A team of U.S. scientists have completed five-year multi-million dollar project mapping nearly all the microbes that inhabit healthy human bodies, including bacteria viruses, and fungi. The scientists collected 5,000 samples taken from different body parts of 250 volunteers of both sexes. Experts have known for years that the human body plays host to trillions […]
Clinton: 2011 a ‘Tumultuous’ Year for Human Rights
Posted May 24th, 2012 at 12:00 pm (UTC-5)
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says 2011 was a “tumultuous and momentous” year for those whose human rights are at risk around the world, and for all trying to ensure that governments honor rights guarantees. Clinton said Thursday people demanded their rights from the Arab Spring revolutions in the Middle East to Burma, where […]
Clinton: 2011 `Tumultuous’ Year for Human Rights
Posted May 24th, 2012 at 11:05 am (UTC-5)
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says 2011 was an especially “tumultuous and momentous” year for those whose human rights are at risk around the world, and for all trying to ensure that governments honor human rights guarantees. In a news conference Thursday, Clinton said men and women demanded their rights from the Arab Spring […]
Amnesty: Collapse in World Leadership Undermined Pro-Democracy Protesters
Posted May 23rd, 2012 at 7:45 pm (UTC-5)
Amnesty International, in its 50th annual human rights report, says a collapse in world leadership has undermined the courage of pro-democracy protesters around the world, especially in Syria. The group says the U.N. Security Council seems ineffective, out of step, and unable to fulfill its mandate. It says Russian and Chinese intransigence puts the credibility […]
Zimbabwe Minister Rejects Torture Claims
Posted May 21st, 2012 at 11:15 am (UTC-5)
Zimbabwe’s justice minister says there is no state-sponsored torture in the country, rejecting allegations by human rights groups. Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa spoke to reporters Monday after a meeting in Harare with visiting U.N. human rights chief Navi Pillay. Zimbabwe invited Pillay in response to rights groups accusing state authorities of torture and violence against […]
Activist Describes Iran’s Harsh Prison Conditions
Posted April 24th, 2012 at 4:25 pm (UTC-5)
A Kurdish human rights activist serving a three-and-a-half-year jail sentence in Iran has provided a rare glimpse into what he says are harsh conditions inside the country’s detention facilities. Reza Sharifi Boukani was arrested in 2010 after publicly supporting the pro-democracy “Green Movement.” He was later sentenced on charges that include spreading “propaganda” against the […]
Activists Describes Iran’s Harsh Prison Conditions
Posted April 24th, 2012 at 4:05 pm (UTC-5)
A Kurdish human rights activist serving a three-and-a-half-year jail sentence in Iran has provided a rare glimpse into what he says are harsh conditions inside the country’s detention facilities. Reza Sharifi Boukani was arrested in 2010 after publicly supporting the pro-democracy “Green Movement.” He was later sentenced on charges that include spreading “propaganda” against the […]
Report: Burmese Army Continues Abuses in Kachin State
Posted March 20th, 2012 at 12:35 am (UTC-5)
Human Rights Watch says Burmese military forces have committed numerous human rights violations in Kachin State, a year after a new civilian government took power from the long-standing military junta. The U.S.-based advocacy group released a lengthy report Tuesday highlighting the abuses in the remote northern state, near the border with China. A 17 year […]
Australia: Human Trafficking ‘Alarming, Growing’ Trend
Posted March 19th, 2012 at 4:05 pm (UTC-5)
Australian authorities say human trafficking is becoming an alarming and growing trend in the country. The authorities say that while the focus is mainly on the smuggling of foreign women into Australia’s sex industry, there has been an increase of “slave labor” into other sectors, such as construction and manufacturing. The trafficked women are mostly […]
Clinton Reaffirms US Commitment to Fighting Human Trafficking
Posted March 15th, 2012 at 11:40 am (UTC-5)
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the U.S. government is recommitting itself to ending modern slavery. Speaking Thursday at the annual meeting of the president’s anti-human trafficking task force, Clinton noted that September marks the 150th anniversary of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln’s announcement of the Emancipation Proclamation. The order, issued during the U.S. Civil […]
