Earlier this week a coalition of Taiwan civic organisations issued a ‘shadow report’ on Taiwan’s compliance with two international human rights covenants, which it incorporated into domestic law in 2009, probing the country’s track record on human rights.

Addressing a briefing on the threat of World Heritage sites in Syria and Mali, Irina Bokova, Director-General of the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) said it is an international obligation for countries to protect historical sites. Under the 1954 ‘Convention for the Protection of Cultural Properties in the Event of Armed Conflict and its Protocols’, armies must refrain from using or damaging cultural heritage properties in times of war.

China's voracious demand for energy has prompted it to embrace Brazil as a major oil partner, fuelling the dramatic expansion of Chinese companies in this South American country. But while some see this as a boost to the Brazilian economy, others fear that it poses a risk to this country’s future self- sufficiency.

This April, a small rice paddy field in Minami Sanriku, destroyed by the massive earthquake and tsunami last year in Japan, provided one of its most fertile yields yet - bringing hope and joy to the devastated local community.

As a result of the diplomatic momentum geared to disarm international suspicions over the explosive issue of Iran’s nuclear programme, the one country not directly party to the two-track negotiation process feels more isolated than Iran.

There have been 'few tangible improvements' in human rights in Colombia, says Amnesty International’s new report, which also points to legal loopholes that ensure impunity, as well as government attacks on court rulings.

As at least two days of talks on the future of Iran's nuclear programme got underway in Baghdad Wednesday, neo-conservatives and other hawks escalated their campaign against any compromise agreement, particularly one that would permit Tehran to continue enriching uranium on its territory.

China's voracious demand for energy has prompted it to embrace Brazil as a major oil partner, fuelling the dramatic expansion of Chinese companies in this South American country. But while some see this as a boost to the Brazilian economy, others fear that it poses a risk to this country’s future self-sufficiency.

This past Tuesday, May 22, marked World Biodiversity Day, but it came and went without too much public interest.

A coalition of advocacy groups is targeting corporate support for the right-wing Heartland Institute after the organisation took out a controversial billboard in Chicago comparing people who believe in global warming to a serial killer and mass murderer.