TheRepublic.com - Political activism News

Syrian army pushes assault on rebel-held town

Sun, 19 May 2013 08:52:34 -0400

AMMAN, Jordan - Syrian troops backed by tanks and warplanes launched an assault Sunday on a strategic rebel-held town near the Lebanese border, pounding the area with airstrikes and artillery salvos that killed at least 30 people and forced residents to scramble for cover in basements and makeshift bunkers, activists said.

Chinese premier visits India to boost ties

Sun, 19 May 2013 07:13:35 -0400

NEW DELHI - Just weeks after a tense border standoff, China's new premier visited India on Sunday on his first foreign trip as the neighboring giants look to speed up efforts to settle a decades-old boundary dispute and boost economic ties.

Afghan lawmakers block law on women's rights

Sat, 18 May 2013 11:36:46 -0400

KABUL, Afghanistan - Conservative religious lawmakers in Afghanistan blocked legislation on Saturday aimed at strengthening provisions for women's freedoms, arguing that parts of it violate Islamic principles and encourage disobedience.

Abortion-rights group, Dems rally at GOP gathering

Sat, 18 May 2013 09:59:04 -0400

RICHMOND, Virginia - A few dozen reproductive rights activists clad in pink T-shirts quietly picketed alongside Democrats in the rain outside the Virginia Republican Convention that will nominate anti-abortion Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli for governor.

Egyptians targeted with blasphemy charges

Sat, 18 May 2013 02:40:57 -0400

CAIRO - The pale, young Christian woman sat handcuffed in the courtroom, accused of insulting Islam while teaching history of religions to fourth-graders. A team of Islamist lawyers with long beards sang in unison, "All except the Prophet Muhammad."

Argentine dictator Videla dies in prison at age 87

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:48:50 -0400

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina - Former dictator Jorge Rafael Videla, who took power over Argentina in a 1976 coup and led a military junta that killed thousands of his fellow citizens in a dirty war to eliminate so-called "subversives," died quietly in his sleep Friday while serving life in prison for crimes against humanity. He was 87.

Venezuela's military enters high-crime slums

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:13:04 -0400

PETARE, Venezuela - Stern-looking soldiers clutching assault rifles wave down the beat-up Chevy Caprice entering this sprawling slum on the outskirts of Caracas.

Rights groups: Syria holds thousands incommunicado

Fri, 17 May 2013 11:46:44 -0400

BEIRUT - About 30 security agents showed up just after midnight, breaking down the door to an apartment in the town of Daraya near the Syrian capital of Damascus. They grabbed a 24-year-old university student and drove off.

Tea party tax returns show activism on a budget

Fri, 17 May 2013 03:51:45 -0400

WASHINGTON - Dozens of tea party groups and other conservative organizations of the kind subjected to improper scrutiny by the Internal Revenue Service operated with small budgets and rarely displayed overt partisan activities, according to an Associated Press review of public tax filings by 93 such activist groups. A few groups built million-dollar operations and political ties that could have been legitimate grounds for IRS investigation, tax law experts said.

Human Rights Watch activist Brown dies in NY at 60

Thu, 16 May 2013 18:41:53 -0400

NEW YORK - Activist Cynthia Brown, one of the guiding forces at the international advocacy group Human Rights Watch, has died at age 60 after fighting cancer.

A timeline of the IRS's scrutiny of the right

Wed, 15 May 2013 23:22:39 -0400

A look at events leading to the disclosure that the Internal Revenue Service placed conservative groups under special scrutiny for 18 months before the 2012 elections, a practice that has prompted congressional inquiries, a Justice Department criminal investigation and the ouster of the agency's acting chief:

9 activists arrested in Equatorial Guinea

Wed, 15 May 2013 17:28:46 -0400

MALABO, Equatorial Guinea - A human rights group says authorities in Equatorial Guinea have arrested nine activists before this month's legislative elections.

Activists set up training for Wis. mine protest

Wed, 15 May 2013 14:28:13 -0400

MADISON, Wisconsin - Activists are planning a training session on how to stop a giant iron mine in far northwestern Wisconsin.

Trial set in Highland Park school corruption case

Tue, 14 May 2013 04:04:41 -0400

DETROIT - An activist who has repeatedly sued to challenge controversial laws signed by Gov. Rick Snyder is facing a corruption trial in September.

Mummified body of Chicana author found in NM home

Mon, 13 May 2013 15:58:18 -0400

SANTA FE, New Mexico - A 70-year-old woman whose mummified body was recently found in her Santa Fe apartment was identified as a Chicana activist, teacher and author.

Activists call on Obama to stop deportations

Mon, 13 May 2013 14:04:21 -0400

WASHINGTON - Immigration activists are calling on President Barack Obama to end deportations of immigrants who might be eligible for legal status under a new immigration bill.

Togo opposition protests activist's death in jail

Mon, 13 May 2013 11:37:18 -0400

LOME, Togo - Activists in Togo charged Monday that a detained leader died in custody after authorities refused a request to bring him to a hospital, the latest dispute between the government and an increasingly vocal opposition.

Grandson of Malcolm X killed in Mexico City

Sat, 11 May 2013 00:11:26 -0400

MEXICO CITY - Malcolm Shabazz, grandson of political activist Malcolm X, died in Mexico City after a violent dispute in a bar, Mexican authorities said Friday. He was 28.

Oklahoma Tea Party co-founder appears in court

Fri, 10 May 2013 17:01:12 -0400

OKLAHOMA CITY - The co-founder of the Sooner Tea Party appeared in an Oklahoma County courtroom Friday on felony blackmail and computer crimes charges - accusations he said could destroy political activism and erode free speech rights.

Egyptian man disguised as woman is harassed

Fri, 10 May 2013 15:02:03 -0400

CAIRO - Waleed Hammad dressed conservatively for his secret mission into the world of sexual harassment and abuse on the streets of Cairo, donning a long tan skirt and sleeved shirt, and at times covering his head like many Egyptian women.

Post-attack, top reporter worries his cover blown

Fri, 10 May 2013 12:08:51 -0400

BOGOTA, Colombia - His exclusives have triggered some of Colombia's biggest scandals, leading to the dismissals, arrests and prosecutions of dozens of crooked, sometimes murderous public officials.

Chinese activist's brother says he was beaten

Thu, 09 May 2013 16:20:54 -0400

BEIJING - The oldest brother of a Chinese activist who fled house arrest and later settled in the U.S. said he was beaten up Thursday by unidentified men, part of an increase in harassment possibly linked to the activist's plans to visit Taiwan.

40 years on, fleeing Vietnamese take to seas again

Thu, 09 May 2013 08:43:31 -0400

HANOI, Vietnam - Nearly 40 years after hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese fled the country's Communist regime by boat, a growing number are taking to the water again.

Activist: SB councilwoman dodging recall papers

Tue, 07 May 2013 19:51:12 -0400

SAN BERNARDINO, California - Activists launching a recall against San Bernardino's mayor, city attorney and City Council say one councilwoman has been dodging process servers trying to hand her the recall papers.

Jailed protesters cast shadow on anti-Putin rally

Tue, 07 May 2013 03:22:54 -0400

MOSCOW - About 20,000 protesters thronged Bolotnaya Square across from the Kremlin on Monday, a year after a protest at the same spot turned violent on the eve of President Vladimir Putin's inauguration.