Asia

The Syrian uprising has given the Muslim Brotherhood a chance to emerge as an integral part of the opposition. Following years in exile, leadership crises and numerous political challenges, the group is now a central political player in the country. Interestingly, women are becoming an important part of the Brotherhood.

Despite several amendments in criminal law, women in India continue to suffer, endure denial of constitutional rights and fall prey to the rampant sexual violence in the country, a United Nations rapporteur has said.

UN Special Rapporteur, Rashida Manjoo maintained that mediation and compensation measures are often used to address cases of violence against women, thus violating their fundamental rights.

Indian police have arrested a second man in connection with the rape of a 5-year-old girl in New Delhi, a police spokesman said Monday.

The second suspect is accused of being an accomplice in the case, which has prompted protests in the streets of New Delhi.

He is being transferred to New Delhi from Bihar state in eastern India for questioning and DNA tests, said Delhi police spokesman Rajan Bhagat.

“I earn money and it makes me happy,” says Anjira Ashurova, a 46-year-old woman who lives in the small village of Shahraki Somoniyon in Sughd Province, northern Tajikistan. “I spend it on my basic needs and those of my children. I feel strong. I learned new skills and am practicing them in my daily life. I enjoy my work and the most important thing is that I enjoy working as a team. We support each other.”

The G8 Foreign Ministers noted that since President Thein Sein took office, Myanmar has made great steps towards democracy and to strengthen the rule of law. The comments came at the international world leaders' summit in London on April 10 and 11.

Authorities at Kyrgyzstan's Ministry of Culture want to ban a play that discusses domestic abuse and sexual violence because it “promotes scenes that destroy moral and ethical standards and national traditions of the peoples of Kyrgyzstan.”

The effort points to creeping conservatism in the thinking of Kyrgyzstan's leaders.

The rape and sexual harassment of three stateless Rohingya Muslim women caused last week's deadly brawl between Burmese and Rohingya refugees at an immigration centre on Sumatra, an Indonesian police report said.

In its annual report, the HRCP said 913 girls and women, including 99 minors, were killed in 2012.

The report said 604 were killed after being accused of having illicit relations with men.

Natan Sharansky, the chairman of the Jewish Agency, outlined new ideas on Tuesday for making the Western Wall a place where all Jews could pray comfortably, after tensions over rituals there peaked in recent months and caused discord between the Israeli authorities and Jewish leaders abroad.

The United Nations today voiced “serious concern” over the deaths of at least 10 Afghan children and a woman, and injuries to seven others in an armed clash during a joint Afghan-NATO operation against the Taliban in eastern Kunar province.