Human Rights

Srinagar, Aug 24 (PTI) Restrictions were lifted in most areas of Kashmir on Saturday, a day after strict curbs on the movement of people were imposed in the valley in view of the Friday prayers and the proposed march of separatists to the local United Nations military observer group office.

Officials said people were allowed to move freely even as deployment of security forces continued on the ground.

23 Aug 2019; MEMO: The residents of a Bedouin Palestinian village in southern Israel have petitioned the Supreme Court in a bid to prevent construction on the community’s Muslim cemetery, reported Haaretz.

The construction in question is a planned large water storage tank to be built by the Mekorot national water company.

23 Aug 2019; MEMO: Israeli TV channel KAN reported on Thursday that the occupation authorities have transferred two billion shekels (around $560 million) of withheld taxes to the Palestinian Authority, which will help to cover its budget deficit. The channel cited PA officials in its report.

23 Aug 2019; MEMO: The number of Palestinians displaced by Israeli occupation authorities in the first seven months of 2019 has now exceeded the total number of people displaced in all of 2018.

Washington, Aug 23; GANASHAKTI: Donald Trump is "ready to assist" India and Pakistan on the Kashmir issue if both sides ask for it, a top White House official has said, underlining that the US President is "very focused" on the situation in the Valley in view of its "broader implications".

Tensions between India and Pakistan spiked after New Delhi abrogated provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution to withdraw Jammu and Kashmir's special status and bifurcated the state into two Union Territories on August 5.

Srinagar, Aug 23; GANASHAKTI: Restrictions were imposed in Srinagar city on Friday after posters issued by the separatists called on people to march to the local United Nations military observer group office, officials said.

Restrictions were eased in most areas of Kashmir this week, with barricades being lifted and the movement of people and traffic increasing gradually, but markets remained shut and mobile and Internet services suspended for the 18th day on Thursday.

New Delhi, Aug 23 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to examine the validity of a newly enacted law which makes the practice of instant divorce through triple talaq among Muslims a punishable offence entailing imprisonment of up to three years.

A bench of justices N V Ramana and Ajay Rastogi issued notice to the Centre on a batch of petitions which has sought to declare The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act 2019 as "unconstitutional" on grounds that it allegedly violates the provisions of the Constitution.

Kolkata, Aug 22 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday termed as "very depressing" the way Congress leader and former union minister P Chidambaram was arrested and alleged that the judiciary was not coming to the help of a "crying" democratic system.

In her first reaction after Chidambaram's arrest by CBI in INX media case on Wednesday evening, Banerjee quoted Rabindranath Tagore and said the "message of justice is crying silently in isolation".

New Delhi, Aug 22 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir's political leaders, including former chief ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, are likely to be in custody for some more time with no clarity on their release as the Valley continues to be on edge.

A senior government official also made it clear that any decision on the release of the people under detention in Jammu and Kashmir will be taken by the local administration depending on the ground situation.

Aligarh (UP), Aug 22 (PTI) An Aligarh Muslim University student was arrested after his Facebook page showed an objectionable poster on Prime Minister Narendra Modi carried recently by anti-India protesters in London, police said.

Mohammad Zaid Rashid (20), admitted at the university's off-campus centre in Bihar's Kishanganj this year, was here when he downloaded a picture from the protests over the scrapping of the special status for Jammu and Kashmir.