The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the video game industry, saying states cannot ban the sale or rental of violent games to children because doing so would violate free speech rights. In its 7-2 decision Monday, the justices struck down a 2005 California law covering games sold or rented to those under […]
US Supreme Court Strikes Down Violent Video Game Ban
Book of Mandela’s Quotes Released
A new book containing more than 2,000 quotes from former South African President and apartheid icon Nelson Mandela was released Monday in Johannesburg. The book, entitled Nelson Mandela by Himself, includes speeches, notebook entries and recorded conversations from the 27 years he spent in prison to his tenure as president that ended in 1999. The […]
Organizers: Israel Pressuring Greece to Halt Flotilla
Organizers of a flotilla planning to challenge Israel’s sea blockade of the Gaza Strip say they will sail within the next few days. They called on Greek authorities to let them depart despite mounting diplomatic pressure from the Israeli government. In Athens Monday, a loose coalition of activist groups said Greece was putting up “administrative […]
US Ranks Burma, N. Korea, PNG, Micronesia Poor on Human Trafficking
The United States has ranked Burma, North Korea, Micronesia and Papua New Guinea with the poorest record for fighting human trafficking among Southeast Asian countries, while saying South Korea and Taiwan fully comply with human trafficking standards. In its annual report issued Monday, the State Department kept North Korea in the so-called Tier Three among […]
UN Athorizes Peacekeeping Force for Sudan’s Abyei Region
The United Nations Security Council has voted unanimously to authorize a six-month deployment of 4,200 peacekeeping troops to Sudan’s disputed Abyei region. Ethiopia has agreed to provide the troops. The Security Council resolution adopted Monday also calls on U.N. Secretary-General Ban ki-Moon to ensure that effective human rights monitoring is carried out in Abyei. U.S. […]
Russian Officer Convicted of Treason
A Russian military court on Monday handed down a 25-year sentence to a former senior intelligence officer for exposing 10 agents who were spying on the United States. Colonel Alexander Poteyev was found guilty in absentia of high treason and desertion for betraying the so-called “sleeper cell” network whose agents posed as American professionals in […]
Pakistan Denies Firing Rockets into Afghanistan
Pakistan has denied accusations by Afghan President Hamid Karzai that its military is routinely firing rockets into eastern Afghan provinces. Mr. Karzai, who met with Pakistani army chief General Ashfaq Kayani in Kabul Monday, accused Pakistan of firing 470 rockets into Afghan border provinces over the past three weeks, killing 36 people, including several children. […]
Libya Dismisses International Court Warrants for Gadhafi, 2 Top Aides
Libya has dismissed arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court for leader Moammar Gadhafi and two top lieutenants on war crimes charges linked to their suppression of an opposition uprising. Justice Minister Mohammad al-Gamudi said Monday that Libya does not accept the legitimacy of the court. The ICC issued the warrants earlier Monday against […]
Venezuelan Government Dismisses Reports Chavez Seriously Ill
Venezuelan officials have dismissed reports that President Hugo Chavez could be seriously ill, as his opponents demand information about his health, more than two weeks after he underwent surgery in Cuba. President Chavez has not been seen in public since the June 10 operation for what authorities have said was an abscess in his pelvic […]
Five European Countries on Human Trafficking Watchlist
The United States on Monday included five European countries on a human trafficking watchlist, saying they failed to step up efforts to fight prostitution and forced labor. Belarus, Estonia, Russia, Cyprus and Malta are on this year’s watchlist, which is included in the State Department’s 2011 annual report on trafficking in persons. The report says […]