56+ min ago (551+ words) Reports of Israeli authorities torturing Palestinian prisoners have been publicized for years, with freed detainees describing frequent beatings, attacks by dogs, and rape and sexual abuse, and the United Nations Committee Against Torture now says Palestinians have been victimized by a "de facto state policy of organized and widespread torture." Both Palestinian and Israeli rights groups gave reports to the committee on conditions in Israeli detention centers, detailing Israel's regular deprivation of food and water for detainees as well as the "severe beatings," electrocution, waterboarding. and sexual violence Israeli guards and other authorities perpetrate. A state policy of torturing prisoners constitutes the crime of genocide under international law, the committee said. Peter Vedel Kessing, a member of the committee and a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for Human Rights, told the BBC the panel was "deeply appalled" by the…...

2+ hour, 56+ min ago (927+ words) Amid renewed discussions about Nigeria's security challenges, particularly its recent designation as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) by the United States, key Nigerian groups and peace advocates are calling for unity, caution, and locally driven reforms to address the ongoing violence by the Boko Haram and other militant organizations affecting communities across the country. Their message is clear: The Boko Haram insurgency and the insecurity bedeviling the nation remain a national tragedy affecting both Christians and Muslims, and the priority should be building internal harmony and strengthening homegrown solutions to restore peace. For over a decade, Boko Haram, formally known as Jama'atu Ahlis-Sunnah lid Da'awati wal-Jihad, has waged a brutal insurgency across Nigeria's northeast and the wider Lake Chad region. The humanitarian consequences have been devastating, with reports of around35,000 civilian deathsand over 2 million displacements due to the conflict. Despite…...

8+ hour, 56+ min ago (358+ words) Kabul, Nov 30: More than 6000 Afghan refugees have been forcibly repatriated from Pakistan and Iran in a single day, a Taliban official said on Sunday, local media reported. Sharing the High Commission for Addressing Migrants' Issues report on X, Taliban Deputy Spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat stated that 1,188 families, comprising 6,553 people, returned to Afghanistan on Saturday. Afghan refugees entered Afghanistan through Torkham crossing in Nangarhar, Pul-i-Abresham in Nimroz, Spin Boldak in Kandahar, Bahramcha in Helmand and Islam Qala crossing in Herat, Pajhwok Afghan News reported. Fitrat said that 1,260 families, comprising 8,102 people, were taken to their respective areas, while 780 families were provided humanitarian assistance. In addition, telecommunication companies provided 1,294 SIM cards to Afghan refugees who were deported from Iran and Pakistan. Nearly 1,332 Afghan refugees were forcibly repatriated from Pakistan and Iran on Friday. See Also: Curiosity Overcomes Fear: Afghan Teen Survives Perilous Kabul'Delhi Flight…...

10+ hour, 56+ min ago (259+ words) The White House said the Brotherhood's regional chapters had supported Hamas and participated in activities that threatened American interests and allies. As an example, the order cites the Lebanese chapter's alleged involvement in rocket attacks on Israel after the October 7, 2023 assault, carried out alongside Hamas, Hezbollah and other Palestinian factions. The administration also accuses a senior Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood figure of calling for violence against partners of the United States and says Jordanian leaders have long provided material support to Hamas. The Brotherhood is banned and heavily repressed in Egypt, where it has been driven underground. See Also: Why Almost All Muslim American Charitable Donations Remain in US The decision marks an escalation in Washington's campaign to pressure groups aligned with Israel's adversaries. "President Trump is confronting the Muslim Brotherhood's transnational network, which fuels terrorism and destabilization campaigns against US…...

12+ hour, 26+ min ago (410+ words) Dantewada, Nov 30: In one of the largest Maoist surrenders in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada under the Lon Varratu and Poona Margem (Revival through Rehabilitation) programme, 37 Maoists, including 27 with a reward totalling Rs 65 lakh, have decided to renounce violence and return to the social mainstream, officials said on Sunday. All 37 cadres cited complete faith in the Chhattisgarh Government's 'Poona Margem (Revival through Rehabilitation)' policy as the reason for abandoning the path of violence and choosing to join the mainstream. The initiative, running under the direct guidance of senior officers of Chhattisgarh Police and CRPF, has gained widespread acceptance among cadres tired of life in the jungles. Authorities said the Centre and the state government, including the Dantewada Police, local administration and the Central Reserve Police Force, remain fully committed to establishing peace, ensuring rehabilitation and advancing inclusive development in the region. Inspector General…...

