Human Rights

RAMALLAH, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas reaffirmed on Wednesday that the Palestinians reject the new peace plan proposed by the United States, known as "Deal of the Century."

Abbas made the remarks at the opening session of the Palestinian Central Council held in Ramallah.

"We tell those who claim that we accepted the Deal of the Century that we were the first who rejected and fought it," Abbas said, adding that the Palestinians will fight the deal until it is "toppled."

Pakur, Aug 13; PTI: Seven minor children belonging to the primitive Pahariya tribe have been rescued and a human trafficker arrested in Jharkhand's Pakur district, a senior police officer said today.

Acting on a tip-off, a police team conducted a raid at Amrapara bus stand and rescued the children and arrested the human trafficker while they were about to board a bus to Uttar Pradesh yesterday, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Ashok Kumar Singh said.

By Yoshita Singh

United Nations, Aug 15 (PTI) India and China, the most populous nations in the world, are key to making the United Nations relevant to everyone, President-elect of the UN General Assembly Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces has said.

Garces visited the two countries this month as she prepares to assume the role of President of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly in September.

12 Aug 2018; DG: Germany has seen a marked reduction in the number of attacks on refugees and migrant shelters in 2018. Lawmakers have welcomed the lower numbers, but warn of an ongoing "intolerable state of everyday racism."

Germany saw just over 700 anti-migrant attacks in the first half of 2018, according to the latest Interior Ministry figures.

By Qais Abu Samra

RAMALLAH, Palestine; 14 Aug 2018; AA: Israeli forces have rounded up 16 Palestinians in raids carried out across the occupied West Bank, according to local residents on Tuesday.

An Israeli force raided a number of homes in the West Bank city of Hebron and arrested two women, including the wife of Hamas lawmaker Mohamed Maher Badr, local residents said.

Four Palestinians were also arrested by Israeli forces in northern Hebron late Monday, according to the official Wafa news agency.

14 Aug 2018; AFP: A former Australian archbishop convicted of concealing abuse by a notorious paedophile priest in the 1970s was confronted by enraged victims outside a courthouse Tuesday after a judge spared him jail and ordered he serve his sentence at home.

Philip Wilson became one of the highest-ranked church officials convicted of covering up child sex abuse when he was found guilty in May of concealing crimes by priest Jim Fletcher in the Hunter region of New South Wales state.

GAZA, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- More than 95 percent of the industrial factories in the Gaza Strip have stopped production due to the closure of the commercial crossing point of Kerem Shalom between Israel and the coastal enclave, officials said Monday.

Ali Hayek, chairman of The Palestinian Businessmen Association in Gaza said in an emailed press statement that after most of the industrial factories stopped its production, "around 75,000 workers and labours remained unemployed."

WASHINGTON, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- It had been expected up to about 400 white supremacists to gather outside the White House on Sunday. However, by 4:00 pm local time, only dozens of them emerged and marched through Washington D.C. , accompanied by huge boos from crowded counterprotesters separated by heavy police presence.

"Go home, Nazis", "Shame", counterprotesters yelled at the far-right demonstrators, some of them hiding their faces with masks, bags or flags.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of anti-protesters gathered in several locations in central Washington Sunday afternoon, hours before a controversial right supremacist rally is scheduled.

The protesters are gathered in Lafayette park, just across the street from the White House, and the freedom plaza, just blocks away.

The protesters gathered in the country's capital to mark the one-year anniversary of the deadly Charlottesville protest, during which a white supremacist killed a female anti protester, sparking nationwide furor.

11 Aug 2018; AFP: Politicians and public servants have been linked to the murder of high-profile Brazilian lawmaker and black rights activist Marielle Franco, Brazil's security minister Raul Jungmann said late Friday.

Jungmann, who said the murder may be politically motivated, would not reveal any names at this time because doing so could "hinder progress in the investigation."

Nevertheless "I do not have the slightest doubt that there is nothing that prevents us denouncing them, all of them," Jungmann told reporters.