Human Rights

BEIRUT, May 20 (Xinhua) -- A confrontation took place on Monday between protesters and police soldiers in the capital Beirut during a demonstration organized by retired military personnel and other public sector employees against proposed austerity measures, local media reported.

Local TV channels broadcasted footage of soldiers using water cannons to disperse demonstrators and prevent them from reaching the Grand Serail where the council of ministers is convening to discuss the 2019 state budget.

BEIJING, May 21 (Xinhua) -- Washington's long-standing addiction to bullyism has become a grave threat to global stability and peace.

The United States has shown ultra enthusiasm in brandishing the tariff stick against its main trade partners, including the European Union(EU), Japan, Canada, Mexico and China.

The intention of such actions is plain and simple: it is determined to crush anyone it sees a threat to its global dominance. And that is exactly what it has been doing since it became a superpower in the aftermath of World War II.

MUNSTER, Germany, May 20 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday assured Germany's help for Ukraine to solve the conflicts in its Donbas region.

Merkel made the statement during her visit to a rapid reaction force of NATO in Germany's Munster.

The army unit, consists of soldiers of Germany, the Netherlands and Norway, was founded in 2014 after an escalation of clashes in Ukraine's east.

New Delhi, May 20 (PTI) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday hit back at BJP leader Vijay Goel, who had said the CM should have the personal security officer of his choice if he doubts him, saying it is "Modi Ji who wants to get me killed, not my PSO .

Kejriwal on Saturday claimed he will be assassinated by his personal security officer, like former prime minister Indira Gandhi.

He said the Bharatiya Janata Party is after his life and will kill him one day.

Palghar, May21(PTI) A 20-year-old mentally challenged woman was allegedly raped by an unidentified man in Palghar district of Maharashtra, police said on Tuesday.

The offence came to light some days back when doctors found that she was pregnant, a police spokesperson said.

Bengaluru, May 21 (PTI) Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy has cancelled his scheduled visit to Delhi Tuesday, where he was expected to take part in a meeting of opposition leaders over the issue of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM), official sources said.

"The proposed visit of the chief minister to New Delhi today stands cancelled," the CMO said, without specifying any reasons.

MOSCOW, May 20. /TASS/: A pontoon bridge across the Euphrates river has been restored by the Syrian army’s engineering units with the assistance of the Russian Center for reconciliation of the confllicting sides in Syria, the center’s chief Viktor Kupchishin said on Monday.

MOSCOW, May 20. /TASS/: Russia will continue to provide assistance to Christians in the Middle East, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday.

"The Middle East is going through serious trials, with Christians fleeing Iraq, public executions of Coptic Christians staged in Libya, Christians being massacred by terrorists and extremists in Syria. It is only a small portion of consequences of geopolitical engineering by United States and their closest allies," Lavrov said at a reception in honor of Orthodox Christian Easter.

DALLAS (AP) — A transgender woman was found slain in a Dallas street over the weekend, authorities said, a month after a cellphone video showed her being brutally beaten in a separate case police said they investigated as a hate crime.

Muhlaysia Booker, 23, was found face-down early Saturday after Dallas police officers were called following reports of shots being fired. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Booker died from “homicidal violence,” police Maj. Vincent Weddington said. He did not elaborate on her death. No suspect has been identified.

VISTA, California (AP) — Kellen Winslow Jr., the son of a pro football star who himself earned over $40 million in an injury plagued NFL career, “took what he wanted,” including raping a 54-year-old hitchhiker and a 59-year-old homeless woman, prosecutors said Monday.

Meanwhile defense lawyers argued the sex was consensual and asked jurors not to judge the married father for his “cheating ways.”