Human Rights

14 July 2019; MEMO: The Greek Orthodox Church will next week petition against a final ruling of Israel’s Supreme Court which approved the sale of church property in East Jerusalem’s Old City to pro-settlement group Ateret Cohanim.

Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the petition will argue that the sale of the property was based on bribery and the church figures who signed the deal were corrupt, immediately fleeing the country after signing the deal.

14 July 2019; MEMO: An Egyptian minister has claimed that Egypt is to establish a “Ministry of Happiness” in light of the country’s soaring prices of basic commodities and the continued repression and imprisonment of thousands of opposition figures.

New Delhi, Jul 13 (PTI) Congress accused the BJP government of complete insensitivity and apathy towards children safety Saturday and said the Supreme Court has been forced to take suo motu notice of increasing child rape cases in the country.

Congress Chief Spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala alleged that the BJP government's 'Beti Bachao' campaign is merely a lip service as it spends only "five paisa per girl child in the country."

Mumbai, Jul 13 (PTI) Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy said Saturday that looking at "what is happening in different parts of the country today", the youth need to state bluntly that this was not the country for which our forefathers got freedom.

Talking about his spat with Vishal Sikka, Infosys' first non-promoter chief executive who quit in 2017, he said he had to speak up when he saw core values of the IT giant being thrown into the "dustbin".

New Delhi, Jul 12 (PTI) The Supreme Court Friday took note, on its own, of the "alarming rise" in the number of rape incidents against children and said it will pass directions to ensure a "concerted" and "clear" national response against such acts.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said it has decided to take "suo motu" (on its own) cognisance of various reports of news papers and portals on rising incidents of child rape.

Lucknow, Jul 13 (PTI) Welcoming the Uttar Pradesh Law Commission-drafted Bill against lynching, BSP supremo Mayawati Saturday pitched for a stringent, pan-India legislation to arrest the spread of this "dreadful disease".

In a statement issued by the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) here, Mayawati said, "Mob lynching has emerged as a dreadful disease (bhayanak bimari) across the country, and the loss of lives in it is a matter of serious concern."

13 July 2019; DW: Police said the four crew members of the Grace 1 are still under investigation. Their release came as the UK said it would send a second naval frigate to the Persian Gulf amid escalating tensions with Iran.

Police in the British territory of Gibraltar on Friday released all four crew members of an Iranian tanker that was detained on suspicion of illegally transporting oil to Syria.

11 July 2019; MEMO: The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS) yesterday rejected an invitation by US special envoy Jason Greenblatt to visit the White House and meet officials there, WAFA news agency reported.

According to a statement, the PJS said that the invitation is another “failed and desperate” attempt by the US administration to bypass the Palestinian leadership.

11 July 2019; MEMO: Amnesty International is urging TripAdvisor employees “to use their power to demand that their company stops profiting from war crimes by listing tourist attractions and properties in illegal Israeli settlements across the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT)”.

11 July 2019; MEMO: Member of PLO’s Executive Committee Hanan Ashrawi yesterday condemned the “dangerous” Israeli settlement expansion in occupied Jerusalem and its outskirts, Quds Net News reported.