<p>An RSS worker was hacked to death allegedly by CPI (M) activists in Mahe, a district under union territory of Puducherry, adjacent to Kerala’s politically-sensitive Kannur district on Monday night.&nbsp;</p>

<p>“Shamoj was returning home by his autorickshaw when a gang waylaid the vehicle and hacked him. Shamoj, who sustained serious injuries, died while being taken to hospital in Kozhikode,’’ said police.</p>

<p>Police, while launching a manhunt for the killers, have enforced combing operations in the area to see that the situation does not go out of control.</p>

<p>Police sources said that the situation was tense in the district and no new clashes had been reported till midnight.</p>

<p>Earlier in the day, Kannur police had recovered crude bombs from Thillankery village in the district.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


There had been an eerie calm for a few months between the two sides after leaders from both parties participated in peace talks.

An RSS worker was hacked to death allegedly by CPI (M) activists in Mahe, a district under union territory of Puducherry, adjacent to Kerala’s politically-sensitive Kannur district on Monday night. “Shamoj was returning home by his autorickshaw when a gang waylaid the vehicle and hacked him. Shamoj, who sustained serious injuries, died while being taken to hospital in Kozhikode,’’ said police. Police, while launching a manhunt for the killers, have enforced combing operations in the area to see that the situation does not go out of control. Police sources said that the situation was tense in the district and no new clashes had been reported till midnight. Earlier in the day, Kannur police had recovered crude bombs from Thillankery village in the district.

RSS activist hacked to death near Kannur

<p>Militants shot and critically injured a BJP activist in Allochibagh area of Srinagar city, police said.</p>

<p>Official sources told news agency GNS that the gunmen fired upon Zubair Majeed Parray (30) son of Abdul Majeed Parray at around 8:35 pm.</p>

<p>“The gunmen shot him from point-blank range in his crockery shop in Allochibagh”.</p>

<p>"He sustained abdominal injuries and was immediately shifted to hospital," police said.</p>

<p>Parray was a former police constable who had later become an activist of the BJP.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from Agencies)</em></p>


Official sources told news agency GNS that the gunmen fired upon Zubair Majeed Parray (30) son of Abdul Majeed Parray at around 8:35 pm.

Militants shot and critically injured a BJP activist in Allochibagh area of Srinagar city, police said. Official sources told news agency GNS that the gunmen fired upon Zubair Majeed Parray (30) son of Abdul Majeed Parray at around 8:35 pm. “The gunmen shot him from point-blank range in his crockery shop in Allochibagh”. "He sustained abdominal injuries and was immediately shifted to hospital," police said. Parray was a former police constable who had later become an activist of the BJP. (With inputs from Agencies)

Former policeman turned BJP activist shot at in Srinagar 

<p>The murder of senior journalist Gauri Lankesh at her home in Bengaluru Tuesday evening has shocked the nation.&nbsp;</p>

<p>News reports said protests had broken out in Bengaluru, and across Karnataka and the country.</p>

