*Schoolgirls Beaten in India for Confronting Sexual Harassers

Campaigners are calling on India to protect girls in state-run institutions who are at risk of sexual assault and violence after 34 girls were violently attacked by a mob for fighting off sexual harassers in Bihar state.

Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya, a residential school for girls in Supaul district, witnessed chaotic scenes on Saturday after some girls objected to sexual advances and lewd messages from a group of boys.

A mob comprising the boys and their parents later entered the school where they beat and injured dozens of girls aged between 12 and 14.

"The girls were playing inside the school compound when some boys came in and tried to sexually harass them. The girls fought them off and there was an altercation. A mob then gathered with the boys' parents who beat up the girls," Jagatpati Chaudhury, the District Education Officer in Supaul, told Al Jazeera.

"The girls were injured, shocked, in trauma and were rushed to hospital. These were scenes of havoc as most of the girls are in sixth and seventh grades."

A video uploaded on social media by a local news website, The Bihar Post, showed a girl from the school after the attack

Buhari begs losers of APC primaries not to abandon party

Olalekan Adetayo, Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday appealed to all aspirants who lost during the recent primaries of the All Progressives Congress across the country not to abandon the party. "In every competition, someone has to win and someone has to lose, but those who lost should not abandon the party or lose their enthusiasm for the advancement of the party," Buhari said. He advised Nigerian politicians to learn from several aspirants like the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, "who despite his loss didn't abandon APC for another party because he was angry over the outcome of the gubernatorial primaries.'' "Losers of the primaries should always put the party first because we are in it together to serve the country, and I am always proud of our members who demonstrate sportsmanship and a good party spirit." He added that "those elected should see their positions as a public trust instead of abusing their mandates to amass personal wealth at the expense of the ordinary voters who voted them into power.''

*Chinese Government Admits Head of Interpol 'Under Investigation' After Disappearance❗

In a terse one line statement Sunday evening, China's ruling Communist Party admitted Meng Hongwei, who also holds the position of vice minister of public security in China, was "under investigation by the National Supervision Commission for alleged violations of laws."

However, previous suspects who have been described as "under investigation" by the National Supervisory Commission -- the country's top anti-corruption agency -- have often reappeared in the custody of the government at a later date.

"That China feels so emboldened to disappear even one of its most famous actresses ... should be a real wake up call that anyone within China could be next," human rights advocate Michael Caster wrote for CNN in September.

Speaking to reporters at a hotel in Lyon, France, Grace said that that her last contact with her husband came via a WhatsApp text message with a knife emoji and the instructions, "Wait for my call."

The campaign promised to crackdown on both the powerful as well as regular people, or "tigers and flies," and in the following six years, it has brought down powerful political figures in China, including former security tzar Zhou Yongkang, under whom Meng rose through the ranks of the Chinese security apparatus.

*Trump Blasts Kavanaugh Impeachment Effort, Calls Allegations a 'Hoax'❗*

Sexual misconduct allegations against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh are a "hoax" cooked up by people who now want to impeach "a brilliant jurist," President Donald Trump said Monday.

"I've been hearing that that now they're talking about impeaching a brilliant jurist, a man that did nothing wrong, a man that was caught up in a hoax set up by the Democrats using the Democrats' lawyers, and now they want to impeach him," Trump said on the South Lawn of the White House as he left to give a speech to a police chiefs' group in Orlando, Florida.

Last week, before the Senate voted to confirm Kavanaugh 51-49 Saturday, Trump mocked Christine Blasey Ford, who had accused Kavanaugh of trying to rape her when they were in high school. Then, as soon as Kavanaugh was confirmed, Trump said he believed Kavanaugh's denial over Ford's allegation.

*Doctor Found Guilty but Escapes Punishment in Spain 'Stolen Baby' Case*

An elderly Spanish doctor escaped punishment on Monday in the country's first "stolen babies" trial, despite a court finding him guilty of taking a newborn baby from her mother for illegal adoption under the Franco dictatorship.

The Madrid court ruled that Eduardo Vela had seized Ines Madrigal from her biological mother in 1969, but said he could not be legally convicted because she waited too long to file a complaint against him.

Madrigal, now 49, is one of thousands of babies removed from their mothers -- who were told their children had died -- and adopted during and after General Francisco Franco's 1939-1975 rule, in what became a nationwide scandal.

Speaking at the court after the ruling Madrigal said the verdict was "bittersweet".

It's "a way of saying -- we recognise this but we're not going to stick our neck out for this", she said, adding that the guilty verdict was nevertheless a "milestone at a European level".

Doctors played a major part in the scheme to provide infertile couples -- preferably those close to the regime -- with stolen newborns, often with the help of the Catholic Church.

*Former White House Communications Director Hope Hicks 🤝 Joins Fox in L.A.

Hope Hicks, President Donald Trump's former communications director, has taken a job as chief communications officer for Fox, the company announced Monday.

Hicks, who left the White House in March, has also been named an executive vice president of the new Fox company, which is based in Los Angeles.

Most of 21st Century Fox's entertainment assets are being purchased by Disney, leaving Fox as a streamlined media company that will keep the Fox network, Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network, as well as sports networks and its 28 local TV stations.

Fox also announced that Danny O'Brien, an executive from General Electric Co. and former Senate aid, will serve as executive vice president and head of government relations.

"Hope and Danny are proven leaders and world-class public affairs professionals," said Viet Dinh, the company's chief legal and policy offer. "Together they will define and project FOX’s voice to our relevant communities."

Hicks was one of Trump's most-trusted advisers and helped shape his public image during his 2016 campaign and after he took office.