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Top UN expert’s resignation spells trouble for defenders of LGBT rights September 13, 2017 2.08pm SAST Author  Rosa Freedman Vitit Muntarbhorn, the UN’s first Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, has resigned after a just year in his post, citing ill health and caring responsibilities. Before stepping down, he will deliver his second and final report. This is just the latest development in a long-running UN battle over LGBT rights – and it could herald a new attempt to undermine international efforts to protect and promote the fundamental human rights of LGBT individuals. All people hold certain fundamental rights by virtue of being born human. These include not being tortured, arbitrarily detained, or discriminated against based on “protected characteristics” such as race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation and gender identity. That last category might be obvious to many of us, but...
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Iran takes 'carrot and stick' approach with US nuclear deal Iran has softened its tone about whether the release of the US prisoners held in the Islamic Republic is negotiable while taking a tougher stance on the possibility of Washington walking away from a landmark nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif suggested in an interview with CBS News aired on Sunday that a prisoner swap could be negotiated if the US dropped its "regime change" rhetoric. He said Iran wants to see "respect" before considering entering any talks about prisoners with the administration of US President Donald Trump. "You do not engage in negotiations by exercising disrespect for a country, for its people, for its government by making claims, including this illusion about regime change." The US administration has openly said in the past that its policy towards Iran is to support "elements" inside the countr...
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Illinois Daycare Workers Sedated Toddlers With Melatonin-Laced Gummy Bears Three workers at an Illinois daycare center were arrested after they allegedly admitted to giving young children melatonin-laced gummy bears, without their parents' permission, to get them to calm down before their nap time, according to several reports Monday. The three employees accused of the crime at the Des Plaines-based Kiddie Junction daycare were charged with two counts of endangering the life or health of a child and two counts of battery each, according to the Chicago Tribune. "This is just a horrible case of bad judgment," Des Plaines Police Chief William Kushner said. Des Plaines police said officers were called to the Kiddie Junction Daycare Center at 1619 E. Oakton St. last Friday afternoon. Melatonin is said to be a synthetic form of a naturally occurring hormone in a person’s body, produced by the pineal, which regulates circadian rhythms, that controls the b...
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Kashmir Journalist Kamran Yusuf faces life imprisonment Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir - On the morning of September 4 last year, Kamran Yusuf left his home in Kashmir's Pulwama for work, carrying his backpacks and cameras, but the photojournalist never returned, his family says. The following day, his family came to know through news channels that Yusuf, who has been working as a photographer in the small town known for its apple orchards, was arrested by Indian security forces and sent to New Delhi, the Indian capital. The 22-year-old freelance photojournalist, who has been documenting the conflict in Indian-administered Kashmir, has been slapped with charges of "stone throwing" and "waging war against India". He has been in jail since then. Irshad Ahmad Ganaie, Yusuf's uncle, says the family is still in shock. "His mother was divorced when he was two years old. Since then, they are living with us. He was just working hard a...
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UN: 'Senseless human suffering' must end in East Ghouta UN warns bombardment must stop as more than 100 civilians killed in regime attacks on rebel-held area east of Damascus. The United Nations says it is alarmed by "the extreme escalation in hostilities" in Syria's Eastern Ghouta and called for "immediate" end to the bombardment of the rebel-held area that has left more than 100 people dead since Sunday. "The recent escalation of violence compounds an already precarious humanitarian situation," Panos Moumtzis, the UN's regional humanitarian coordinator for the Syria crisis, said in a statement on Tuesday. "It's imperative to end this senseless human suffering now. Such targeting of innocent civilians and infrastructure must stop now." At least 20 children are among those killed in the incessant air raids and artillery fired by Syrian government forces on the Damascus suburb home to some 400,000 people, according...
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Israel kills Palestinian after month-long manhunt by Linah Alsaafin After a manhunt that lasted almost a month, Israeli forces have announced that they assassinated a Palestinian man suspected of being behind the killing of a Jewish settler last January. Ahmad Jarrar, 22, went into hiding after Raziel Shevah was killed in a drive-by shooting near an illegal settlement in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus. Before dawn on Tuesday, Ahmad was found by Israeli forces, which included the Shabak intelligence and elite units, in the village of Yamoun, some nine kilometres from his hometown of Jenin. According to Israeli sources, security forces ordered Ahmad to come out of a building at around 3am (01:00 GMT). He allegedly emerged armed with an M-16 rifle and hand grenades, and was immediately hit with a barrage of bullets which resulted in his death. His death was confirmed by the governor of Jenin on Tuesday morning. "We received the news from Palestinian of...
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Yemen’s complicated war just got more complicated Yemen's southern coastal city of Aden has been gripped by days of fighting after armed separatist forces - backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) - moved against the internationally recognized government. Fighters from the Southern Resistance Forces (SRF), the armed wing of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) - a political movement demanding secession for southern Yemen - clashed with the Yemeni army and were able to wrest control of a key military base in Aden's Khormaksar district and capture scores of soldiers. The STC is said to have precipitated the crisis by handing President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi's government an ultimatum last week to either dismiss Prime Minister Ahmed bin Dhagr and his cabinet or face an overthrow. The group accused Hadi's government of "rampant corruption" resulting in a "deteriorating economic, security and social situation never before witnessed in t...
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