<p>Even as the protests raged, Lankesh was laid to rest.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="tl">Bengaluru: Mortal remains of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GauriLankesh?src=hash">#GauriLankesh</a> brought to Ravindra Kala Kshethra <a href="https://t.co/qnyYglKuqb">pic.twitter.com/qnyYglKuqb</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/905333537670275073">September 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Bengaluru: Family members &amp; friends gather as mortal remains of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GauriLankesh?src=hash">#GauriLankesh</a> were brought to Ravindra Kala Kshethra. <a href="https://t.co/WYzFJKIXvv">pic.twitter.com/WYzFJKIXvv</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/905339822235049984">September 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="in">Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah pays tribute to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GauriLankesh?src=hash">#GauriLankesh</a> in Bengaluru&#39;s Chamrajpet <a href="https://t.co/ZjWeZV52jR">pic.twitter.com/ZjWeZV52jR</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/905385672906743809">September 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="in">I condemn the killing of journalist <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GaurilLankesh?src=hash">#GaurilLankesh</a>: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata <a href="https://t.co/2dbhNbwOTi">pic.twitter.com/2dbhNbwOTi</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/905344721278558210">September 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Karnataka: Protest at Town Hall in Bengaluru against killing of senior journalist <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GauriLankesh?src=hash">#GauriLankesh</a> <a href="https://t.co/MrE0POZvBw">pic.twitter.com/MrE0POZvBw</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/905302308711534592">September 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Social media too was flooded with commiseration over her death.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Protest meeting at Press Club of India, Delhi,3pm today against killing of senior journalist Gauri Lankesh. Do join- PCI,IWPC,Editors Guild</p>
&mdash; Suhasini Haidar (@suhasinih) <a href="https://twitter.com/suhasinih/status/905298319714516992">September 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">At the protest meeting for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GauriLankeshMurder?src=hash">#GauriLankeshMurder</a> in Delhi. let us stand as one. Silence is complicty. <a href="https://t.co/LwRaxE1xWj">pic.twitter.com/LwRaxE1xWj</a></p>
&mdash; barkha dutt (@BDUTT) <a href="https://twitter.com/BDUTT/status/905368107593723904">September 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>And what it might mean for the nation.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Gauri Lankesh edited the anti-establishment Lankesh Patrike.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The general consensus seems to be that she was murdered for her views.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Gauri?src=hash">#Gauri</a> Lankesh shot dead outside her home.Shocking Devastating. Dabholkar Pansare Kalburgi Culprits must be punished</p>
&mdash; Azmi Shabana (@AzmiShabana) <a href="https://twitter.com/AzmiShabana/status/905110881469480961">September 5, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">No point saying go to Pakistan to anyone anymore, They&#39;ll get the experience here itself... <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GauriLankeshMurder?src=hash">#GauriLankeshMurder</a></p>
&mdash; Kunal Kamra (@kunalkamra88) <a href="https://twitter.com/kunalkamra88/status/905304859792072704">September 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">You are not dead. We are not afraid. This strengthens our resolve to fight. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GauriLankesh?src=hash">#GauriLankesh</a> was a strong supporter of students&#39; movement.</p>
&mdash; Shehla Rashid (@Shehla_Rashid) <a href="https://twitter.com/Shehla_Rashid/status/905125907097985026">September 5, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">In India we bow to frauds like Ram Rahim and kill men and women of reason &amp; inquiry like Pansare, Dabholkar, Kalburgi &amp; now <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/gaurilankesh?src=hash">#gaurilankesh</a></p>
&mdash; barkha dutt (@BDUTT) <a href="https://twitter.com/BDUTT/status/905117808576606212">September 5, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>The Editors&#39; Guild of India put out a statement condemning the killing. &nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Editors Guild on <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GauriLankeshMurder?src=hash">#GauriLankeshMurder</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/htTweets">@htTweets</a> <a href="https://t.co/2k1Alxgfwq">pic.twitter.com/2k1Alxgfwq</a></p>
&mdash; Smriti Kak (@smritikak) <a href="https://twitter.com/smritikak/status/905304031765172224">September 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Her killing is an ominous portent for dissent in democracy&amp; brutal assault on freedom of the press: Editor&#39;s Guild of India <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GauriLankesh?src=hash">#GauriLankesh</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/905315850185351168">September 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Let the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GauriLankeshMurder?src=hash">#GauriLankeshMurder</a> be a reminder that all of us need to intensify our fight against fascism; that we will NOT be silenced.</p>
&mdash; Prerna Bakshi (@bprerna) <a href="https://twitter.com/bprerna/status/905375809422082049">September 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>But as always on social media, there were people on the other side of the divide too.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Why everyone is talking abt <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GauriLankeshMurder?src=hash">#GauriLankeshMurder</a><br />
Here is list of RSS/BJP Activist who got murderd in Karnataka &amp; no one tweeted a single word <a href="https://t.co/XGvcJ4k1ZJ">pic.twitter.com/XGvcJ4k1ZJ</a></p>
&mdash; Republic Of India (@RepubIicofIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepubIicofIndia/status/905306282399322116">September 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Sanghi troll justifies <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GauriLankeshMurder?src=hash">#GauriLankeshMurder</a>; calls for killing Arundhati, <a href="https://twitter.com/sagarikaghose">@sagarikaghose</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/kavita_krishnan">@kavita_krishnan</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/UmarKhalidJNU">@UmarKhalidJNU</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/kanhaiyajnusu">@kanhaiyajnusu</a> &amp; me <a href="https://t.co/iucFcCLlJd">pic.twitter.com/iucFcCLlJd</a></p>
&mdash; Shehla Rashid (@Shehla_Rashid) <a href="https://twitter.com/Shehla_Rashid/status/905229398151905281">September 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Right wing user posts hitlist online, calls for serial assassinations, calls Gauri Lankesh murder a warning to &#39;anti nationals&#39; <a href="https://t.co/60NKlKwxkr">pic.twitter.com/60NKlKwxkr</a></p>
&mdash; Hindutva Watch (@SaffronWatch) <a href="https://twitter.com/SaffronWatch/status/905275019512750081">September 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah said the authorities were questioning the people who had posted against Lankesh. &nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">2 people posted something on Facebook (against <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GauriLankesh?src=hash">#GauriLankesh</a>) and we are questioning them: Karnataka CM</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/905325090950098944">September 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Lankesh was murdered in her Bengaluru home on Tuesday evening

