Human Rights

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Aug 17 (NNN-NNA) – An Israeli drone violated Lebanon’s airspace, over the southern district of Bint Jbeil, then headed towards Marjeyoun, while throwing combustible materials, causing fire to erupt, off the border town of Houla, local media reported.

The fire extended into the occupied Palestinian territories.

Also, 15 land mines left behind by Israel exploded, due to the flames.

17 August 2019; DW: The defendants showed remorse as the judge declared them a "threat to everyone in our democratic society." The two men planned to use homemade explosives in a terrorist plot on a Muslim community in upstate New York.

Two men were sentenced to between four and 12 years in prison on Friday after threatening to bomb a Muslim community in the United States.

Defendants Brian Colaneri, 20, and Andrew Crysel, 19, had both entered guilty pleas.

New Delhi, Aug 16 (PTI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad condemned the arrest of the party's Jammu and Kashmir unit chief Ghulam Ahmed Mir and senior leader Ravinder Sharma in Jammu on Friday.

Srinagar, Aug 17 (PTI) Landline services in 17 exchanges of the Kashmir Valley were restored on Saturday, officials said.

Seventeen out of a little over 100 telephone exchanges were made operational. These exchanges are mainly in Civil Lines area, Cantonment area, airport of Srinagar district.

Jajpur (Odisha), Aug 17 (PTI) A 51-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly raping a minor in Bari area of Odisha's Jajpur district, police said on Saturday.

The accused, a neighbour of the nine-year-old girl, lured her with chocolates before taking her to his house in Ratnagiri area under Bari block on Thursday, a police officer said.

"The man took her to his house where he raped her," said Chakrabarty Kanhar, Inspector In-Charge of Bari police station.

Hyderabad, Aug 17 (PTI) The restrictions imposed in Jammu and Kashmir in the wake of abrogation of Article 370 are being lifted gradually and the situation should be normal within a week, Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy said on Saturday.

Precautionary measures were being taken in view of provocative statements and others coming from Pakistan, he said.

Surat, Aug 17 (PTI) A man was arrested on Saturday for allegedly raping a three-year-old girl living in his neighbourhood here, police said.

The accused, Ajit Vishwakarma (20), a resident of Hirabaug locality in Surat was arrested from his house, where he had sexually assaulted the girl on Thursday, police said.

15 Aug 2019; MEMO: At least 10 civilians were killed in attacks carried out by Russian and Syrian regime forces in the de-escalation zone in northern Syria, the White Helmets civil defense agency said on Thursday, Anadolu Agency reports.

According to Mustafa Haj Yusuf, head of the White Helmets in Idlib province, 10 people were killed in the airstrikes on late Wednesday.

15 Aug 2019; MEMO: Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Thursday that six EU countries had agreed to take in some 150 migrants from a rescue ship that Italy had blocked from docking, resolving the latest standoff over immigration to Europe across the Mediterranean, Reuters reports.

United Nations, Aug 16 (PTI) The UN Security Council will meet here on Friday to discuss India revoking the special status of Jammu and Kashmir after Pakistan wrote a letter on the issue to the world body.

China, the closest ally of Pakistan, asked for "closed consultations" in the Council, which will meet at 10 am (7:30pm IST) to discuss the matter.

A UN diplomat had told PTI that China had asked for closed consultations on the Security Council agenda item 'India Pakistan Question'.