"The United Nations organization has proclaimed 1979 as the Year of the Child. Are the children to receive the arms race from us as a necessary inheritance?" – Pope John Paul II quotes (Polish Pope. 1920-2005) No longer is it the end of the ’70s, but since the establishment of the Declaration of the Rights […]
The Uighur detainees we referred to earlier this week yesterday lost an appeal for en banc rehearing of the Justice Department's petition for a stay of the trial court's order releasing them into the U.S. mainland. Scotusblog reports DOJ has filed a merits brief, arguing in essence that while the Uighurs can't be returned to […]
The US based Human Rights First has drafted a step by step strategy for the next US president to end the use of torture as a means to gather information. Aside from the obvious recommendations of renouncing the use of torture, HR First recommends establishing a National Security Advisor tasked to fully document and expose […]
The first case at the International Criminal Court may be setting an unwelcome precedent as judges this week suspended the trial for Congolese militia leader, Thomas Lubanga. ICC judges in June suspended the trial because prosecutors would not share their evidence with the defense. The judges this week said Lubana should remain in custody, but […]
With an estimated $2 trillion worth of foreign currency reserves and China's growing global status, one wonders whether or not this developing, Communist-led state will one day become a major saviour of the Western banking system. While the Chinese Communist Party is aware of China's potential to take more of the limelight on the global […]
“We will be judged in the future on the actions we take today — on results. On this United Nations Day, let us rededicate ourselves to achieving them.” – Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General Today marks the anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations Charter, which was put into force on the 24th of October 1945. United Nations Day is was established […]
Mugabe's Zimbabwe is undergoing what many call the county's worst peace time crisis. Due to a shortage of hard currency Zimbabwe is now weighed down by hyperinflation and constant import shortages, mainly fuel and food stuffs. The current crisis has led to what is almost a complete demise of Zimbabwe's education system. Once was once seen as […]
The tribunal system established to try suspected terrorists at the U.S. naval facility at Guantanamo Bay does not seem to meet international requirements for a fair trial, a U.N. expert said. Martin Scheinin, a human rights and terrorism expert, told the U.N. General Assembly a visit last year to the detention facility confirmed his concerns […]
For years now the culture of impunity against rapists in the Congo has further humiliated victims. Many are too frightened to speak up, others too shamed. The eastern Congo, according to the United Nations, is the scene of world's worst orchestrated campaign of rape. Another tool that breeds fear for reasons insane by various military […]
WEST AFRICA : Cross-border FGM on the rise According to the UN, spurring the need to impose a region-wide law banning the practice, say experts. A study sponsored by UNIFEM to be released in late October 2008 said circumcisers or girls who undergo circumcision are increasingly crossing borders to perform or undergo the procedure to […]
First, a recent order directing that a group of Uighur detainees at Guantanamo be released into the continental United States has been placed on hold by the DC Circuit Court of Appeals pending a government appeal. Lyle Denniston provides the hold order, from a three-judge panel of the Court, in this post, summarizing the case. […]
Commenter Steve Hoenstine had some harsh words for the Sudanese Darfur trials here. Human Rights Watch agrees, condemning the domestic trials as “mere window dressing” with “little promise of bringing justice to victims of serious abuses.”
Are you an eco-friendly or green type, are you a human activist, or organic minded? Have you wandered the isles of the supermarkets aimlessly looking for a better choice for your Halloween sugary and chocolaty treats? Why not participate in Fair Trade Trick or Treating this year! The Cocoa industry often traffics children to work […]
Paul Krugman, New York Times columnist and recent Nobel laureate, rightly pointed to the reemergence of Keynesianism in an article praising British Prime Minister Gordon Brown for his response to the current financial crisis (the partial renationalization of banks), contrasting it to the hesitant decision making process in the United States: It's hard to avoid […]
Because guys just can't be bothered. Just kidding! Sort of. U.S. women didn't get the right to vote until 1920 and for a long time trailed male voters in participation rates. Well, ladies, times have changed, and the men need our help. According to Newsweek: Over the last 40 years, some 16 million men‚ a […]