The murder of senior journalist Gauri Lankesh at her home in Bengaluru Tuesday evening has shocked the nation. News reports said protests had broken out in Bengaluru, and across Karnataka and the country. Even as the protests raged, Lankesh was laid to rest. Bengaluru: Mortal remains of #GauriLankesh brought to Ravindra Kala Kshethra pic.twitter.com/qnyYglKuqb — ANI (@ANI) September 6, 2017 × Bengaluru: Family members & friends gather as mortal remains of #GauriLankesh were brought to Ravindra Kala Kshethra. pic.twitter.com/WYzFJKIXvv — ANI (@ANI) September 6, 2017 × Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah pays tribute to #GauriLankesh in Bengaluru's Chamrajpet pic.twitter.com/ZjWeZV52jR — ANI (@ANI) September 6, 2017 × I condemn the killing of journalist #GaurilLankesh: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata pic.twitter.com/2dbhNbwOTi — ANI (@ANI) September 6, 2017 × Karnataka: Protest at Town Hall in Bengaluru against killing of senior journalist #GauriLankesh pic.twitter.com/MrE0POZvBw — ANI (@ANI) September 6, 2017 × Social media too was flooded with commiseration over her death. Protest meeting at Press Club of India, Delhi,3pm today against killing of senior journalist Gauri Lankesh. Do join- PCI,IWPC,Editors Guild — Suhasini Haidar (@suhasinih) September 6, 2017 × At the protest meeting for #GauriLankeshMurder in Delhi. let us stand as one. Silence is complicty. pic.twitter.com/LwRaxE1xWj — barkha dutt (@BDUTT) September 6, 2017 × And what it might mean for the nation. Gauri Lankesh edited the anti-establishment Lankesh Patrike. The general consensus seems to be that she was murdered for her views. #Gauri Lankesh shot dead outside her home.Shocking Devastating. Dabholkar Pansare Kalburgi Culprits must be punished — Azmi Shabana (@AzmiShabana) September 5, 2017 × No point saying go to Pakistan to anyone anymore, They'll get the experience here itself... #GauriLankeshMurder — Kunal Kamra (@kunalkamra88) September 6, 2017 × You are not dead. We are not afraid. This strengthens our resolve to fight. #GauriLankesh was a strong supporter of students' movement. — Shehla Rashid (@Shehla_Rashid) September 5, 2017 × In India we bow to frauds like Ram Rahim and kill men and women of reason & inquiry like Pansare, Dabholkar, Kalburgi & now #gaurilankesh — barkha dutt (@BDUTT) September 5, 2017 × The Editors' Guild of India put out a statement condemning the killing. Editors Guild on #GauriLankeshMurder @htTweets pic.twitter.com/2k1Alxgfwq — Smriti Kak (@smritikak) September 6, 2017 × Her killing is an ominous portent for dissent in democracy& brutal assault on freedom of the press: Editor's Guild of India #GauriLankesh — ANI (@ANI) September 6, 2017 × Let the #GauriLankeshMurder be a reminder that all of us need to intensify our fight against fascism; that we will NOT be silenced. — Prerna Bakshi (@bprerna) September 6, 2017 × But as always on social media, there were people on the other side of the divide too. Why everyone is talking abt #GauriLankeshMurder Here is list of RSS/BJP Activist who got murderd in Karnataka & no one tweeted a single word pic.twitter.com/XGvcJ4k1ZJ — Republic Of India (@RepubIicofIndia) September 6, 2017 × Sanghi troll justifies #GauriLankeshMurder; calls for killing Arundhati, @sagarikaghose @kavita_krishnan @UmarKhalidJNU @kanhaiyajnusu & me pic.twitter.com/iucFcCLlJd — Shehla Rashid (@Shehla_Rashid) September 6, 2017 × Right wing user posts hitlist online, calls for serial assassinations, calls Gauri Lankesh murder a warning to 'anti nationals' pic.twitter.com/60NKlKwxkr — Hindutva Watch (@SaffronWatch) September 6, 2017 × Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah said the authorities were questioning the people who had posted against Lankesh. 2 people posted something on Facebook (against #GauriLankesh) and we are questioning them: Karnataka CM — ANI (@ANI) September 6, 2017 ×

