nation and world briefs

Two members of the Proud Boys, a far-right group, were convicted of assault for fighting with members of a leftist group on the streets after an event in New York last year. A jury found Maxwell Hare, 27, of Harrisburg, Pa., and John Kinsman, 39, of Morristown, N.J., guilty of attempted gang assault, three charges of attempted assault and rioting. The two men were among 10 members of the Proud Boys charged after the October street fight. Three pleaded guilty; one faces a trial.

Officials are moving 24 teenage girls out of a state-run facility for female juvenile offenders after learning that many were confined to buildings with fire hazards, holes in the wall, and mold and water damage. The Department of Health and Human Services announced the move Monday after some state lawmakers voiced concerns about the conditions and a lack of staff and programming at the Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Center in Geneva.

Two white police officers who led a black man by a rope down a street in Galveston this month will not face criminal charges, authorities said, resolving one of two outside inquiries into the officers' conduct. The Texas Rangers determined the officers hadn't committed any crimes. Donald Neely, 43, who relatives say is mentally ill, was arrested Aug. 3 on a criminal trespassing charge. When a police vehicle was not immediately available, mounted officers escorted him by rope to a nearby staging area, police said. An onlooker shared a photo on social media, drawing national outrage.

India slightly eased its communication blockade in Kashmir on Monday, but conditions remained far from normal two weeks after the government stripped the restive region of its autonomy and statehood. Residents of Srinagar, the Kashmiri capital, confirmed that authorities had reconnected some landlines, although many were still unreachable. Mobile connections and internet access remained severed, and hundreds of local politicians were being held incommunicado.

Workers are gradually returning to Notre Dame Cathedral to clear out hazardous debris and consolidate the fire-damaged medieval monument, after a month-long delay prompted by fears of lead contamination. Strict new lead-protection measures for workers include disposable clothing and a new decontamination zone to ensure their activities don't generate any pollution outside the site. The consolidation work is a crucial first step to ready the fragile cathedral for reconstruction.