Human Rights

MOSCOW, May 2. /TASS/: Over 1,300 people left the Rukban refugee camp on Wednesday and entered the territory controlled by the Syrian government forces, chief of the Russian Center for reconciliation of the conflicting sides in Syria Viktor Kupchishin said on Thursday.

New Delhi, May 2 (PTI) The Election Commission Thursday issued a show cause notice to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for his "Babur ki aulad" remark.

The EC pointed out that while addressing a rally in Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh on April 19, Adityanath had said "would you hand over the reins of the country to terrorists, to those who call themselves children of Babur (Babur ki aulad)...to those who oppose Bajrangbali".

Araria (Bihar), May 2 (PTI) A 44-year-old man was lynched to death in this district of Bihar over suspicion of cattle theft, police said Thursday.

The incident took place in Dak Haripur village falling under Robertsganj police station area, they said.

Mahesh Yadav was caught hold by locals who alleged that he was trying to steal cattle along with two associates. He was beaten to death, Shiv Sharan Sah, SHO, Robertsganj said.

Three unidentified Kashmiris have been killed by Indian security forces in an alleged encounter in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir, an Indian Army spokesperson said.

An encounter broke out between Kashmiri separatist and the Indian security forces in the Imam Sahib area of Shopian following a cordon and search operation in the early hours, the Indian Army official alleged.

VIENNA, May 2. /TASS/: Moscow decided to simplify the procudere of obtaining Russian citizenship for Donbass residents because the Ukrainian authorities are depriving them of their legal rights, Russia's Deputy Envoy to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Dmitry Balakin said on Thursday.

Balakin said Russia regrets to see how Kiev deprived Donbass residents of almost all their legal rights and excluded them from political and social-economic processes in Ukraine, thus making them de facto disenfranchised people on the territory of their own country.

DONETSK, May 2. /TASS/: Over 1,000 Ukrainian army's servicemen have been killed or injured since the start of the military operation in Donbass under Sergey Nayev's command, head of the people's militia of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) Eduard Basurin said on Thursday.

WASHINGTON, May 3 (Xinhua): Around 120 civilians were killed by U.S. overseas military operations in 2018, said a report released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD).

"There are credible reports of approximately 120 civilians killed and approximately 65 civilians injured during 2018 as a result of U.S. military operations in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and Somalia," said the Annual Report on Civilian Casualties in Connection with U.S. Military Operations.

TEHRAN, May 2 (Xinhua): Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Thursday that Iran will never bow to the U.S. anti-Iran pressures, Press TV reported.

"We will find a way (to deal with the U.S. pressures). We have done that for 40 years, and will do that now too," Zarif said in Qatari capital Doha on Thursday.

Zarif, who attended the 16th ministerial meeting of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue in Doha, warned about the "existential threat" that the U.S. unilateralism poses to the international community.

SEATTLE (AP) — The American Civil Liberties Union and other groups are again going to court to challenge the Trump administration, this time over its policy to bar detained asylum seekers from asking a judge to grant them bond.

The American Civil Liberties Union, American Immigration Council and the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project filed a class-action lawsuit over the policy in U.S. District Court in Seattle on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Russia’s support for Venezuela’s embattled President Nicolas Maduro has become the latest flashpoint in deteriorating relations between the United States and Russia, moving to the top of a list of long-simmering spats between the Cold War foes.

As the dispute intensifies with both sides trading accusations and entrenched in diametrically opposed positions from which they are unwilling to retreat, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo plans to meet Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov next week in Finland to discuss the matter.