Human Rights

Ottawa, Sep 28 (AFP) Canada's parliament has voted unanimously to effectively strip Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi of her honorary Canadian citizenship over the Rohingya crisis.

Ottawa had given the long-detained democracy advocate and Nobel laureate the rare honour in 2007.

But her international reputation has become tarnished by her refusal to call out the atrocities by her nation's military against the Rohingya Muslims minority, which Ottawa last week declared a genocide.

New Delhi, Sep 28 (PTI) The Supreme Court Friday paved the way for entry of women of all ages into the Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala in Kerala.

The five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, in its 4:1 verdict, said that banning the entry of women into the shrine is gender discrimination and the practice violates rights of Hindu women.

The CJI said religion is a way of life basically to link life with divinity.

MOSCOW, September 27. /TASS/. Moscow is outraged at NATO’s "errant" attacks in Afghanistan, which have become almost a daily reality, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

"We are outraged at the fact that NATO’s ‘errant’ attacks in the country have become almost a daily reality, while no one has been held responsible," the statement reads.

Srinagar, Sep 27: Three Kashmiris and a soldier were killed in two gunfights in Anantnag and Budgam districts of Jammu and Kashmir, the Army said.

Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Qazigund of Anantnag district after receiving information about the presence of seperatist in the area, an army official said.

It is alleged that the search operation turned into an encounter when the seperatist opened fire at the security forces.

Chennai, Sep 26 (PTI) Petitions have been filed in Madras High Court challenging the detention of six of the 17 accused in a gang rape case here, under the stringent Goondas Act.

A division bench of Justices C T Selvam and Nirmal Kumar issued notices to the authorities concerned returnable in three weeks, when the petitions came up for hearing.

United Nations, Sep 27 (AFP) President Donald Trump vowed Wednesday to present a "very fair" Middle East peace plan by the end of the year and endorsed a two-state solution, apparently confident that the Palestinians would return to talks despite his unwavering support for Israel.

Holding talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in New York, Trump said it was a "dream" of his to bring about a peaceful solution to a conflict that has eluded several of his predecessors.

By NICOLE WINFIELD and JARI TANNER

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Pope Francis acknowledged Tuesday that the sex abuse scandals rocking the Catholic Church were driving people away and said the church must change its ways if it wants to keep future generations.

Francis referred directly to the crisis convulsing his papacy on the fourth and final day of his Baltic pilgrimage, which coincided with the release of a devastating new report into decades of sex abuse and cover-up in Germany.

GAZA, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- Clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli soldiers killed one Palestinian and injured 50 others on the border between the northern Gaza Strip and Israel, the Gaza health ministry said.

In the first demonstration, a clutch of fishing boats sailed off the northern coast of the Gaza Strip until reaching the bordering area with Israel.

Israeli navy opened intensive gunfire at around 25 fishing boats to force their departure, with no injuries reported, local media said.

DAMASCUS, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- The U.S.-led coalition air strikes against the Islamic State group in Syria has killed thousands of civilians since they entered the course of Syrian war four years ago, a war monitor reported on Sunday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the death toll of civilians is part of a total of 12,000 rebels and ultra-radical militants killed by the U.S.-led strikes.

Mumbai, Sep 24; PTI: A former municipal councillor, a city-based NGO and an advocate have jointly approached the Bombay High Court challenging provisions of an ordinance that makes the practice of instant triple talaq a punishable offence.

President Ram Nath Kovind had last Wednesday signed the ordinance, according to which giving instant triple talaq has been made illegal and void, and will attract a jail term of three years for the husband.