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Anti-Balaka Christian militiamen stand in the Combatant district of Bangui, Central African Republic, Tuesday Feb. 4, 2014.

Huntington’s Revenge: The Global increase In Religious And Cultural Conflict

Archives for March 2014

Activists Want End To Life Imprisonment For Children In US

The U.S. is the only country to sentence minors to life in prison without parole. Human rights groups say this is a violation of human rights guidelines the U.S. should be abiding.

Katie Rucke
By Katie Rucke
Shuttering Juvenile Jails

In June 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that even juveniles convicted of murder cannot be subjected to life in prison without the possibility of parole, except in certain circumstances. Though the court deemed such a sentence for a child “cruel and unusual punishment,” it didn’t ban it outright. Two years later, the United States continues to

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Koch Brothers Already Accused Of Corruption In 2014 Elections

They lurk in the shadows, manipulating many of the gears that make America move, but most Americans don’t even know who they are.

Katie Rucke
By Katie Rucke
David Koch

Robert Greenwald, filmmaker and founder of Brave New Films, recently announced a sequel to his 2012 film “Koch Brothers Exposed.” He said the new film will focus specifically on the duo’s efforts to buy the 2014 election, as well as how detrimental their support for Citizens United has been to the state of democracy in the United States. While

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Drilling, Mining Industry Warming To Increased Transparency

The U.S. has joined a global initiative to strengthen transparency in the extractives sector — a move that even the industry is on board with.

Carey L. Biron
By Carey L. Biron
Oil Pump Jack

WASHINGTON --- The United States has been accepted into a landmark global initiative aimed at strengthening transparency in the extractives sector, a move that proponents are hoping will improve the ability of local communities to ensure accountability and engage in informed decision-making regarding mining and drilling projects in their areas. A

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Utah Medical Marijuana Bill More Symbolic Than Helpful

Medical marijuana advocates admit that Utah’s recent medical marijuana bill is a “positive step forward,” but concerns remain — especially about how patients are supposed to obtain the drug.

Katie Rucke
By Katie Rucke

Conservative Utah has become the latest state to legalize the use of medical marijuana -- sort of. On March 25, about 50 parents of children with severe epilepsy joined the state’s Republican Gov. Gary Herbert in a ceremonial signing of a bill legalizing the use of a marijuana-derived oil known as cannabidiol, or CBD. The oil has become popular

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Thai Workers Claim Vindication In Long Battle With Farm Labor Contractor

After years of investigations and legal battles, a court finds that a U.S. farm labor contractor’s operations were rife with discrimination, abuse and intimidation.

Matthew Heller
By Matthew Heller
Human Trafficking Hawaii

LOS ANGELES -- Mordechai “Motty” Orian thought he had found the answer to his agricultural labor contracting problems. Workers from Thailand that he brought into the United States would be far less likely, he believed, to complain or abscond than those from other countries such as Mexico, China and Nepal, enabling him to meet the labor demands of

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UN Human Rights Body Slams US Over Targeted Assassinations

US must provide justification, accountability for drone policies, says UN Human Rights Committee.

Andrea Germanos
By Andrea Germanos

The United States "should revisit its position regarding legal justifications for the use of deadly force through drone attacks," a UN human rights body stated Thursday. In its concluding observations on the United States' compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), a U.S.-ratified treaty that outlines basic

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