Human Rights

BEIRUT, Nov 23 (NNN-NNA) – Russian Ambassador to Lebanon, Alexander Zasypkin, slammed the U.S. disruptive role in Lebanon, local media reported.

“What we see in Lebanon today is America’s subversive role in the country and nothing more,” Zasypkin was quoted as saying, by Elnashra, an online newspaper.

The ambassador said that “there are foreign powers taking advantage of the protests happening in Lebanon, to implement their agendas.”

23 Nov 2019; MEMO: A protest by several hundred pro-Palestinian students against an event which hosted Israeli army reservists which took place at York University in Toronto on Wednesday night.

The anti-Zionist group Students Against Israeli Apartheid led the protest after campaigning for days against the event, in an attempt to stop the event taking place.

23 Nov 2019; MEMO: Israeli authorities’ closure of Palestine TV offices was slammed by an international press freedom watchdog yesterday.

In a statement, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) urged Israel to “allow Palestine TV and the Al-Arz Media Services Company to reopen their offices and resume their work”, also demanding that Israeli occupation forces “cease conducting raids of media organisations”.

23 Nov 2019; MEMO: The Saudi-led coalition’s airstrikes in Yemen have dramatically fallen over the course of the past two weeks after the country’s Houthi rebels offered to halt cross-border attacks, the UN envoy for the war-struck country said Friday, Anadolu Agency reports.

Martin Griffiths told the Security Council via video link from his Amman, Jordan office that Saudi airstrikes have plummeted by some 80% since the Houthis made the offer.

23 Nov 2019; MEMO: Fifty cars belonging to Palestinians were found burned and vandalised this morning by Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank, according to the Wafa news site.

In addition to burning the vehicles, the settlers slashed tyres and sprayed “closed military area” in Hebrew onto the homes of some residents of Karyout. The star of David was also sprayed onto the walls of some homes including that of Thaer Hanaysha.

23 Nov 2019; MEMO: Israeli occupation forces detained a 13-year-old Palestinian child, then led him around Hebron blindfolded, reported human rights NGO B’Tselem.

The incident occurred on the morning of 3 November, when soldiers seized ‘Abd a-Razeq Idris, 13, from the Abu Jales neighbourhood of the occupied West Bank city.

23 Nov 2019; MEMO: South Africa is blocking arms sales to countries including Saudi Arabia and the UAE in an inspections dispute, endangering billions of dollars of business and thousands of jobs in its struggling defence sector, according to industry officials, Reuters reports.

Bogota, Nov 22, AFP/GANASHAKTI: Tens of thousands of Colombians took to the streets of the capital Bogota on Thursday amid a general strike to protest the policies of President Ivan Duque's right-wing government.

There were reports of clashes and arrests as trade unions, students, opposition parties and the South American country's indigenous organisations challenged the full gamut of Duque's economic, social and security policies.

Varanasi (UP), Nov 22 (PTI) A group of Banaras Hindu University students protesting against the appointment of a Muslim professor at the Sanskirt literature department ended their 'dharna' on Friday.

The university had announced on Thursday that classes at the department would resume, indicating that the stir against the appointment of assistant professor Feroze Khan had ended.

22 Nov 2019; MEMO: Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh on Wednesday called on the European Union and Russia to revoke the citizenship of Israeli settlers who live in settlements built illegally on Palestinians land.