Sudan paramilitaries kill 14 civilians fleeing besieged city in Darfur
The Emergency Lawyers, which documents atrocities in the war between the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese army, said that "dozens more were injured and an unknown number of civilians detained" in the paramilitary attack on Saturday on the outskirts of El-Fasher city, in the western Darfur region.
The RSF has in recent days launched its latest attack on El-Fasher, the North Darfur state capital which it has besieged since May 2024 but has been unable to seize from the hands of the army.
Just two days before Saturday's attack, the RSF's political administration urged residents to evacuate to Qarni village, where the Emergency Lawyers says the civilians were killed.
"I call on you to leave El-Fasher and head to Qarni, the northwest gate of the city, where our forces and the Tasis alliance forces are located and will ensure your safety," the RSF-appointed Darfur governor Al-Hadi Idris said in a video address on Thursday.
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New Indian Express
10 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Teacher held under Pocso Act in Krishnagiri
KRISHNAGIRI: A 35-year-old teacher appointed by the School Management Committee (SMC) in a Government Higher Secondary School (GHSS) near Krishnagiri was arrested under the Pocso Act late at night on Thursday. Sources said the District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) on Thursday received information about child abuse in a GHSS near Krishnagiri by a temporary teacher, following which a DCPU team rushed to the school on Thursday and held enquiries. The enquiry revealed that the SMC-appointed social science teacher has been working for over a year and allegedly sexually assaulted six girls in classes 6 and 9. Based on the statement, Legal cum Probation Officer of Krishnagiri DCPU, J Raghuraman, lodged a complaint at Krishnagiri All Women's Police Station (AWPS), and the teacher was booked under section 7 r/w 8 of the Pocso Act. He was later arrested and remanded. "The school headmaster, who was aware of the incident on Tuesday, did not inform DCPU until the team reached the spot on Thursday," said a police source. This is the fifth case in which a government school teacher has been booked under the Pocso Act since last month. Krishnagiri Chief Education Officer (in-charge) A Muniraj said, "We have already informed school headmasters to follow the GO 89 issued this April by the School Education Department with a course of action to be taken in case of such offences and procedures to be followed to inform concerned authorities. Within a week, headmasters will be directed to raise awareness about the GO among teachers. There are 102 higher secondary schools, 170 high schools, 1,740 panchayat union primary and middle schools in the district, apart from this, government schools and private schools will also be asked to follow the GO." He added, "Already, names of 50 government school teachers in 10 blocks have been given to the District Child Protection Unit, who will be given training about the Pocso Act, who in turn, will give training about the Act in their respective blocks." It may be noted that in March, the DCPU had distributed child safety awareness posters to about 2,000 schools in the district, which have contact numbers and support mechanisms.
Hindustan Times
14 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
No merit in IOA's fact-finding committee's findings: World Boxing
New Delhi: World Boxing (WB), the global governing body of sport, on Friday summarily dismissed the findings and recommendations of IOA's three-member fact-finding committee while extending its unequivocal support to BFI's Interim Committee. Responding to IOA's July 30 letter that put forth a series of measures to 'protect the integrity of Indian boxing,' WB found no merit in the recommendations 'as they are contrary to the facts and available records.' HT has a copy of the letter. World Boxing president Boris van der Vorst has come down heavily on IOA's fact-finding committee's recommendations. (World Boxing) 'We note the findings of the Fact-Finding Committee constituted by the IOA. However, World Boxing does not find any merit in the conclusions drawn by this committee, as they are contrary to the facts and available records,' WB president Boris van der Vorst said in his letter to IOA dated August 6. 'In our view, the interim committee has fulfilled its responsibilities in the best possible manner. It is now time for all stakeholders to focus on successfully conducting the elections and restoring the duly elected Executive Committee of the BFI,' it added. IOA had constituted a fact-finding committee last month under the leadership of IOA treasurer Sahdev Yadav, with IOA Executive Council member Bhupender Singh Bajwa and advocate Payal Kakra as other members. The committee's measures, aimed to ensure 'democratic governance' of BFI, included conducting BFI polls under the supervision of IOA or an independent authority designated by the high court or sports ministry. It also called for BFI to be placed under the supervision of an IOA-appointed panel with all financial and policy decisions be taken 'under the direct oversight of IOA' until the new executive committee is elected. The IOA letter had also raised concerns over the interim committee's legitimacy and had objected to the appointment of outgoing BFI president Ajay Singh as its chief. WB, in its response, noted that IOA was given the option of appointing its representative in the interim committee but chose not to do so. 'It is important to highlight that, while forming the Interim Committee, World Boxing had specifically kept a position open for an IOA representative to ensure inclusivity and collaboration. However, the IOA chose not to appoint any member to the committee. Having declined participation in the duly constituted Interim Committee, the IOA has now independently formed a Fact-Finding Committee, the basis and mandate of which remain unclear,' WB said. BFI elections, originally scheduled for March 28 and delayed due to multiple litigations, will be held on August 21. The interim committee was appointed by WB in April to manage the day-to-day affairs of boxing. Its tenure was later extended till August 31 but Singh resigned as its chief on August 1, two days after IOA wrote to World Boxing and within hours of Singh announcing the elections.
NDTV
17 hours ago
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Syria's Minorities Demand For Constitution That Guarantees Pluralism
Syria: Hundreds of representatives of Syria's various ethnic and religious groups called Friday for the formation of a decentralised state and the drafting of a new constitution that guarantees religious, cultural and ethnic pluralism. The declaration came after a one-day conference where some 400 representatives of Syria's ethnic and religious minorities gathered in an attempt to assert the rights of their communities in the country's evolving political framework following the fall of President Bashar al-Assad last December. The transition is to include elections scheduled for September and the eventual drafting of a constitution - a process that could take years. The post-Assad transition has so far been marred by violence against minorities, raising fears about the future. In their statements, the representatives condemned recent acts of violence by pro-government gunmen against the country's minorities - primarily Alawites, Druze and Christians - and argued that these amount to crimes against humanity. Ghazal Ghazal, the spiritual leader of Syria's Alawite minority, to whom Assad belongs, said extremist ideology in Syria is imposing its will on Syrians in the name of religion and killing minorities. Ghazal called for setting up a decentralised or federal system in Syria that protects the religious and cultural rights of all components of the Syrian people. The conference was held in Hassakeh, a northeastern Syrian city under the control of the Kurdish-led and US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces. Elham Ahmad, a senior official with the autonomous administration in northeast Syria, said she hopes to see the emergence of a Syria built on cultural and ethnic pluralism. "This conference sends a message of civil peace and national reconciliation," she said. Violence against minorities following the December fall of the Assad family dynasty has killed hundreds of people and sent shockwaves throughout the country. The violence occurred despite pledges from interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, a former leader of al-Qaida's branch in Syria, that all Syrians would be equally treated. Hakemat Habib, one of the conference organisers, said that central governments and "tyrannical regimes" over the past decades have failed and that a democratic and decentralised state agreed upon by all Syrians is the only way to move forward. "Syrian identity includes all Syrians," he said. Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hijri, whose fighters clashed with pro-government gunmen last month, told the conference in a televised speech that "pluralism is not a threat but a treasure that strengthens unity." Also, Friday, a top commander with the SDF, Sipan Hamo, blasted al-Sharaa's government and accused it of continuing Syria's decades-old "dictatorship." Hamo said in an interview with a local media outlet that the SDF wants to join the national army, but the al-Sharaa's government is not giving hope for a democratic state. The interim government in Damascus did not comment on the conference.