18+ hour, 10+ min ago (309+ words) Kolkata, Nov 30: As the first stage of the three-level Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal is coming to a close, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has already identified 18.70 lakh dead voters still existing in the current voters" list, till November 29 evening. Sources from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, said that the ECI has further scaled up its estimated number of voters likely to be deleted from the draft voters" list to be published on December 9. The new estimated figure on this count is around 35 lakh. The figure of 35 lakh includes 18.70 lakh of deceased voters in addition to duplicate voters, untraceable voters, and voters who have permanently shifted to different states. See Also: SIR Phase II: Over 37 Crore Enumeration Forms Distributed Across 12 States/UTs The total number of voters in West Bengal as per the…...

1+ day, 56+ min ago (1076+ words) Entrenched in temple culture and artistic tradition of India, the'Devadasi'system, where young girls are ritually committed to a deity and projected to serve temples forever,'once enjoyed a cultural and artistic status of prestige; however, over the centuries, it has deteriorated into a hereditary system of caste domination, gendered exploitation, and inherited marginalisation.' Today, Devadasis are women and girls who are not allowed to enjoy social and legal rights and are also'forcibly subjected'to lives of sexual servitude in the name of religious sanction. The practice continues in many areas, even decades after its'legislative prohibition'in 1947, which reveals inefficiencies of punitive and symbolic policy that did not reform and also didn't dismantle the social structures that supported the system. See Also: The Self- Immolation of 18-year-old Roop Kanwar on her Husband's Funeral Pyre in 1987 Marks the Last Recorded Case of Sati in…...

1+ day, 2+ hour ago (155+ words) The decision was reported after the Joint'United Nations'Program on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) released an'analysis'detailing the harms done by the Trump administration's sweeping foreign assistance cuts. See Also: White House Reacts to Reports of Trump Considering the Removal of FBI Director Kash Patel Amid Controversies See Also: Trump Orders Afghan-Arrival Review After DC Guard Attack In its reporting on the Trump administration's decision to halt official commemoration of World AIDS Day, which is on December 1, the'New York Times'pointed to'studies'suggesting that "cuts by the'United States'and other countries could result in 10 million additional HIV infections, including one million among children, and three million additional deaths over the next five years." Rep.'Mark Pocan'(D-Wis.), head of the Congressional'HIV/AIDS'Caucus, said in a statement that "silence is not neutrality; it is harm." "I'm calling on the administration to immediately reverse this decision and…...

1+ day, 4+ hour ago (487+ words) Ukraine's deep-strike drone campaign targeting Russia's oil and gas production facilities has already cost its enemy 10 percent of its refining capacity, according to industry experts -- and Kyiv is committed to stepping things up. "Ten percent, it's not an astonishing number," says Tatiana Mitrova of Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy. "But it is still something that starts to be felt with the Russian domestic fuel crisis, with reduced oil refined products exports, and general tension inside the Russian oil sector." Ukraine has invested heavily in new long-distance drone technology, putting out weapons such as the Lyutiy drone, which is capable of delivering explosives up to 2,000 kilometers from its secret launch site. See Also: White House Envoy Witkoff To Head To Moscow Next Week For Ukraine Peace Talks, Kremlin Says But Ukrainian drone units have also gained expertise at swarming…...

1+ day, 6+ hour ago (525+ words) Everyone seems to be in a rush to keep up with the mania of gifting extravagant souvenirs, constantly updating the menu with new fast foods, or even coming up with trending themes for social functions. These themes or souvenirs do not necessarily stay within the budget of a common person. Yet, the mania never ends, and people continue to pursue it even at the risk of an empty pocket." This social custom was recently challenged by banning extravagant gifts, liquor, and fast foods from social events. Along with this, a penalty of "1 lakh was declared for violators. These resolutions were not passed in a big city with a prominent name; instead, they are practiced in the tribal belt of Uttarakhand. Read further to find out about the villages that unanimously passed a resolution to eliminate extravagant customs in social events…...