Human Rights

NEW DELHI (AP) — Tens of thousands of protesting Indian farmers have called for a national strike on Monday, the second in a week, to press for the quashing of three new laws on agricultural reform that they say will drive down crop prices and devastate their earnings.

The farmers are camping along at least five major highways on the outskirts of New Delhi and have said they won’t leave until the government rolls back what they call the “black laws.”

MOSCOW, December 12. /TASS/. Washington’s recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara could hamper UN efforts aimed at resolving the conflict and trigger a new spiral of violence in the region, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

PARIS (AP) — Paris police took nearly 150 people into custody at what quickly became a tense and sometimes ill-tempered protest Saturday against proposed security laws, with officers wading into the crowds of several thousand to haul away suspected trouble-makers.

Police targeted protesters they suspected might coalesce together into violent groups like those who vandalized stores and vehicles and attacked officers at previous demonstrations.

12 Dec 2020; MEMO:  The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) announced on Friday that the Palestinian Authority (PA) has ignored national consensus when it decided to return to talks with Israel.

In a statement issued on its 53rd anniversary and sent to media, the PFLP stressed that returning to talks with Israel: "Is a continuation of failed bets on US administrations."

12 Dec 2020; MEMO:  The Office of the European Union (EU) Representative called on Friday for Israel to cancel eviction orders for Palestinian families in the Batan Al-Hawa and Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhoods of occupied Jerusalem, a

13 Dec 2020; MEMO:  Arab media has reported that Saudi Arabia deported a number of non-resident Indians (NRI) living in the Gulf state for protesting against the highly controversial register introduced by the far-right Hindu nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

New Delhi, Dec 12 (PTI) The Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) Saturday extended its support to the ongoing farmers' protest against the three newly elected agriculture-related legislations, and alleged the country's farming laws are being changed to favour multinationals and corporates.

The JIH supports the ongoing protest by farmers against the new farm laws enacted by the Centre, the Islamic body's vice president Mohammad Saleem Engineer told a press conference.

Jaipur, Dec 12 (PTI) Farmers in Rajasthan blocked highways at several places on Saturday to protest against the Centre's new agri laws, with BJP-ally Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) MP Hanuman Beniwal joining one such demonstration.

Terming the new farm laws as "anti-farmer", Beniwal, the convenor of RLP, said if Prime Minister Narendra Modi is equally concerned about the farmers, he should implement the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission.

Kolkata, Dec 12 (PTI) The Citizenship Amendment Act will be implemented in West Bengal soon, BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya Saturday said.

Vijayvargiya, the BJP Bengal minder who was talking to reporters at Thakurnagar in North 24 Parganas district which is largely inhabited by backward Matua community, did not say anything on the contentious National Register of Citizens.

12 Dec 2020; MEMO:  Demonstrations of the Sahrawi people and supporters in the Spanish capital, Madrid against Rabat's policy

Ambassador of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia El-Hamra and Río de Oro (Polisario Front), Abdelkader Taleb Omar, declared that Trump's agreement with Rabat and Tel Aviv is null, lacks legitimacy, and violates the United Nations (UN) resolutions.