Rights News

Colombo - The Commonwealth Summit began in Sri Lanka Friday but the row over human rights breaches will not go away. Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa will chair the summit for the next two years, which could cause problems if concerns are not addressed.

Various Israeli rights groups have accused the Transport Ministry of racism for opening bus lines exclusively for Palestinians in the West Bank.

Sydney - The United Voice union and the ACTU held a rally outside the Philippine Center in Sydney, where the Philippine Consulate is located, to highlight ILO Convention 189, which sets labour standards for domestic workers.

Los Angeles - A US court has ruled that Warner Bros. can retain the rights to Superman in full, despite the heirs' claim to part of the copyright.

Kuruman - According to a South African gay rights group, a 23-year-old gay man was killed and mutilated on Saturday in a hate crime. Police are investigating.

Sydney - Several hundred protestors attended a rally outside Sydney Town Hall to put pressure on the Australian government to recognise same sex marriages.

The 100th anniversary of International women’s Day occurred today March 8, 2011, making it a good time to reflect on the current state of women’s rights in Canada.

Vancouver - December 10 is Human Rights Day, and one of the ways that Amnesty International, the global human rights organization, celebrates it is by what they call Write for Rights, asking members to write letters on human rights issues.

Edmonton - A woman was injured at the Canadian Finals Rodeo in Edmonton when a bull jumped over the railing and into the crowd Friday night.

San Francisco - Human Rights activists have scheduled a protest at the headquarters of Craigslist for Thursday afternoon. Activists want Craigslist to put a stop to human sex trafficking through the adult services section of its website.