Human Rights

13 June 2019; MEMO: The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Jerusalem yesterday rejected an Israeli Supreme Court ruling against an appeal it filed to annul the sale of a property agreed in 2004.

The deal is related to the church’s property in Jaffa Gate in Jerusalem as well as the Muslim Quarter in the occupied holy city.

13 June 2019; MEMO: Israeli police this morning arrested the director of the restoration and reconstruction department of the Islamic Waqf, which cares for the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem.

Bassam Al-Hallaq was detained along with Taha Oweidah, an engineer, and Mohammad Hidra, a member of the compound’s staff.

13 June 2019; DW: UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid revealed on Thursday he had signed a US extradition request for Julian Assange.

Javid told BBC Radio 4 he had signed the request on Wednesday, and that his extradition hearing will start on Friday.

"I'm very pleased that the police were finally able to aprehend him and now he's rightly behind bars, because he broke UK law," Javid said. 

Jerusalem, Jun 13 (AFP) Israeli warplanes bombed bunkers at a Hamas base in Gaza early Thursday following the first rocket fire from the territory since early May, the military said.

Israeli aircraft targeted "underground infrastructure" at the base in the southern Gaza Strip, it said in a statement.

The strike came after Israeli air defences intercepted a rocket launched from the territory, the first since hundreds were fired in early May in a two-day flare-up which killed four Israelis and 25 Palestinians.

Lucknow, Jun 12 (PTI) Journalist Prashant Kanojia was released from a jail here on Wednesday, four days after his arrest for allegedly making objectionable comments against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on social media.

He was freed on bail on the Supreme Court's directive Tuesday to release him immediately.

Maharajganj, 12 June 2019: Owner of a restaurant in Adda Bazaar, was beaten severally by the brother and son of a BJP ex-president of Maharaja gang district.

The owner Phoolchand Madheshia and his family members, including the females, were beaten for asking money for the food duo have eaten at his restaurant.

12 June 2019; MEMO: The Palestinian Authority condemned on Tuesday Israel’s criminal demolition of Palestinian-owned homes and facilities in the occupied territories, including East Jerusalem, Al-Wattan Voice has reported. According to the PA Foreign Ministry, such demolitions are a form of “ethnic cleansing” of the Palestinians in Jerusalem, and “part of Israel’s war” against them.

12 June 2019; MEMO: Egypt’s Court of Cassation on Monday upheld 25-year prison sentences against 22 members of the Muslim Brotherhood including the group’s Mufti Abdul Rahman Al-Barr, a judicial source said.

The source, who preferred not to be named because he was not authorised to speak to the media, said the court has also supported prison terms ranging from five to 15 years against 290 other defendants.

The verdicts were originally issued by the Cairo Criminal Court in September 2017.

12 June 2019; AFP: Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is expected in Tehran on Wednesday for a rare diplomatic mission, hoping to ease tensions between the Islamic republic and Tokyo's key ally Washington.

The first Japanese prime minister to visit Iran in 41 years, Abe is expected to arrive in Tehran at around 1120 GMT and go straight into talks with President Hassan Rouhani.

12 June 2019; DW: A decree adopted by the Italian government on Tuesday would force non-governmental organizations to pay between €10,000 and €50,000 ($11,327 – $56,638) for transporting rescued migrants to Italian ports.

Rescuers who repeatedly dock without authorization risk having their vessel permanently impounded. The fines would be payable by the captain, the operator and the owner of the rescue ship.