Human Rights

New Delhi, Jan 22 (PTI) Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad Tuesday alleged that the Congress had organised the EVM hackathon in London in which a cyber expert claimed that the 2014 general elections were rigged.

The event was sponsored by the Congress, the minister of Electronics and IT said at a press conference here.

Srinagar, Jan 21 (PTI) Three unidentified Kashmiris were killed in an encounter with the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Budgam district on Monday, the Army said.

A cordon-and-search operation was launched in Hapatnaar area following information about the presence of separatists in the area, an official said.

The search operation turned into a gun battle after the separatists opened fire on the security forces. Three separatists were killed in the operation, the official said, adding that the identity and affiliation of them were being ascertained.

Srinagar, Jan 22 (PTI) Two separatists were killed on Tuesday in an encounter with security forces in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir, the Army said.

Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Heff area of Shopian district following information about presence of militants in the area, an Army official said.

He said the search operation turned into a gunbattle after militants opened fire on the security forces.

COTABATO CITY, Philippines; 21 Jan 2019; AA: A referendum set to shape the future of Muslims in the southern Philippines has started on Monday.

The Bangsamoro Muslims, long deprived of freedom under the U.S. and the modern Philippine state, reached the final phase in an autonomy agreement signed with the government in Manila in July 2018.

On Monday, nearly 3 million people are voting on the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) under tight security measures in Cotabato City, the regional center of Muslim Mindanao.

DHAKA, Bangladesh; 21 Jan 2019; AA: Some 31 Rohingya refugees have been living in inhuman conditions between the Bangladesh and India border for the last three days, according to local media reports on Monday.

Indian Border Security Force (BSF) tried to push them over border line while Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) foiled the attempt, leaving dozens of refugees stranded on no-man’s land under the open sky.

RIYADH; 21 Jan 2019; AA: A prominent Saudi cleric has reportedly died in prison, according to an activist group on Monday.

Sheikh Ahmed al-Amari, the former dean of the Quran College in the Islamic University of Madinah, died due to “medical negligence”, the so-called Prisoners of Conscience group said on Twitter.

The group accused Saudi prison authorities of “intentionally neglecting al-Amari, causing his death”.

21 Jan 2019; DW: Most of the asylum-seekers that were deported were sent to Italy. The deportations follow the EU's Dublin III rule, which states that applications must be processed in the first country of arrival.

In 2018, more refugees were transferred from Germany to other EU member states than ever before, according to an Interior Ministry report obtained by German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung. The report was a response to a parliamentary inquiry by the Left Party.

21 Jan 2019; AFP: The world's 26 richest people own the same wealth as the poorest half of humanity, Oxfam said Monday, urging governments to hike taxes on the wealthy to fight soaring inequality.

A new report from the charity, published ahead of the World Economic Forum in Davos, also found that billionaires around the world saw their combined fortunes grow by $2.5 billion each day in 2018.

DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — Wealth inequality around the world is “out of control” and doing particular harm to women, anti-poverty campaigner Oxfam warned Monday ahead of the annual gathering of business and political leaders in the Swiss ski resort of Davos.

JERUSALEM (AP) — In an extraordinary statement, the Israeli military confirmed early Monday that it attacked Iranian military targets in Syria, hours after carrying out a rare daylight air raid near the Damascus International Airport.

The statement was issued hours after Israeli missile defenses intercepted an incoming missile over the Golan Heights in the wake of the airport raid.

“We have started striking Iranian Quds targets in Syrian territory,” the military statement said. “We warn the Syrian Armed Forces against attempting to harm Israeli forces or territory.”