Human Rights News

12:08 PM EST
2/10/2012 Dying for lack of reproductive healthcareLack of access to reproductive health services in Myanmar has led to high rates of maternal deaths and unplanned pregnancies among the country's displaced, migrant and refugee populations, say health experts.

Source:IRIN Topics:Politics, Human Rights, Health, Health Treatment

12:22 PM EST
2/3/2012 Komen reverses stance on funding cut to Planned ParenthoodU.S. Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) announced on Friday that the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation would restore funding to Planned Parenthood for breast cancer screenings. The announcement comes after a nationwide firestorm of criticism erupted over Komen’s announcement this week that it would cut funding to Planned Parenthood because the organization was “under investigation.”

Source:AHN Topics:Health, Preventative Medicine, Politics, Human Rights, Social Issue, Abortion

10:25 PM EST
1/30/2012 U.S. welcomes lifting of restrictions on former Pakistani ambassadorThe United States on Monday expressed relief at the decision by Pakistan to let its former envoy to Washington travel abroad. Husain Haqqani was forced to resign late last year after Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz claimed Haqqani had asked him to pass on a memo, on behalf of Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, to the American government calling for their help to oust Islamabad's military leadership.

Source:AHN Topics:Politics, Diplomacy, International Relations, Human Rights, Defense, Armed Forces

10:13 AM EST
1/30/2012 Conservatives to rally against gay marriage bill in MarylandConservatives and opponents of same-sex marriage were set to rally in Annapolis Monday evening, a week after Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley introduced a bill legalizing gay marriage in the state. The gathering organized by the Maryland Marriage Alliance has the support of the archdiocese of Baltimore, which successfully worked with conservative groups last year to defeat a same-sex marriage bill in the state House.

Source:AHN Topics:Crime, Law And Justice, Laws, Civil, Politics, Human Rights, Social Issue, Minority Group, Gays And Lesbians

7:45 AM EST
1/30/2012 Rights groups urge release of Papuan activistsHuman rights groups have urged Indonesian authorities to drop treason charges against five activists in the easternmost province of Papua.

Source:IRIN Topics:Politics, Human Rights, Crime, Law And Justice, Justice And Rights

10:53 PM EST
1/27/2012 U.S. reiterates freedom of expression, awaits implementation of Twitter censure policyThe United States on Friday advocated protection of fundamental freedoms of expression but avoided commenting on the censure policies announced by social media platform Twitter this week, according to the State Department officials.

Source:AHN Topics:Politics, Freedom Of The Press, Human Rights, Diplomacy, International Relations

1:09 PM EST
1/27/2012 Twitter to censor 'tweets' in some countriesTwitter has enabled new technology which allows it to block unlawful tweets by country. The move is an about-face from the fast-growing company's stance just 12 months ago. In a blog post titled "The tweets must flow," Twitter boldly refused to censor tweets that may contradict a country's laws.

Source:AHN Topics:Politics, Human Rights, Science And Technology, Technology, Arts, Culture And Entertainment, Internet

8:00 AM EST
1/26/2012 The true burden of cancerBreast cancer continues to be misunderstood, under-diagnosed and fatal, particularly in developing countries, say researchers, despite more than one million official annual diagnoses and almost half a million recorded deaths annually.

Source:IRIN Topics:Politics, Human Rights

9:19 AM EST
1/25/2012 Coping with climate changeIn the past five years, “resilience” (the ability to absorb shocks and recover) has become quite a buzzword in the aid community. Discussions on adapting to a changing climate are increasingly peppered with the “need to build resilience” of people, infrastructure and governments in the face of shocks such as soaring temperatures, rising sea levels, severe storms and flooding.

Source:IRIN Topics:Politics, Human Rights, Environmental Issue, Global Warming

12:54 PM EST
1/24/2012 Military dismisses manslaughter charges against Marine in Iraq civilian massacreA United States military court on Monday dismissed charges of involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault against a Marine sergeant, who figured in the killing of 24 unarmed civilians in Haditha, Iraq, in 2005, after the sergeant pleaded guilty to negligent dereliction of duty.

Source:AHN Topics:Unrest, Conflicts And War, War, International Military Intervention, Crime, Law And Justice, War Crime, Politics, Human Rights