Protests, rage across country as Gauri Lankesh is laid to rest

A Chinese human rights activist was on Friday given a three-year suspended prison sentence for subversion, state media said, the fourth such case this week as authorities crack down on dissent.<br />
<br />
Christian activist Gou Hongguo had gone abroad to be trained in &quot;subverting state power&quot;, the Second Intermediate People&#39;s Court in the northern city of Tianjin said Friday on a verified social media account. He also sought to turn public opinion against the government and attempted to overthrow the socialist system, among a litany of other offences, it said.<br />
<br />
He was given three years in prison, suspended for three years, the official Xinhua news agency said, adding that he had pleaded guilty and said he would not appeal.<br />
<br />
The sentence is relatively light by the standards of dissident trials in China, where the courts are controlled by the ruling Communist party. Gou, who had protested against forced evictions, was one of more than 200 activists and lawyers involved in cases the Communist party considers sensitive who were detained in the so-called &quot;709 crackdown&quot;, named for its main date in July 2015.<br />
<br />
Gou&#39;s trial was the fourth at the Tianjin court this week&nbsp;and followed that of high-profile rights lawyer Zhou Shifeng,&nbsp;whose Fengrui law firm, known for taking on cases of dissident scholars, victims of sexual abuse and members of banned religious groups has been at the centre of the 709 crackdown.<br />
<br />
Zhou was on Thursday given seven years in prison for subversion. Activist Zhai Yanmin was on Tuesday handed a three-year suspended sentence for crimes that included waving banners and shouting slogans, while Hu Shigen, a Christian campaigner who was a member of the same underground church as Gou, was jailed for seven and a half years on Wednesday.<br />
<br />
Campaign groups have condemned the trials, and US State Department spokesman Mark Turner said the charges were &quot;vague and apparently politically motivated&quot;.<br />
<br />
&quot;It&rsquo;s troubling that Chinese authorities denied these defendants access to their chosen counsel and family members as well,&quot; he said. &quot;We urge China to release all the lawyers and activists who were detained on July 9th, 2015, and remove restrictions on their freedom of movement and professional activities.&quot;<br />
<br />
Authorities insist the Tianjin trials are open, with the court stating that about 40 people including politicians, legal scholars, and &ldquo;civilian representatives from all walks of life&rdquo;, as well as mainland and foreign media outlets, were present at Gou&#39;s proceedings. But family members of those detained, particularly their wives, complain of being constantly surveilled and forcibly being kept away from the court or barred from seeking further information.<br />
<br />
Gou&#39;s wife Fan Lili went to the courthouse earlier this week, falling to the ground outside the building weeping, saying she had not been informed of her husband&#39;s trial date and had not been allowed in. Watched by scores of police and plainclothes officers, she reportedly pleaded for him to come home and meet his 16-month-old son for the first time.<br />
<br />
(AFP)

