by a margin of 125-105, having previously passed the lower house 311-80.

Promise 'rings hollow'

Opponents of the bill say it is another example of how Modi and his his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have pushed an agenda of Hindu nationalism onto secular India, a country of 1.3 billion people, at the expense of the Muslim population.

The BJP, which was re-elected in May, has its roots in India's Hindu right-wing movement, many followers of which see India as a Hindu nation.

In August, the Indian government stripped the majority-Muslim state of Jammu and Kashmir of its autonomous status, essentially giving New Delhi more control over the region's affairs. That same month, nearly 2 million people in India's Assam were left off a controversial new National Register of Citizens, which critics feared could be used to justify religious discrimination against Muslims in the state.

And last month, India's top court gave Hindus permission to build a temple on a disputed centuries-old holy site, which holds significance for both Hindus and Muslims. The ruling on the Ayodhya site was seen as a blow to Muslims and came at a time when Muslims increasingly see themselves as second-class citizens.

The BJP maintain the bill is about protecting religious minorities by allowing them to become citizens.

India's Home Minister Amit Shah said in a tweet Wednesday that the bill "will allow India to open its doors to minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who are facing religious persecution."

"It is well known that those minorities who chose to make Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan their home had to constantly live in the fear of extinction," Shah said. "This amended legislation by Modi government will allow India to extend them dignity and an opportunity to rebuild their lives."

But opponents say India's claims that the citizenship law aims to protect religious minorities "rings hollow" because it excludes Muslim minorities who face persecution in neighboring countries, including the Ahmadiyya from Pakistan, Rohingya from Myanmar, and the Tamil from Sri Lanka.

"The bill uses the language of refuge and sanctuary, but discriminates on religious grounds in violation of international law," said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch, in a statement.

Addressing Parliament on Tuesday, Shah said that Muslims "will not benefit from this amendment because they have not been persecuted on the basis of religion."

Speaking to Parliament on Wednesday, he added: "Who are you worried about? Should we make the Muslims coming from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan citizens of the country? What do you want -- that we give every Muslim coming from any anywhere in the world citizenship? ... The country cannot function this way."

Journalist Ahmer Khan contributed to this report.

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2019-12-12 14:38:00Z
52780491427020

Indian military deployed and internet shut down as protests rage against citizenship bill - CNN

The Citizenship Amendment Bill, which was passed by the country's parliament on Wednesday, has been described by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist government as a means of protecting vulnerable groups from persecution.

Critics, however, say the bill marginalizes Muslims and undermines the country's secular constitution. Others say it risks bringing an unwanted influx of immigrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan into India's northern states.

In Assam and Tripura, angry protesters marched through major cities Wednesday night and Thursday, holding flaming torches and setting alight car tires and piles of cardboard.

Indigenous groups in both states fear naturalizing large numbers of immigrants will change the region's demographics and way of life. India's northeast is home to more than 200 distinct indigenous minority groups. Both Assam and Tripura share a border with Bangladesh and some see the arrival of foreigners as a cultural threat regardless of religion; for others, anti-immigrant sentiment remains closely tied to religious divisions.

Images from the protests show crowds chanting slogans and holding signs that read, "We are Assamese and proud" and "Tripura is not the dumping ground of illegal migrants."

Police arrested and clashed with the protesters, using batons and firing tear gas. Around 1,800 people have been detained in Tripura since Wednesday, according to Rajiv Singh of the Tripura police force.

On Thursday, Indian military and paramilitary forces were deployed across the two states. In the Assam capital of Guwahati, the state's largest and most important city, authorities have shut down the internet "for an indefinite period," and announced a curfew.

Transit has also been affected by the unrest, with two domestic airlines canceling all flights to Assam Thursday.

National and local leaders are now calling for calm and order, with Modi appealing directly to Assam residents.

"I want to assure them -- no one can take away your rights, unique identity and beautiful culture. It will continue to flourish and grow," said Modi.

The bill, which will now be sent to the President to be signed into law, was approved in India's upper house Wednesday by a margin of 125-105, having previously passed the lower house 311-80.

Promise 'rings hollow'

Opponents of the bill say it is another example of how Modi and his his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have pushed an agenda of Hindu nationalism onto secular India, a country of 1.3 billion people, at the expense of the Muslim population.

The BJP, which was re-elected in May, has its roots in India's Hindu right-wing movement, many followers of which see India as a Hindu nation.

In August, the Indian government stripped the majority-Muslim state of Jammu and Kashmir of its autonomous status, essentially giving New Delhi more control over the region's affairs. That same month, nearly 2 million people in India's Assam were left off a controversial new National Register of Citizens, which critics feared could be used to justify religious discrimination against Muslims in the state.

