Rights & Freedoms
The War on the Freedom of Information Act
A conservative group is resisting congressional efforts to kneecap FOIA.<p>The health-care clusterfudge continues. Senator John McCain has brain cancer. President Trump throws another public tantrum. Russia, Russia, Russia.<p>That about covers the Big Political Headlines of the week. Now for something …
Freedom of InformationTrump Could Be Criminally Indicted in Office According to Newly-Released Memo
Donald Trump brought speculation about his pardon powers to a crescendo on Saturday when he falsely claimed the power to pardon anyone for anything, …
Freedom of InformationFrench President Macron’s popularity plummets amid cuts uproar
French President Emmanuel Macron’s popularity has suffered the biggest slide in three months since Jacques Chirac, according to a poll published on Sunday in a French newspaper.<p>Macron’s honeymoon seems to be over as a sweep of budget cuts affecting the army, housing benefits and feminist …
Women's RightsWomen across Middle East are demanding an end to 'marry your rapist' laws
Gruesome billboards of a woman in a bloodied and torn bridal gown appeared around Beirut recently, captioned in Arabic: “A white dress doesn’t cover …
Women's RightsThe Trump election commission exists solely to justify a Trump lie
President Trump had some remarkable things to say at the inaugural meeting of his Commission to Promote Voter Suppression and Justify Trump’s False Claims, which is formally known as the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity. He also asked a question that deserves an answer.<p>Lest …
Right To VoteCharlie Gard's parents 'extremely upset' by public backlash
The parents of Charlie Gard have accused their former spokesman of "tarnishing" their reputation as they revealed that they have received backlash over threats to Great Ormond Street Hospital.<p>Chris Gard and Connie Yates said that they were "extremely upset" after receiving a wave of criticism when …
Charlie GardMore than a dozen Missouri massage parlors raided — and the reason is incredibly disturbing
At least 18 massage parlors were raided in Missouri recently as part of the state’s effort to battle human trafficking.<p>According to a report by the Springfield News-Leader, the massage parlors are believed to be part of a large ring of human sex trafficking in Greene County. Missouri Attorney …
Conservative POVThe Government Shouldn't Force Pro-Life Doctors To Promote Abortion, And A Federal Judge Agrees
The Alliance Defending Freedom is a public interest law firm that fights to maintain religious liberty, free speech, and the right of people to freely live out their faith. The group was recently branded a “hate-group” by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which seems to think that disagreement with …
Freedom Of SpeechCyber-crime prosecutions fall as experts warn police are being overwhelmed
Cyber-crime prosecutions have fallen for the first time in a decade, according to figures released by the justice ministry.<p>Experts today claimed the …
Cybersecurity'We don't see the joke': Senator tells students to remove page
Adelaide senator Nick Xenophon has warned ACT students to remove a joke Facebook page that pretends his party will fight for South Australian jobs in …
CensorshipTwo ultra-Orthodox feminists challenge Israel’s political landscape
MODIIN, Israel — They are ultra-Orthodox feminists and liken their group to the suffragist movement.<p>Esty Shushan and Estee Rieder-Indursky have been fighting for the past five years for women’s rights within their strictly conservative ultra-Orthodox, or Haredi, community.<p>Now they are trying to …
Women's RightsA ban on Muslim cemeteries is an attack on us all
<i>Peter Stockland is senior writer at think-tank Cardus and publisher of Convivium.ca</i><p>It would be easiest and most gratifying to call residents of Saint-Apollinaire, Que., nasty, anti-Islamic bigots for saying <i>non</i> to having a Muslim cemetery in town.<p>It might, for a handful of the tiny fraction of …
Freedom of ReligionSouth Sudan sexual violence on ‘massive scale,’ report says
WAU, South Sudan — It’s been five months since the shy, frail 13-year-old was snatched from his bed, drugged and raped in the middle of the night. …
AfricaSmokers face jail under strict nationwide ban introduced in Philippines
Strict new anti-smoking legislation that could land you in jail and bans lighting up in any public place, whether indoor or outside, becomes …
AsiaSoup and Fishy
Harvard is banishing the off-campus “final clubs” that have functioned for generations as the school’s equivalent of fraternities and sororities, as …
Conservative POVThe Bitter Price For Free Mosul
Mosul is free, at last! These are the words that people in Iraq and around the world wanted to hear for too long. Mosul, second biggest Iraqi town (of approximately 2 million inhabitants) was conquered by Daesh and remained under Daesh for three years. The fall of Mosul occurred in early June 2014 …
Amnesty InternationalParliamentary panel: Transgender bill does not address important civil rights issues
A BJP MP-headed parliamentary panel has criticised the government's draft transgender bill for not addressing important civil rights issues such as …
Gay RightsVPN crackdown ‘unthinkable’ trial by firewall for China’s research world
Like most academics, biology researcher Dr Jose Pastor-Pareja relies heavily on Google’s search engine, using it “every 10 minutes”, he says. But …
ChinaUS law to combat human trafficking earns an A+ so why doesn’t everyone support it?