Campaign groups condemned the trials. US State Department spokesman Mark Turner said they were 'vague and apparently politically motivated'

A Chinese human rights activist was on Friday given a three-year suspended prison sentence for subversion, state media said, the fourth such case this week as authorities crack down on dissent. Christian activist Gou Hongguo had gone abroad to be trained in "subverting state power", the Second Intermediate People's Court in the northern city of Tianjin said Friday on a verified social media account. He also sought to turn public opinion against the government and attempted to overthrow the socialist system, among a litany of other offences, it said. He was given three years in prison, suspended for three years, the official Xinhua news agency said, adding that he had pleaded guilty and said he would not appeal. The sentence is relatively light by the standards of dissident trials in China, where the courts are controlled by the ruling Communist party. Gou, who had protested against forced evictions, was one of more than 200 activists and lawyers involved in cases the Communist party considers sensitive who were detained in the so-called "709 crackdown", named for its main date in July 2015. Gou's trial was the fourth at the Tianjin court this week and followed that of high-profile rights lawyer Zhou Shifeng, whose Fengrui law firm, known for taking on cases of dissident scholars, victims of sexual abuse and members of banned religious groups has been at the centre of the 709 crackdown. Zhou was on Thursday given seven years in prison for subversion. Activist Zhai Yanmin was on Tuesday handed a three-year suspended sentence for crimes that included waving banners and shouting slogans, while Hu Shigen, a Christian campaigner who was a member of the same underground church as Gou, was jailed for seven and a half years on Wednesday. Campaign groups have condemned the trials, and US State Department spokesman Mark Turner said the charges were "vague and apparently politically motivated". "It’s troubling that Chinese authorities denied these defendants access to their chosen counsel and family members as well," he said. "We urge China to release all the lawyers and activists who were detained on July 9th, 2015, and remove restrictions on their freedom of movement and professional activities." Authorities insist the Tianjin trials are open, with the court stating that about 40 people including politicians, legal scholars, and “civilian representatives from all walks of life”, as well as mainland and foreign media outlets, were present at Gou's proceedings. But family members of those detained, particularly their wives, complain of being constantly surveilled and forcibly being kept away from the court or barred from seeking further information. Gou's wife Fan Lili went to the courthouse earlier this week, falling to the ground outside the building weeping, saying she had not been informed of her husband's trial date and had not been allowed in. Watched by scores of police and plainclothes officers, she reportedly pleaded for him to come home and meet his 16-month-old son for the first time. (AFP)

China puts activist on trial, 4th case in 4 days

Human rights activist Sarah McBride made history yesterday when she became the first openly transgender person to speak at a major party convention.<br />
<br />
&quot;Four years ago, I came out as transgender while serving as student body president in college. At the time I was scared. I was worried that my dreams and my identity were mutually exclusive. Since then, though, I have seen that change is possible. I witness history as an intern at the White House and helping my home state of Delaware pass protections for transgender people,&quot; McBride told the crowd in Philadelphia.<br />
<br />
&quot;Will we be a nation where there is only one way to love, only one to look, and only one way to live? Or will we be a nation where everyone has the freedom to live openly and equally, a nation that is stronger together? That is the question in this election.&quot;<br />
<br />
McBride currently works as the national press secretary for the Human Rights Campaign. She was also the first openly transgender woman to work at the White House when she interned in the Office of Public Engagement in 2012.<br />
<br />
(Reuters)