And last month, India's top court gave Hindus permission to build a temple on a disputed centuries-old holy site, which holds significance for both Hindus and Muslims. The ruling on the Ayodhya site was seen as a blow to Muslims and came at a time when Muslims increasingly see themselves as second-class citizens.

The BJP maintain the bill is about protecting religious minorities by allowing them to become citizens.

India's Home Minister Amit Shah said in a tweet Wednesday that the bill "will allow India to open its doors to minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who are facing religious persecution."

"It is well known that those minorities who chose to make Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan their home had to constantly live in the fear of extinction," Shah said. "This amended legislation by Modi government will allow India to extend them dignity and an opportunity to rebuild their lives."

But opponents say India's claims that the citizenship law aims to protect religious minorities "rings hollow" because it excludes Muslim minorities who face persecution in neighboring countries, including the Ahmadiyya from Pakistan, Rohingya from Myanmar, and the Tamil from Sri Lanka.

"The bill uses the language of refuge and sanctuary, but discriminates on religious grounds in violation of international law," said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch, in a statement.

Addressing Parliament on Tuesday, Shah said that Muslims "will not benefit from this amendment because they have not been persecuted on the basis of religion."

Speaking to Parliament on Wednesday, he added: "Who are you worried about? Should we make the Muslims coming from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan citizens of the country? What do you want -- that we give every Muslim coming from any anywhere in the world citizenship? ... The country cannot function this way."

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2019-12-12 13:12:00Z
52780491206096

UK election: Jeremy Corbyn could become nation's first socialist leader in 40 years - Fox News

U.K. election: Everything you need to know

The Heritage Foundation's Nile Gardiner breaks down the upcoming U.K general election. Who are the important players, what is at stake in regards to Brexit and how will the outcome affect relations with the United States.

As Brits prepare to head to the polls on Thursday to vote in the country’s general election, the chance that far-left Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn becomes Britain’s next prime minister remains very real — a prospect that has even raised red flags from members of his own party.

Some polls show Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party ahead by double digits, and on track for as much as a 30-seat majority in the House of Commons, depending on the poll. But surveys going into the country's polling blackout have also suggested a significant tightening and polls in recent elections in the U.K. have frequently misjudged the eventual result. Tories are reminded of how then-Prime Minister Theresa May was predicted to win an overwhelming majority in 2017, only to end up struggling to hold onto power in a hung parliament.

BORIS JOHNSON SMASHES THROUGH 'GRIDLOCK' WALL IN PUSH 'TO GET BREXIT DONE'

Additionally, with Britain’s parliamentary system, even if the Tories were the biggest party overall, if they fail to win a majority it could open the door for Corbyn to form a coalition government of his own with other left-wing parties such as the Scottish National Party and the Liberal Democrats.

The possibility of a Prime Minister Jeremy Corbyn, who is perhaps even to the left of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is something that is sending pre-election jitters throughout many in Britain, where voters have for decades avoided electing a radical prime minister. He would be the first far-left British prime minister since the days of Prime Ministers Harold Wilson and James Callaghan in the 1970s — Callaghan was eventually ousted by Margaret Thatcher in 1979.

Corbyn has spent decades on the fringe left-wing on the party. He has been an advocate for nuclear disarmament and has fiercely opposed privatization of industries, while calling for higher taxes on the rich. Since his surprise win of the Labour Party leadership in 2015, surged by young left-wing activists, he has rejected many of the “New Labour” reforms instituted by former Prime Minister Tony Blair that saw the party dominate U.K. politics for more than a decade after 1997 by moving to the center.

Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn gestures, at a rally in Stainton Village, on the last day of General Election campaigning, in Middlesbrough, England, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP)

In addition to a left-wing agenda on issues such as health care, taxes and foreign policy, his more sympathetic stances toward violent terrorist groups is especially noteworthy. Most recently, he questioned the U.S. decision to kill ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and in a 2014 interview with Russian television, Corbyn blamed strife in Iraq on “Western meddling” and drew a comparison between U.S. troops to ISIS.

“Yes, [ISIS troops] are brutal, yes some of what they have done is quite appalling; likewise, what Americans did in Fallujah and other places is appalling,” he said.

He has in the past describes members of Hamas and Hezbollah as “friends” when he invited them to the House of Commons in the 1980s.  The Telegraph reported in 2017 that Britain’s MI5 opened a file on Corbyn over his links to the IRA in the '80s and '90s, amid fears he was a threat to national security and suspicions as he attended events to honor dead terrorists.

The Daily Telegraph reported this week that victims of terror attacks by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) have written to Corbyn demanding a meeting over his ties to the group. The outlet reports that Corbyn invited two convicted IRA members after it bombed the Tory party conference in Brighton in 1984, and was arrested in 1986 for a protest in which he showed “solidarity” with accused IRA terrorists.

