UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday praised the Syrian government’s formal agreement to sign and abide by the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) . CWC signatories must agree to “chemically disarm” by destroying chemical weapon stockpiles and creating enforcement mechanisms to ensure that chemical weapons will not be produced, acquired or transferred within their jurisdiction. Signatories [...]
A judge for the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) on Friday ordered the review of FISC opinions to identify which are subject to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) disclosure. The order comes in response to a motion filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) directly to FISC requesting the publication of its opinions dealing [...]
An independent UN human rights expert on Friday urge Moldovan authorities to adopt regulations that allow for greater inclusion for those with disabilities and Romas into society. UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights , Magdalena Sepulveda, recently finished a fact finding mission in Moldova. Sepulveda highlighted the need to improve the access [...]
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stated in a UN meeting on Friday that an expert team’s report will likely confirm the use of chemical weapons in the August 21 attack on Damascus.The attack , which has been attributed to forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad , deployed the nerve agent sarin gas over the rebel-held [...]
A judge for the US District Court for the Southern District of New York ruled Friday that the US government does not have to release photographs and videotapes taken during the investigation of Mohammed al-Qahtani’s connection to the September 11 attacks. Al-Qahtani was held in Guantanamo Bay until his charges were eventually dropped. The videotapes [...]
The office of interim Egyptian President Adly Mansour announced Thursday that the government is formally extending Egypt’s state of emergency for two months due to security concerns. The interim government has sent military troops, tanks and armored personnel carriers into the city streets, claiming that extraordinary measures are needed to fight the war on terrorism. [...]
The Kentucky Equality Federation has filed a lawsuit to overturn Kentucky’s amendment banning same-sex marriage . The constitutional amendment, passed in 2004 with approval of 75 percent of voters, allows only a marriage between man and woman to be valid or recognized. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, argues that this amendment was passed in violation of [...]
The Syrian government and pro-government forces were responsible for executing at least 248 people in the coastal towns of al-Bayda and Baniyas in early May of this year, Human Rights Watch (HRW) stated in a report released on Friday. The report is based on interviews with residents from al-Bayda and Baniyas, including witnesses who saw [...]
The California State Assembly on Thursday approved a bill that will allow some undocumented immigrants who came to the US as children to obtain driver’s licenses. The bill, which the California Senate passed hours earlier, directs California’s Department of Motor Vehicles to issue driver’s licenses to people without a social security number who can prove [...]
California Governor Jerry Brown on Thursday signed into law a bill that prevents the early release of inmates and allows the state to comply with a federal court order. The order requires the department to achieve a population of 137.5 percent of design capacity no later than December 31, 2013. The bill appropriates $315 million [...]
