The top official for the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) , Martin Kobler, on Saturday condemned a series of attacks perpetrated by the Mayi-Mayi Cheka , which resulted in the deaths of 34 civilians, including 20 children, in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo [...]
The UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar , Tomas Ojea Quintana, warned on Friday that sectarian violence between the Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State is contributing to wider anti-Muslim sentiments in Myanmar, threatening the positive changes undertaken by the country in the past two years. While Quintana acknowledged [...]
An Egyptian court on Saturday threw out charges against former vice president Mohamed ElBaradei . ElBaradei, who served as vice president in the government set up by the military, stepped down in protest of the violence directed at protesters. It was this abandonment of his post that gave rise to the charges of “betrayal of [...]
The lawyer for five Guantanamo Bay prisoners charged with plotting the September 11 attacks has asked President Barack Obama to declassify the CIA interrogation program that allegedly subjected prisoners to torture. The letter , made public on Friday, calls upon Obama to make the details of the CIA’s rendition, detention and interrogation (RDI) program public. [...]
The Russian State Duma voted in favor of strict new anti-terrorism legislation on Friday. The bill increases prison time for setting up a terrorist entity from 15 to 20 years in prison, and individuals convicted for participation in a terrorist group could now spend up to 10 years in prison. Additionally, the new bill allows [...]
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) , acting in its capacity as conservator for Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae , on Friday announced a $5.1 billion settlement with JPMorgan Chase & Co. . The FHFA alleged that JPMorgan misrepresented the quality of the sub-prime mortgages and mortgage securities sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, [...]
Two UN rights experts issued separate reports to the UN General Assembly Thursday calling upon states to increase transparency in the use of drones and to investigate allegations of civilian deaths in drone strikes. According to the UN press release, the report by UN Special Rapporteur on counter-terrorism Ben Emmerson focuses on the use of [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit on Thursday rejected claims by Eden Foods, Inc. that it should be exempt on religious grounds from the contraception mandate of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) . Eden Foods and its president, Michael Potter, contended that offering contraceptive services to the employees of [...]
EU leaders on Friday said that the fight against terrorism could be hindered by distrust of the US after new leaks revealed that Washington has regularly monitored phone traffic throughout Europe, including 35 world leaders. The EU summit in Brussels was set to focus on Europe’s growing refugee crisis, but proceedings veered off topic to [...]
A Chinese court on Friday upheld a life sentence for former Communist party leader Bo Xilai . Bo was sentenced to life in prison in September for corruption, embezzlement and abuse of power. The High People’s Court of the Province of Shandong rejected Bo’s appeal, ruling that the facts of the first instance are clear, [...]
