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Human rights and civil liberties

European court: German was victim of US rendition
The European Court of Human Rights ruled Thursday in favor of a German man who says the CIA illegally kidnapped him and took him to a secret prison ...
SAfrica president: Nelson Mandela 'recuperating'
South African President Jacob Zuma on Thursday honored anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela, who has been hospitalized since the weekend and who the ...
Chicago vows to fight concealed carry ruling
With parts of the city in the grip of gang warfare and spiking homicide rates, Chicago aldermen urged state officials to appeal an appellate court's ...
Rights group accuses Pakistani military of abuse
Amnesty International accused the Pakistani military on Thursday of carrying out widespread human rights abuses in the country's northwest tribal ...
South Africa deputy president in race to lead ANC
A spokesman for South Africa's Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe says the politician has accepted a nomination to run for the top position in the ...
Court ruling on Ill. gun ban sets stage for fight
Backers of Illinois' ban on concealed weapons vowed Wednesday to fight for continued controls on gun possession, a day after a federal appeals court ...
UN Security Council condemns NKorea rocket launch
The U.N. Security Council condemned North Korea's successful rocket launch on Wednesday and said it will urgently consider "an appropriate response.
Iraq stays execution of man allegedly held at 16
Iraq has suspended the execution of a Yemeni prisoner whose family claims was 16 years old when he was taken into custody, an Iraqi official and human ...
Blast at Syrian regime building in capital kills 5
Three bombs collapsed walls in the Syrian Interior Ministry building Wednesday in Damascus, killing at least five people, as rebels fighting to ...
Highlights from Egypt's draft constitution
Egypt's draft constitution, set for a referendum on Dec. 15 and 22, is made up of an introduction, an 11-part preamble and 236 articles. Critics have ...
Mich. becomes right-to-work state despite protests
In a dizzyingly short time span, Republicans have converted Michigan from a seemingly impregnable fortress of organized labor into a right-to-work ...
Egypt opposition urges 'No' vote on constitution
Egypt's main opposition alliance called for a "No" vote in the referendum on a disputed constitution rather than a boycott, hours after Islamist ...
Germany approves bill to protect male circumcision
German lawmakers approved a bill Wednesday that explicitly permits male infant circumcision, ending months of legal uncertainty after a court ruling ...
Review: 'Any Day' is beautifully etched drama
Depictions of custody battles have become a cinematic staple, but few register with the heartfelt emotion of "Any Day Now." This 1970s Los Angeles-set ...
New inquiry in '86 crash killing Mozambique leader
South African police have opened a new investigation into the 1986 airplane crash that killed Mozambique's Marxist president and more than 20 others, ...
China revokes new Shanghai Catholic bishop's title
In a fresh challenge to Vatican authority, China has revoked the title of a new Catholic bishop in Shanghai who outraged Chinese officials by ...
Uruguay's lower house approves gay marriage law
Lawmakers in taboo-breaking Uruguay voted to legalize gay marriage late Tuesday night, approving a single law governing marriage for heterosexuals and ...
Parents fight for release of son jailed in Mexico
A South Florida family is fighting to get their son, a Marine veteran, released from a prison in a dangerous area in Mexico while facing charges that ...
Why efforts to stop factory fires have failed
About a year and a half before a fire at a clothing factory in Bangladesh killed 112 people in November, executives from Wal-Mart, Gap and other big ...
AP Exclusive: ACLU seeks OAS probe of Padilla case
A civil liberties group asked the Organization of American States' human rights commission Tuesday to investigate the U.S. government for what it says ...
British government to legalize same-sex marriage
The British government announced Tuesday that it will introduce a bill next year legalizing gay marriage — but banning the Church of England from ...
Mich. House approves right-to-work limiting unions
The Michigan House approved the first of two right-to-work bills Tuesday that would weaken union power in the historical labor stronghold as hundreds ...
UN: Despite law, Afghan women still suffer abuse
Afghan women are frequent victims of abuse, despite some success by authorities in prosecuting rape cases, forced marriages and domestic violence ...