He was also attacked for partaking in the 2014 laying of a wreath near the graves of terrorists who killed 11 Israelis at the 1972 Munich Olympics. He later said he was present, but not involved at the wreath-laying ceremony.

While, as expected, Corbyn’s political opponents have repeatedly sounded the alarm about a Corbyn government — that criticism has also come from members of his own party. A number have quit the party over Corbyn’s failure to deal with alleged anti-Semitism from members and supporters. Corbyn has condemned anti-Semitism and apologized for instances of it in the party.

“Obviously I’m very sorry for everything that’s happened but I want to make this clear: I am dealing with it. I have dealt with it,” Corbyn said this month.

But Labour was hit this week when the political blog Guido Fawkes published audio of Shadow Health Minister and Labour MP Jonathan Ashworth telling a friend Corbyn would not be prime minister — and that if he did, the “machine” would safeguard the nation’s security.

“I don’t know, on the security stuff; I worked in No.10, I think the machine will pretty quickly move to safeguard security (I mean the civil service machine). But it’s not going to happen. I can’t see it happening,” he said, according to the recording.

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But he also urged the person he was speaking to not to worry about a potential Corbyn win on Thursday, arguing that Labour's muddled stance on top issues like Brexit, is leading to a likely Labour drubbing.

“I’ve been going round these national places, it’s dire for Labour… it’s dire… it’s awful for them, and it’s the combination of Corbyn and Brexit….outside of the city seats… it’s abysmal out there… they can’t stand Corbyn and they think Labour’s blocked Brexit,” he said.

Ashworth later walked back the remarks, saying they were just “banter” with someone he thought was a friend.

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2019-12-12 13:38:22Z
52780464144156

Indian military deployed and internet shut down as protests rage against citizenship bill - CNN

The Citizenship Amendment Bill, which was passed by the country's parliament on Wednesday, has been described by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist government as a means of protecting vulnerable groups from persecution.

Critics, however, say the bill marginalizes Muslims and undermines the country's secular constitution. Others say it risks bringing an unwanted influx of immigrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan into India's northern states.

In Assam and Tripura, angry protesters marched through major cities Wednesday night and Thursday, holding flaming torches and setting alight car tires and piles of cardboard.

Indigenous groups in both states fear naturalizing large numbers of immigrants will change the region's demographics and way of life. India's northeast is home to more than 200 distinct indigenous minority groups. Both Assam and Tripura share a border with Bangladesh and some see the arrival of foreigners as a cultural threat regardless of religion; for others, anti-immigrant sentiment remains closely tied to religious divisions.

Images from the protests show crowds chanting slogans and holding signs that read, "We are Assamese and proud" and "Tripura is not the dumping ground of illegal migrants."

Police arrested and clashed with the protesters, using batons and firing tear gas. Around 1,800 people have been detained in Tripura since Wednesday, according to Rajiv Singh of the Tripura police force.

On Thursday, Indian military and paramilitary forces were deployed across the two states. In the Assam capital of Guwahati, the state's largest and most important city, authorities have shut down the internet "for an indefinite period," and announced a curfew.

Transit has also been affected by the unrest, with two domestic airlines canceling all flights to Assam Thursday.

National and local leaders are now calling for calm and order, with Modi appealing directly to Assam residents.

"I want to assure them -- no one can take away your rights, unique identity and beautiful culture. It will continue to flourish and grow," said Modi.

The bill, which will now be sent to the President to be signed into law, was approved in India's upper house Wednesday by a margin of 125-105, having previously passed the lower house 311-80.

Promise 'rings hollow'

Opponents of the bill say it is another example of how Modi and his his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have pushed an agenda of Hindu nationalism onto secular India, a country of 1.3 billion people, at the expense of the Muslim population.

The BJP, which was re-elected in May, has its roots in India's Hindu right-wing movement, many followers of which see India as a Hindu nation.

In August, the Indian government stripped the majority-Muslim state of Jammu and Kashmir of its autonomous status, essentially giving New Delhi more control over the region's affairs. That same month, nearly 2 million people in India's Assam were left off a controversial new National Register of Citizens, which critics feared could be used to justify religious discrimination against Muslims in the state.

And last month, India's top court gave Hindus permission to build a temple on a disputed centuries-old holy site, which holds significance for both Hindus and Muslims. The ruling on the Ayodhya site was seen as a blow to Muslims and came at a time when Muslims increasingly see themselves as second-class citizens.

The BJP maintain the bill is about protecting religious minorities by allowing them to become citizens.

