Human Rights

Washington, Mar 21 (PTI) Donald Trump has prioritised peace efforts in Afghanistan and his special envoy has initiated direct talks with the Taliban, but the US President will not accept a "bad deal" on efforts to end America's longest war, the White House has said.

According to a senior Trump administration official, America has "contingency" plans, which might involve "military options" if the peace talks fail to yield desired results.

Aizawl, Mar 20 (PTI) The Mizoram assembly Wednesday unanimously adopted a resolution asking the Centre not to reintroduce the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in any form in future.

The civil societies, churches, political parties and the people of the state are against the bill, Home Minister Lalchamliana said after moving the resolution.

20 Mar 2019; DW: A rescue boat carrying nearly 50 migrants has docked at the Italian island of Lampedusa. Interior Minister Matteo Salvini had denied the ship access to Italian ports, but relented in order to bring aid workers to trial.

Sicilian prosecutors on Tuesday ordered the seizure of the Italian-flagged ship "Mare Jonio." The rescue boat was allowed to dock at the Italian island of Lampedusa while accompanied by coast guard ships, following nearly two days at sea.

20 Mar 2019; DW: The investigation claims at least 14 civilians were killed as a result of airstrikes targeting al-Shabab insurgents. US-led airstrikes in Somalia have tripled under the Trump administration and look set to increase.

A damning new report by Amnesty International accuses US military forces of killing at least 14 civilians and injuring eight others in Somalia over the past two years.

DW's guest columnist and novelist Alaa al-Aswany has been sued by military prosecutors in Egypt after he criticized the way military officials are appointed to civil posts in an article for DW's Arabic section.

19 Mar 2019; DW: A court in Münster on Tuesday ruled partly in favor of three plaintiffs from Yemen who believe that their relatives were killed in a 2012 US drone strike that was relayed via an airbase in Germany.

The Münster Higher Administrative Court ruled that the German government must take "appropriate measures" to ascertain whether US operations conducted via the Ramstein Air Base are in line with international law.

JERUSALEM/RAMALLAH, March 19 (Xinhua) -- A Palestinian suspected of killing two Israelis was shot dead by Israeli forces in a crossfire on Tuesday night, two days after a manhunt, the army said.

Omar Amin Abu Laila, who carried out a deadly shooting and stabbing attack on Sunday, was tracked down in a house in the West Bank village of Abwein near Ramallah city, according to Palestinian media reports.

A short army notice said "the terrorist was tracked down and killed in fire exchanges with the Israel security forces."

Srinagar, Mar 19; PTI/GANASHAKTI:  National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah on Tuesday demanded a time-bound investigation into the custodial death of a school teacher in Jammu and Kashmir and exemplary punishment to those responsible for the death.

"I had hoped custodial deaths were a thing of our dark past. This is an unacceptable development & must be investigated in a transparent, time bound manner. Exemplary punishment must be handed out to the killers of this young man," Abdullah tweeted.

19 Mar 2019; DW: The European Court of Justice (ECJ) on Tuesday cleared the way for Germany to deport asylum-seekers to other EU member states.

Judges in the Luxembourg-based court ruled that weak social benefit systems and living conditions in certain countries were not grounds to block transfers.

They said deportations should be only be halted in cases where individuals were likely to face "extreme material need" and "inhuman or degrading treatment."

MOSCOW, March 18. /TASS/. The United States still refuses to let through buses sent for evacuating refugees from the Rubakan camp in Syria, head of the Russian Center for reconciliation of the conflicting sides Viktor Kupchishin said on Monday.

"Refugees from the Rubakan camp still cannot leave as the US side does not let through buses for evacuating refugees and refuses to ensure security for humanitarian convoys inside the 55-kilometer zone around its Al-Tanf base," Kupchishin said.