BREAKING NEWS

Sunday, October 30, 2016

United Front Justice Coalition files complaint with Whitehouse against FBI Director James Comey


Official White House photo: by Pete Souza

October 28, 2015

President Barack Hussein Obama
Vice-President Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr.

The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
NW Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President and Vice-President:

This is an official request upon your office to remove the FBI Director James Comey from office. There are no statutory conditions on the President’s authority to remove the FBI Director. He has exhibited irresponsible and reckless behavior in his deliberate actions and shown that he does not have the good judgment needed to fulfill the responsibilities of this office. Under his leadership the Citizens of America have been subjected to undo election stress and confusion due to his lack of regard for the laws of our country.

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Netizen Report: As protests rage in Ethiopia, Zone9 bloggers return to court


Zone9 bloggers left to right: Abel Wabela, Zelalem Kiberet, Mahlet Fantahun, Atnaf Berahane, Befeqadu Hailu, Natnael Feleke. photo: via Martin Ennals Awards

The Advox Netizen Report offers an international snapshot of challenges, victories, and emerging trends in Internet rights around the world

(GLOBAL VOICES) ETHIOPIA, October 26, 2016 - As protests rage over land rights and ethnic discrimination, bloggers and independent journalists in Ethiopia appear to be losing ground in their struggle to exercise free expression. Alongside other recent arrests, four members of the Zone9 bloggers collective, who spent 18 months in prison on terrorism-related charges from 2014-2015, returned to court on October 21 following an appeal by the public prosecutor. Their case was adjourned yet again, with a new court date scheduled for November 15.

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Friday, October 21, 2016

Federal government must think big, aim high and act boldly by investing in mental health innovation and the economy


photo: abhi ahmadadeen/BMLTV©

(CNW) Toronto , October 21, 2016 - In today's digitally interconnected world, we must look to new innovations to address some of the greatest challenges of our time such as mental illness. As a strong partner at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, Canada is well-positioned to lead in the global fight against mental illness. It's why the government must move its bold innovation agenda from words to action, says APEC Digital Hub at UBC chief financial officer Phil Upshall.

Thursday, October 20, 2016

First distinguished Presidential Fellow named

 
Yoani Sanchez named first Distinguished Presidential Fellow, one of the University of Miami's 100 Talents, an initiative launched by UM President Julio Frenk at his inauguration.
photo: University Of Miami

(PRNewswire/ USNewswire) Coral Gables, Florida, Oct. 20, 2016 - Cuban independent journalist Yoani Sánchez, a brazen defender of free speech and founder of 14ymedio, the island's first independent daily digital news platform, has been named a Distinguished Presidential Fellow at the University of Miami, making her one of the 100 Talents, an initiative introduced during UM President Julio Frenk's inauguration.

As part of the 100 endowed talents, an initiative that seeks to enrich the curriculum and enhance the academic reputation of the University, Sánchez will teach a non-credit course in the spring 2017 semester, give academic lectures and participate in events with members of the faculty and student body. "It is an honor to welcome Yoani Sánchez to our University as a Distinguished Presidential Fellow," said Frenk.

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Threatened with suspension over its rights record, Maldives up and quits the Commonwealth


The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2011. The Queen and state leaders.
photo: flickr/The Commonwealth, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
 
(Global Voices) On 13 October, the Maldives government announced that the country will leave the Commonwealth of Nations, an intergovernmental organisation of 53 member states that were mostly former territories of the British Empire. In 1982 Maldives joined this elite group of countries who share values of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.

The decision comes as the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group, a rotating group of foreign ministers from eight member states, convened a meeting in September and discussed Maldives's lack of progress in resolving a protracted political crisis. The meeting has put Maldives on a watch list and warned that if there is no sign of substantive progress across the priority areas before the next meeting in March 2017, the group would consider suspending the country from the Commonwealth.

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