human rights

Australian immigration officials say they have masterminded a new plan to deter asylum seekers from trying to reach Australia by boat.

Human rights activists say Syrian forces continue the violent crackdown on civilians as new reports suggest that at least 24 civilians were killed, following attacks in various cities.

Syrian forces killed nearly 142 people when the army stormed the city of Hama, which is seen as the hub of the anti-Assad movement, to crush government dissent on the eve of Ramadan, according to political activists.According to Al Jazeera, the Syrian government forces continued the crackdown on Monday morning, launching fresh attacks on the town in another attempt to eradicate anti-government protest.Sunday's attack on Hama led to international outcry and was said to be one of...

The Gaddafi regime was quick to condemn the UK for recognising the rebel National Transitional Council (NTC) as the "sole governmental authority" in Libya and Deputy foreign minister Khaled Kaim has hit back by saying the decision was "unprecedented in diplomatic history" and that he considered it "a stain on the forehead of Britain".

New reports surrounding Egypt's former President Hosni Mubarak's health have surfaced after it emerged the former leader, who is due to stand trial next week but is still hospitalised, is weakened because he has been refusing to eat and is only taking liquids, according to reports by the official news agency MENA.

Gaza's Hamas government Tuesday executed a Palestinian father and son convicted of spying for Israel in defiance of President Mahmoud Abbas, who by law has final say in implementing such rulings.

Minority Tamil candidates hope a weekend election in their heartland in northern Sri Lanka will give them a mandate to demand self-determination, as tensions between the Tamils and the government are still mounting.

The U.S. condemned the use of force by Malawi's police to break up anti-government protests in the past two days, and warned the government against a crackdown on the free press.

The Libyan conflict is now being treated as a civil war, but while the Transitional National Council (TNC) is now recognised as the legitimate representative of the people of Libya by various international states including the U.K., France and most recently, the U.S., not much is known about who the Libyan people really support.

Tensions between the world's two giants are mounting after China's People's Daily newspaper launched an attack on U.S. President Barack Obama as it described his weekend meeting with the Dalai Lama as an "unscrupulous trick of pragmatism," adding that the move has undermined the U.S.'s status as a major world power.

Jan Mohammad Khan, the former governor of Afghanistan's Uruzgan province and a key ally of President Karzai, was killed in a suspected Taliban attack.

More than 30 nations, including the United States, on Friday declared that Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime is no longer legitimate and formally recognized Libya's main opposition group as the legitimate government until a new interim authority is created.

Activist have accused Syrian security forces of killing seven protesters in the capital Damascus, Idlib province and Deraa on Friday, as they fired live ammunition while hundreds of thousands of demonstrators poured onto the country's streets.

Despite claiming that Gaddafi is preparing to leave for now several weeks, NATO and other leaders meeting in Istanbul are considering proposals that allow for a peaceful resolution to the conflict without the Libyan leader's unconditional surrender or flight.

Afghan government officials on Thursday accused NATO of killing six civilians, including an 11-year-old girl, during a military operation targeting the Al-Qaeda-linked Haqqani network.

Inmates in Ugandan prisons are subject to brutal compulsory labour, frequent violence, miserable overcrowding, and disease, Human Rights Watch said today in a report examining conditions in 16 prisons throughout the country.

According to a new report by the Daily Mail, young boys have been recruited by the rebels to help fight Gaddafi and his troops as the conflict keeps on dragging on.

Al Qaeda Using ‘Facebook and Twitter’ to Plan Terrorist Attacks.

The Israeli parliament has passed a controversial law that will punish any Israeli individual or organisation boycotting West Bank settlements.

Syria: Why did US ambassador Robert Ford use Facebook to attack Assad?

Recent reports from Syria allege that security guards at the French Embassy have fired into the air to drive back protesters taking part in demonstrations outside the French and American embassies in Damascus.

Pakistan appear to be sliding into a mix of political and ethnic violence a little bit more every day and as violent protests have gripped the country's largest city for the fourth straight day, on Friday police and paramilitary troops were given orders to shoot suspected assailants on sight.

Syria accused the United States of meddling after the US ambassador visited the flashpoint city of Hama, where hundreds have fled fearing a crackdown ahead of anti-regime demonstrations on Friday.Despite the US State Department insisting Mr Ford's visit was to show solidarity with protesters, reports incriminating the U.S rapidly emerged in the media, with some news agencies even reporting that the ambassador had come to hold talks with the opposition.

Somalia is close to famine, causing over a 1,000 people a day to travel over the border into Kenya and Ethiopia, according to the United Nations.

Just after the Italian Police reported the successful arrest of several Anonymous members the hacker collective posted a statement promising revenge attacks.

On July 5 the South African media watchdog, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), unequivocally dismissed all complaints relating to a radio advert on 5fm that called for the boycott of Israel and compared Israel to Apartheid South Africa.

As the Libyan conflict is dragging on, headlines indicating that Gaddafi is preparing to leave Libya are emerging once again. Could the Lion of Africa really be on his way out, or is this just part of a desperate tactic aiming at retaining public support at a time when both the rebels and Nato are heavily criticised.

The drugs and gun running trial in absentia of Tunisia's ousted President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali has opened in the capital, Tunis. It was initially set to open on Friday but was pushed back following a Tunisian judges' strike.

His Royal Highness Prince Charles has once again managed to get himself into the headlines after it was revealed that he had met eight government ministers in 10 months. The story follows the Prince's annual report, released last week, which showed an increase in the amount of taxpayer funding he received.

Radiohead turn blind eye to principles for presence in China?