MoD admits human rights breaches over death of tortured Iraqi civilian. The Government admits "substantial breaches" of the European Convention of Human Rights over the killing of Baha Mousa, an Iraqi who died in the custody of British soldiers, Des Browne, the Defence Secretary, said yesterday. Bob Ainsworth, the armed forces minister, later expressed "deep regret" over the death of the ...

The Church of Scientology has a name for its critics: Suppressive Persons, or SPs. Those associated with them are PTS', or Potential Trouble Sources. There are only two ways for a PTS to deal with an SP. Fix whatever the SP's problem is. Or Disconnect. Like any good cult, the Church of Scientology needs to keep its members in ...

Evening Standard condemned by press watchdog for coverage of the Camp for Climate Action's Heathrow protest. Claim of fabrication upheld. In a much awaited ruling the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) issued a stinging rebuke against the Evening Standard today. The usually mild- mannered PCC slammed the Standard's coverage of last summer's Camp for Climate Action at ...

The Dalai Lama has rejected claims by the Chinese government that he orchestrated the demonstrations in Tibet and said he would stand down as head of the country's exiled government if the violence continued. The spiritual and political leader yesterday called on both sides to end the violence that has rocked many parts of Tibet in what has been the ...

Unconfirmed Reports From Tibet of Dozens of Civilians Killed in Crackdown The Chinese military is shooting Tibetan demonstrators "like dogs," a Tibetan exile group said Monday, firing "indiscriminately" intro groups of people protesting Chinese rule. The accusation was leveled by the Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy, a group run by exiled Tibetans in Dharamsala, India, home to the Dalai ...

Gordon Brown has promised that the Government will hold a full-scale inquiry into the mistakes made in Iraq before and since the invasion five years ago. His concession marks a significant break from his predecessor, Tony Blair, who steadfastly refused to hold a wide-ranging inquiry into the war. Mr Brown, however, insists it is not the right ...

Thousands of anti-war protesters rallied to demand Britain withdraw its troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. Activists urging an end to Britain's role in overseas' wars gathered in Trafalgar Square, central London, for a march on parliament. The protest, organised by the Stop the War Coalition, was called to mark the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. Demonstrators ...

We were told that Saddam Hussein was an enemy of mankind because he used torture. Now we witness the gruesome spectacle of President Bush endorsing torture by vetoing the Bill from Congress outlawing "waterboarding" and other equivalently barbaric forms of interrogation.This must be the first time in modern history that a head of state ...

Tell me again: Why should we get all worked up over the revelation that the New York governor paid for sex? Will it bring back to life the eight U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq that same day in a war that makes no sense and has cost this nation trillions in future debt? Will it save those millions of ...

The Ministry of Defence has revealed that 11,000 military ID cards have been lost in the past two years. The MoD's revelation, which came in a written answer in the House of Commons, is to increase public scrutiny on the government's plans for a national ID card scheme after a series of data security problems. The personal ...

Trace amounts of pharmaceutical drugs are lurking in Louisville's drinking water, including one used to treat people with bipolar disorder and alcohol withdrawal, and another prescribed to combat seizures. Swimming with them in the city's water supply is a favorite pick-me-up: caffeine. The findings are part of a nationwide investigation into pharmaceutical drugs in drinking water ...

Gaza's humanitarian situation is at its worst since Israel occupied the territory in 1967, say UK-based human rights and development groups. They include Amnesty International, Save the Children, Cafod, Care International and Christian Aid. They criticise Israel's blockade on Gaza as illegal collective punishment which fails ...