India's Home Minister Amit Shah said in a tweet Wednesday that the bill "will allow India to open its doors to minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who are facing religious persecution."

"It is well known that those minorities who chose to make Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan their home had to constantly live in the fear of extinction," Shah said. "This amended legislation by Modi government will allow India to extend them dignity and an opportunity to rebuild their lives."

But opponents say India's claims that the citizenship law aims to protect religious minorities "rings hollow" because it excludes Muslim minorities who face persecution in neighboring countries, including the Ahmadiyya from Pakistan, Rohingya from Myanmar, and the Tamil from Sri Lanka.

"The bill uses the language of refuge and sanctuary, but discriminates on religious grounds in violation of international law," said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch, in a statement.

Addressing Parliament on Tuesday, Shah said that Muslims "will not benefit from this amendment because they have not been persecuted on the basis of religion."

Speaking to Parliament on Wednesday, he added: "Who are you worried about? Should we make the Muslims coming from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan citizens of the country? What do you want -- that we give every Muslim coming from any anywhere in the world citizenship? ... The country cannot function this way."

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2019-12-12 12:55:00Z
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UK election: British voters have their say on Brexit, place in world - USA TODAY

Kim Hjelmgaard USA TODAY

Published 7:12 AM EST Dec 12, 2019

LONDON – Millions of people in Britain trudged toward voting booths Thursday on a cold and blustery day to decide whether to back Prime Minister Boris Johnson's plan to "get Brexit done" or support opposition parties that want to delay Britain's departure from the European Union or even cancel it altogether. 

The vote, Britain's first winter general election for nearly a century and its fourth national ballot in less than five years, is not formally directly connected to Brexit. But Johnson called the vote in an attempt to gain a working majority to break a parliamentary deadlock over the nation's EU exit.

An exit poll is due at 10 p.m. local time (5 p.m. ET). 

An overall result is expected in the early hours of Friday morning.

If Johnson's Conservative Party retains power with a comfortable majority in Parliament it will pave the way for him to push through Brexit on Jan. 31. If Johnson loses, or no single party gains an absolute majority – a "hung Parliament" – Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn may attempt to form a minority government by partnering with other opposition groups such as the Liberal Democrats. A total of 650 parliamentary seats are up for grabs. 

Britain's election: Mudslinging clouds UK's 'nightmare before Christmas' vote

The election comes three years after Britain narrowly voted to leave the EU. The nation is as divided now as it was in 2016. There is also a desire to move on. 

"We're fed up. This just needs to be over," said Julie Ames, 30, who works in a hair saloon, as she made her way to a voting station south of Britain's capital. 

British electoral law prohibits revealing details about how another person has voted. However, posts on social media indicated long lines at some voting stations, which is unusual in Britain. It could suggest that turnout is higher than anticipated, although it is not immediately clear which parties that would favor. 

The vote also comes amid allegations of disinformation campaigns and outright falsehoods disseminated by all the main political parties. However, Johnson's Conservative Party has done more than any other group to stretch the limits of truth and transparency, according to a study by First Draft, a media watchdog. It found that nearly 90% of Facebook ads paid for by the Conservatives in the first few days of December contained misleading claims.

Over the period, the Conservative Party created more than 6,000 ads. 

Corbyn, 70, has put the preservation of Britain's cherished state-funded National Health Service (HNS) at the center of his campaign. The Labour Party has argued that Brexit will cause the NHS to be opened up to U.S. pharmaceutical and technology firms as part of Johnson's drive to create a lower-taxed, more lightly regulated post-Brexit Britain. Johnson has repeatedly disputed that claim, though he has a record of being pro-big business and pro-development when he was London's mayor from 2008-2016. He has also openly stated falsehoods.  

"Standing behind the NHS is a kind of secular religion for all Britons," said Richard Whitman, a political scientist at the University of Kent, in England.

Whitman said the election represented a choice for Britain: retain close economic and political ties with Europe, or move closer to the United States as a consequence of an expected trade deal the two nations would sign after Brexit.  

Still, Johnson focused almost exclusively on Brexit throughout his campaign.

"If we can get a working majority, we have a deal, it's ready to go," Johnson, 55, said Wednesday during his final campaign appearance, in central England.

"We put it in, slam it in the oven, take it out and there it is – get Brexit done," the prime minister said, as he watched pies being baked at a catering company. 

Corbyn said Wednesday at his final campaign rally: "My message to all those voters who are still undecided is that you can vote for hope in this election."

The outcome of Thursday's vote could have major consequences for the United Kingdom's union of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Scotland voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU in 2016's vote and political leaders there have threatened to call an independence vote if Brexit takes place.    

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2019-12-12 11:46:05Z
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