Human Rights

Washington, Jul 24 (PTI) Secretary of State Antony Blinken will raise issues of human rights and democracy with Indian officials during his first visit to New Delhi as the two nations have more values in common on those fronts than otherwise, according to a senior US official.

Blinken is scheduled to arrive in New Delhi late on July 27.

New Delhi, Jul 23 (PTI) The government has no record of farmers who have died during the agitation at Delhi's borders against three new farm laws since 2020, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar informed Parliament on Friday.

Tomar also said the government has not undertaken any study to ascertain the apprehensions in the minds of farmers about the three farm laws.

Imphal, Jul 23 (PTI) In compliance with the order of the High Court of Manipur, the state government on Friday released Kishorechandra Wangkhem, a journalist detained under the National Security Act (NSA) for a Facebook post on the death of a BJP leader, an official said.

The high court earlier in the day directed the government to release the scribe, detained following a post criticising BJP leaders on the use of cow dung and cow urine as cures for COVID-19, before 5 pm.

Srinagar, Jul 23 (PTI) PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Friday attacked the Centre over the Pegasus snooping issue, saying it has "gone rogue" and is "brazenly subverting" basic human rights.

"A spyware used against terrorists has been weaponised to deal with political opponents & dissenters. BJP has taken a leaf out of how Britishers would suspect & treat Indians during the colonial era. GOI has gone rogue & is brazenly subverting basic human rights, she tweeted.

22 July 2021; MEMO: The Supreme Court of Israel has given Naftali Bennett's government a deadline until next September to clarify its position on the evacuation order issued to the Palestinian Bedouin community of Khan Al-Ahmar in occupied East Jerusalem.

The text of the court's decision issued yesterday stated that the court has granted the government until 5 September to render its position regarding carrying out the order to evacuate Khan Al-Ahmar community, adding that this would not be extended again.

23 July 2021; MEMO: Turkey and Algeria are discussing ways to cooperate and support Palestine, Anadolu has reported. The Speaker of the Algerian Parliament, Ibrahim Bougali, has raised this with his Turkish counterpart Mustafa Sentop during a telephone call initiated by the latter.

Lucknow, Jul 22 (PTI) IT raids on media groups Dainik Bhaskar and Bharat Samachar came under heavy criticism on Thursday, with the SP describing the BJP government as a "coward" trying to scare those exposing its failures and the Congress terming it an attack on democracy.

Flaying the government, the UP Congress in a tweet said, "Kamal' wale, kalam se darte hain (People with lotus are afraid of the pen)."

The Congress termed the raids on both media houses as an "attack on democracy".

RAMALLAH, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Palestine on Thursday welcomed a decision by the United Nations Human Rights Council to form an independent international commission to investigate Israeli violations of Palestinian rights.

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that the council's decision "reflects the international community's persistence to implement international law and protect Palestinian human rights."

New Delhi, Jul 23 (PTI) The Kisan sansad', being held at Jantar Mantar near Parliament where the Monsoon Session is underway, entered its second day on Friday.

Paramilitary forces and police personnel have been deployed at the site with heavy barricading at the entrance to avoid any kind of untoward incident. The protest by the farmers was peaceful.

22 July 2021; MEMO: Palestinian institutions today accused the Israeli authorities of torturing a Palestinian detainee to death, Anadolu Agency reports.

Forty-three-year-old Abdo Al-Khatib was killed yesterday after being tortured during interrogation at the Al-Maskobiya interrogation centre in occupied Jerusalem.