Human Rights

5 Apr 2019; DW: The German Foreign Ministry said Friday it had brought several children of convicted "Islamic State" (IS) militants back to Germany from Iraq.

The returns were carried out with the consent of the parents, a ministry source said, adding that the number of repatriations so far had "reached a high single-digit figure." The children are staying with their relatives in Germany.

5 Apr 2019; DW: French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday announced the creation of a commission tasked with investigating France's role in the Rwandan genocide of 1994.

The presidency tapped several historians and researchers for the commission, saying they "will be tasked with consulting all France's archives relating to the genocide … in order to analyze the role and engagement of France during that period."

5 Apr 2019; DW: A Serbian court on Friday sentenced four people to up to 30 years in prison for their involvement in the assassination of journalist and news publisher Slavko Curuvija in 1999.

Former secret police chief Radomir Markovic was handed a 30-year sentence along with Milan Radonjic, who headed Belgrade's intelligence branch at the time. Two other intelligence officers received 20-year sentences, one of them in absentia.

5 Apr 2019; DW: Tens of thousands of protesters marched in Mali's capital Bamako on Friday, to protest what they described as President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita's failure to stop a surge of violence in the center of the country.

Protesters shouted anti-Keita slogans, including "IBK get out" as they attended the march that was called by Muslim religious leaders, organizations representing the Fulani herding community, opposition parties and civil society groups.

5 Apr 2019; DW: The United Nations human rights agency on Friday condemned recent fighting between Myanmar's army and guerrillas of the Rakhine insurgent group known as the Arakan Army.

The spokeswoman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ravina Shamdasani, said the agency had "credible reports of the killing of civilians, burning of houses, arbitrary arrests, abductions, indiscriminate fire in civilian areas and damage to cultural property."

5 Apr 2019; DW: Euroskeptic parties are joining forces ahead of the elections for the European Parliament in May. A few days ago, about 500 young members of such parties met in Rome. The summit was organized by the youth wing of Italy's anti-immigrant League party, which hopes to win a large share of the vote. Surveys indicate that Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini's party could emerge victorious in Italy.

5 Apr 2019; DW: Euroskeptic parties are joining forces ahead of the elections for the European Parliament in May. A few days ago, about 500 young members of such parties met in Rome. The summit was organized by the youth wing of Italy's anti-immigrant League party, which hopes to win a large share of the vote. Surveys indicate that Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini's party could emerge victorious in Italy.

CAIRO, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Secretary-General of the Arab League (AL) Ahmed Aboul-Gheit called Friday on all Libyan parties to practice self-restraint and immediately de-escalate the military situation in the western areas of the country.

In a statement, the AL chief also urged the Libyan parties to abide by the political path as the only solution to the Libyan crisis.

RAMALLAH, April 5 (Xinhua) -- A senior Palestinian official slammed on Friday the remarks of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the Gaza Strip and the continuation of Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman of the Palestinian Authority Presidency, said in an official statement that Netanyahu's remarks show that Israel "acts in accordance with a plan that would keep the internal Palestinian division going on."

Mumbai, Apr 5 (PTI) More than 600 theatre personalities, including Amol Palekar, Naseeruddin Shah, Girish Karnad and Usha Ganguli, have signed a letter asking people to "vote BJP and its allies" out of power, arguing that the idea of India and its constitution are under threat.

The letter, which was issued Thursday evening in 12 languages on the Artist Unite India website, said the upcoming Lok Sabha elections are the "most critical in the history" of the country.