'I have seen that change is possible.' Sarah McBride is the first openly transgender person to speak at a major party convention

Human rights activist Sarah McBride made history yesterday when she became the first openly transgender person to speak at a major party convention. "Four years ago, I came out as transgender while serving as student body president in college. At the time I was scared. I was worried that my dreams and my identity were mutually exclusive. Since then, though, I have seen that change is possible. I witness history as an intern at the White House and helping my home state of Delaware pass protections for transgender people," McBride told the crowd in Philadelphia. "Will we be a nation where there is only one way to love, only one to look, and only one way to live? Or will we be a nation where everyone has the freedom to live openly and equally, a nation that is stronger together? That is the question in this election." McBride currently works as the national press secretary for the Human Rights Campaign. She was also the first openly transgender woman to work at the White House when she interned in the Office of Public Engagement in 2012. (Reuters)

Transgender activist makes history at Democratic National Convention

Thailand on Wednesday jailed a country singer and political activist for 7-1/2 years, on grounds of insulting the monarchy in a public speech made three years ago.<br />
<br />
The conviction swells a list of prosecutions pushed by Thailand`s military - the self-designated protectors of the monarchy - after it seized power in a coup two years ago.<br />
<br />
The junta has a zero-tolerance approach to criticism of the monarchy, making use of a draconian lese-majeste law that prescribes a prison term of up to 15 years for each offence.<br />
<br />
Thanat Thanawatcharanon, known by his stage name of Tom Dundee, gave waiting media the thumbs-up as he arrived at court on Wednesday, wearing an orange prison uniform.<br />
<br />
&quot;The sentence is much longer than we expected,&quot; said his lawyer, Saovalux Po-Ngam. &quot;We can lodge an appeal within a month but have to discuss first whether we will. In my personal view, the law should be scrapped, because the sentences are too long.&quot;<br />
<br />
Sentences for royal insults have become increasingly harsh under the junta, and one offender was jailed for a record 30 years in 2015.<br />
Thanat, who has been in prison since his arrest in 2014, had previously denied the charges but confessed in a sudden about-face in court on Monday.<br />
<br />
Confessing to a lese-majeste crime is routine practice in Thailand, where the accused often plead guilty in hopes of a more lenient sentence.<br />
<br />
Prosecutors said Thanat made defamatory comments against the monarchy during a 2013 speech to `red shirt` activists at a political rally in the capital, Bangkok.<br />
<br />
He was arrested and charged in July 2014, following pressure by an ultra royalist group on Thailand`s Department of Special Investigation to prosecute Thanat.<br />
<br />
For much of the past decade, Thailand has been divided along political lines between the mostly rural-based red shirt movement and the royalist-military establishment in the capital and south.<br />
<br />
Ailing King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 88, is revered by Thais who see him as a keystone of Thailand`s identity.

Thailand on Wednesday jailed a country singer and political activist for 7-1/2 years, on grounds of insulting the monarchy in a public speech made three years ago.

