US-based rights group Human Rights Watch has issued a new report detailing accusations of police torture in Nigeria . Nigeria responded with a sharp denial, saying in a statement that " can say without fear of contradiction that torture is not routinely practiced in Nigeria". Nigerian officials further said that any reported abuse is investigated [...]
An energy bill likely to pass the US House and Senate this week with the support of President Bush includes over $8.5 billion in tax incentives, loan guarantees, and other subsidies for energy companies. Conservation and efficiency groups are slated to receive $1.3 billion in benefits with another $3 billion earmarked for renewable resources. The [...]
The Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday that a company of the California Army National Guard was placed on restricted duty over allegations that members of the unit abused prisoners in Iraq, possibly with a stun gun. Col. David Baldwin, a California National Guard spokesman told the newspaper that investigations have commenced into allegations of mistreatment [...]
The Washington Post reported Wednesday that a far wider range of White House officials than originally known have been interviewed by prosecutors investigating the Valerie Plame leak. The probe has questioned former CIA director George J. Tenet and deputy director John E. McLaughlin, and former CIA spokesman Bill Harlow. Part of the investigation has also [...]
The UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda on Wednesday sent 10 cases for suspects in the country's 1994 genocide to Rwandan national courts, citing a need to meet its deadline of completing all trials by 2008. Cases have been transferred before with the same concerns in mind. The ICTR is conducting 25 trials at the [...]
The UN High Commission for Refugees began airlifting Uzbek refugees from Kyrgyzstan Wednesday amidst concerns for their safety there . As many as 455 refugees will eventually be relocated . The refugees fled a violent uprising in May 2005 in the city of Andijan, and the Uzbek government has demanded their return. The UNHCR is [...]
Last week's subway shooting death of a Brazilian man erroneously believed to be a suicide bomber has sparked a debate in Britain over anti-terrorism tactics and racial profiling. Under the Terrorism Act of 2000 , British police have wide latitude to question, search and detain those suspected of terrorist activities, but UK government studies show [...]
On a surprise visit to Iraq Wednesday, US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld told reporters, "Now's the time to get on with it," regarding the impending August 15 deadline for submitting a new Iraq constitution for an October vote. Rumsfeld also warned that delays in the constitutional process would be "very harmful to the momentum [...]
Approximately 600 suspected Islamic militants have been arrested in a week-long, nationwide effort by Pakistani security forces. Pakistan officials say that those arrested include 295 people belonging to banned militant groups and 300 others including clerics, prayer leaders, and those believed to have incited anti-Western and sectarian hatred through sermons and literature. Those arrested under [...]
Select provisions of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 are scheduled to expire in 2007, and activists disagree on whether or not they should be made permanent. The most debated provision is one that requires certain states, mostly southern, to seek approval from Washington to make specific election changes. A group led by the [...]