OPINION | The policy is threatened by increasing politicization and pressure to water it down.
Human TraffickingThis Powerful New Film Tells “the Real Handmaid’s Tale”
Civia Tamarkin wanted to make a film about reproductive rights, but she knew it had to transcend the familiar abortion debate. A veteran criminal …
Liberal POVThousands march through Moscow calling internet freedom
More than 2,000 people have marched through the streets of Moscow to demand an end to efforts by Russian authorities to control and monitor what is …
CensorshipPro-Kannada activists launch stir against Sood
Kannada scholars and artistes along with Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) activists held a protest on Sunday against City Police Commissioner Praveen …
Poland Passes Law That EU Says Threatens Country's Democracy
The new bill gives the ruling nationalist party extensive powers over the courts.<p>Poland’s upper house of Parliament on Saturday passed a sweeping and controversial judicial bill despite massive nationwide protests and the threat of EU sanctions.<p>The new legislation gives the nationalist ruling party …
World NewsProtestors march in Moscow over internet censorship regulations
Hundreds of people have marched through central Moscow calling for internet freedom. Protesters from various social movements including the opposition Parnas party carried posters and chanted slogans against Russia’s censorship rules and hard line on what it calls, extremist propaganda. Some people …
Internet CensorshipNYT’s Fernandez Fights for Downtrodden Texas Democrats, Sees Sanctions Against 'Bathroom Bill'
<i>New York Times</i> Houston-based reporter Manny Fernandez continues to champion Democrats and act frightened of the dominant state Republican Party. …
Conservative POVSpokane human rights group to apologize to sheriff, deputies
Sheriff complained after group’s vice chair failed to address comments on social media criticizing a new class of county sheriff’s deputies for its …
CrimeLiberals overhaul citizenship test: Barbaric cultural practices out, respecting Indigenous treaties in
Print<p>OTTAWA — Respecting treaties with Indigenous Peoples, paying taxes and filling out the census are listed as mandatory obligations of Canadian …
CanadaRussians protest state censorship of the internet
Around 1,000 people have rallied in Moscow in protest of the government's harsh legislative controls of the internet. The internet is - for now - one …
CensorshipSyrian warplanes strike near Damascus despite ceasefire, human rights group says
Syrian government warplanes carried out several air strikes in the Eastern Ghouta area east of Damascus on Sunday, a day after the Syrian military declared a cessation of hostilities in the area, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.<p>The British-based monitoring group said Saturday had been …
SyriaSocial Justice, Civil Right Policies In Discussion At NAACP Convention In Baltimore
<b>BALTIMORE (WJZ) —</b> Thousands of people have come to Baltimore for the national NAACP convention.The convention hasn’t been in Baltimore since 2000, …
Social Justice