Human Rights

20 Nov 2021; MEMO: The Palestinian Mission in the UK on Friday condemned the designating of Hamas as a "terrorist organisation", stressing that this step "will make peace-making harder" than ever.

"With this move, the British government has complicated Palestinian unity efforts and undermined Palestinian democracy," the mission announced in a statement.

LONDON (AP) — The British government said Friday that it intends to ban the Palestinian militant group Hamas as a terrorist organization.

The military wing of Hamas has been outlawed in the U.K. since 2001 but the organization as a whole is not proscribed.

Home Secretary Priti Patel, who is in charge of law and order issues, said on Twitter that she had “acted to proscribe Hamas in its entirety.”

She said the group “has significant terrorist capability, including access to extensive and sophisticated weaponry, as well as terrorist training facilities.”

18 Nov 2021; MEMO: The trial of two search and rescue volunteers opened in Greece today, with the pair facing up to 25 years in jail. Amnesty International has described the proceedings as "farcical". The two are among a total of 24 aid workers facing similar charges in the trial.

19 Nov 2021; MEMO: A Palestinian prisoner who has been held in Israeli jails for 13 years died today in what Palestinian rights groups believe is a result of medical negligence on the part of Israeli prison authorities.

Thirty-nine-year-old Sami Al-Amour from the Deir Al-Balah refugee camp in the besieged Gaza Strip, was announced dead this morning at Soroka Hospital in Beersheba after he was held at a military checkpoint for 14 hours while on his way to the medical centre.

19 Nov 2021; MEMO: Some 157 UN member states yesterday voted in favor of a resolution affirming Palestinian sovereignty over their natural resources.

Seven countries – Canada, Israel, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Palau and the United States – voted against the motion, with 14 abstentions.

Srinagar, Nov 19 (PTI) Normal life was affected in the Kashmir valley on Friday due to a strike called by the Hurriyat Conference to express solidarity with the families of the civilians killed in the Hyderpora encounter earlier this week, officials said.

Most of the shops, fuel stations and other business establishments in Srinagar were shut, the officials said.

Public transport was largely off the roads, but private cars and auto rickshaws were seen plying in some areas of the city, they said.

New Delhi, Nov 19 (PTI) The announcement made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday to repeal the three contentious farm laws is expected to bring to an end the year-long confrontation between the government and the farmers, which has left more than 700 dead in its wake.

The three laws raised concerns that this will lead to the abolishment of the minimum support price (MSP) guaranteed by the government on select crops and leave farmers at the mercy of big corporates.

New Delhi, Nov 19 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced that the government has decided to repeal the three farm laws, which were at the centre of protests by farmers for the past year, and appealed to the protesting farmers to return home.

Addressing the nation on the auspicious occasion of Guru Nanak Jayanti, Modi insisted that the laws were in the benefit of farmers and then apologised to people of the country while adding that the government could not convince a section of farmers despite its clear heart and clean conscience.

18 Nov 2021; MEMO: Palestinian NGOs yesterday called for boycotting American envoy to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield over her decision not to meet with represenatives of the six Palestinian NGOs banned by Israel, a statement said.

18 Nov 2021; MEMO: Britain's Prince Charles said yesterday that Jordan's custodianship over Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem is "vital" to achieving peace in the Middle East.

"The United Kingdom views Jordan, under the leadership of King Abdullah II, not only as a friend, but as a consistent voice of moderation and tolerance, as was the case during the reign of the late King Hussein Bin Talal," Prince Charles said during a visit to the Jordan Museum in the capital, Amman, accompanied by his wife, Camilla.