December 10th is International Human Rights Day. The UN General Assembly proclaimed that date to focus attention on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as the common standard for all peoples and all nations. While Canadians like to believe that our country is a positive model for the rest of the world, the continued incarceration of Omar Khadr is a …

On Friday, Australian authorities said that they would increase the area of their underwater search for the missing flight MH370, as the deep-sea search for the missing place at the suspected crash site comes to a close, with no significant results to speak of. The mini-submarine Bluefin-21 has so far scanned 95% of the initial search area, far off Western …

On Friday, twin bomb attacks in a Shiite political rally killed 28 people in the city of Baghdad, as Iraq prepares for parliamentary elections on Wednesday next week. Campaigning for the polls has reached a fever pitch, as this would be the first time such a poll will be held after US troops withdrew from the country in 2011. Prime …

On Friday, clashes between security forces and the Islamists south of Cairo led to the deaths of two people. Eyewitness reports suggest that a woman was shot in the stomach by a birdshot pellet during a protest in the governorate of Fayoum by Islamists. Reportedly, several others have been injured in the clashes, which have erupted in other parts of …

In the Ukrainian city Donetsk, the split between pro-Russians and nationalists exists on a religious level as well, with a sharp disconnect between churches seeking to Ukraine united and churches with ties to Moscow. Priest of the local Greek Catholic church 43-year-old Father Tikhon said “we should say thank you to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, who helped us to understand …

The peace talks between Palestine and Israel are back to square one again as Israel torpedoed the US brokered talks as a response to the Fatah-Hamas reconciliation deal on Thursday. In an interview with the BBC, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu summed up their stance in the situation, saying that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas can “have peace with Israel or …

On Thursday, Sudan called for a probe into the “assassination” of Sudanese nationals in an oil town in South Sudan, where the UN has in the past accused rebels of killing several hundred civilians. The official SUNA news agency, in an SMS alert, said “The foreign ministry condemns assassination of the Sudanese nationals in Bentiu and calls for urgent investigation”. …

The British police have asked for the help of Muslim women to stop young people travelling to Syria to be a part of the conflict in the country. The move follows a steep increase in arrests regarding the Syrian conflict. There has been an increase in the number of British people arrested returning from or travelling to Syria, from 25 …

The Israeli Security cabinet is set to meet on Thursday to discuss its response to the unity deal struck between the Hamas rulers of Gaza and the Palestinian leadership. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not react well to the agreement between the two rivals on Wednesday, and accused Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas of “choosing Hamas, not peace”. The ministers …

On Thursday, Pakistani jet fighters attacked several Taliban hideouts in the lawless north-western tribal belt, killing at least twelve suspected militants, officials said. This is the first time the military has launched air strikes on the Taliban since their ceasefire agreement to help with the peace talks on March 1. According to security sources, at least twelve militants were killed, …