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Israeli occupier attacks threaten historic Christian presence in West Bank town

In Taybeh, one of the few Palestinian communities with a Christian majority in the occupied West Bank, fears are growing that Israeli occupier attacks on farmland and property could push more families to emigrate, threatening the town’s demographic character and historic Christian presence. Local officials and clergy warned of the impact of rising violence by Israeli occupiers, which has coincided with worsening living and economic conditions in the town. Taybeh, east of Ramallah, is one of the few Palestinian towns in the West Bank that still has a Christian majority, according to church and local accounts. Residents say the town’s Christian roots go back thousands of years. Residents say the attacks have deepened fears in the town, even as they stress their determination to remain on their land. Also Read: Pakistan raises red flag over illegal settlements in West Bank, calls for Israel accountability In recent years, Israeli occupiers have established several ill...

Indian lawmaker allied with Modi's BJP faces sexual harassment probe

India's southern state of Karnataka will investigate a lawmaker whose party is a key ally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on suspicion of sexual harassment, the state's chief minister has said. The scion of a prominent political family, the lawmaker, Prajwal Revanna, 33, is the grandson of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, the nephew of a former chief minister of the state and the son of another former Karnataka minister. The accusations surfaced last week as half of the state voted in India's seven-phase general elections, in which Revanna was seeking a second term for his Janata Dal (Secular) party. "The government has decided to form a special investigation team in connection with Prajwal Revanna's obscene video case," Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, whose Congress party is a BJP rival, said in a social media post over the weekend. "Obscene video clips are circulating ... where it appears that women have been sexually assaulted," he added. Read also: India elections: Analysts fear implications of divisive rhetoric on country's social fabric Police registered a complaint against Revanna based on the statement of a woman who worked in the family home, and also named his father, H.D. Revanna, as a suspect, media said. Prajwal Revanna did not respond to requests for comment, with media saying he was out of the country. "I will not react about anything," his father told reporters on Monday, but added the son would return when required. "Since this has been handed over to a special investigation team, I will not say anything that will affect it," H.D. Revanna added. "He had to go on a trip and he has gone ... He will come when he is called to join the investigation."

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At least 32 miners dead after bridge fails at cobalt site in southeast DR Congo

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