Thailand on Wednesday jailed a country singer and political activist for 7-1/2 years, on grounds of insulting the monarchy in a public speech made three years ago. The conviction swells a list of prosecutions pushed by Thailand`s military - the self-designated protectors of the monarchy - after it seized power in a coup two years ago. The junta has a zero-tolerance approach to criticism of the monarchy, making use of a draconian lese-majeste law that prescribes a prison term of up to 15 years for each offence. Thanat Thanawatcharanon, known by his stage name of Tom Dundee, gave waiting media the thumbs-up as he arrived at court on Wednesday, wearing an orange prison uniform. "The sentence is much longer than we expected," said his lawyer, Saovalux Po-Ngam. "We can lodge an appeal within a month but have to discuss first whether we will. In my personal view, the law should be scrapped, because the sentences are too long." Sentences for royal insults have become increasingly harsh under the junta, and one offender was jailed for a record 30 years in 2015. Thanat, who has been in prison since his arrest in 2014, had previously denied the charges but confessed in a sudden about-face in court on Monday. Confessing to a lese-majeste crime is routine practice in Thailand, where the accused often plead guilty in hopes of a more lenient sentence. Prosecutors said Thanat made defamatory comments against the monarchy during a 2013 speech to `red shirt` activists at a political rally in the capital, Bangkok. He was arrested and charged in July 2014, following pressure by an ultra royalist group on Thailand`s Department of Special Investigation to prosecute Thanat. For much of the past decade, Thailand has been divided along political lines between the mostly rural-based red shirt movement and the royalist-military establishment in the capital and south. Ailing King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 88, is revered by Thais who see him as a keystone of Thailand`s identity.

Thailand jails country singer for seven years in royal insult case

Heavy fighting between the Islamic State group and rebels gripped a town in northeastern Syria Saturday, a monitor and an activist said, after a lightning assault by the jihadists cut a main supply route.<br />
&quot;Heavy clashes took place overnight between IS fighters and rebels inside the walls of Marea town,&quot; the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.<br />
IS swept through rebel-held territory early Friday in a shock offensive in Aleppo province, cutting off the main road between Marea and Azaz, 20 kilometres (12 miles) to the northeast near the Turkish border.&nbsp;<br />
The surprise advance came as the jihadist group faced an offensive by a US-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance in its own heartland of Raqa province further east.<br />
Maamoun Khateeb, a journalist and activist from Azaz, told AFP that IS attacked Marea early Saturday mainly from the east and north using tanks and two car bombs.<br />
The advance has besieged around 15,000 residents remaining inside Marea, he said.&nbsp;<br />
Human rights groups have warned that the IS advance in Aleppo has left tens of thousands of displaced Syrians trapped along the closed Turkish border.<br />
To the east in Raqa province, warplanes from the US-led coalition conducted air strikes on IS positions north of Raqa city, Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.<br />
But the Kurdish-Arab alliance fighting the jihadist group north of its de facto Syrian capital had made no strategic progress on the ground, he said.<br />
Syria`s war has killed more than 280,000 people and displaced millions since it started with the brutal repression of anti-government protests in 2011.

Heavy fighting between the Islamic State group and rebels gripped a town in northeastern Syria Saturday, a monitor and an activist said, after a lightning assault by the jihadists cut a main supply route.

Heavy fighting between the Islamic State group and rebels gripped a town in northeastern Syria Saturday, a monitor and an activist said, after a lightning assault by the jihadists cut a main supply route. "Heavy clashes took place overnight between IS fighters and rebels inside the walls of Marea town," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. IS swept through rebel-held territory early Friday in a shock offensive in Aleppo province, cutting off the main road between Marea and Azaz, 20 kilometres (12 miles) to the northeast near the Turkish border. The surprise advance came as the jihadist group faced an offensive by a US-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance in its own heartland of Raqa province further east. Maamoun Khateeb, a journalist and activist from Azaz, told AFP that IS attacked Marea early Saturday mainly from the east and north using tanks and two car bombs. The advance has besieged around 15,000 residents remaining inside Marea, he said. Human rights groups have warned that the IS advance in Aleppo has left tens of thousands of displaced Syrians trapped along the closed Turkish border. To the east in Raqa province, warplanes from the US-led coalition conducted air strikes on IS positions north of Raqa city, Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said. But the Kurdish-Arab alliance fighting the jihadist group north of its de facto Syrian capital had made no strategic progress on the ground, he said. Syria`s war has killed more than 280,000 people and displaced millions since it started with the brutal repression of anti-government protests in 2011.

IS-rebel clashes rock northeast Syria town

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