Brandon J. Raub has been ordered to stay in a mental health institution for a month without charge – and contrary to the American constitution, his defense says. His supporters are concerned any American could end up in Raub’s shoes. ­US police detained Raub, 26, a Marine Corps veteran, on Thursday, without presenting any charges and even without reading to Raub his Miranda rights, and took... 

A young American man who has wrongly spent 13 years in a US prison is still incarcerated despite being declared innocent by a federal judge two years ago. Daniel Larsen was sent to prison for 27 years to life under California’s controversial three strikes law, after he was found guilty of possessing a concealed weapon in 1999. However, a federal judge overturned the ruling and declared that... 

Army to develop new helmets to protect against “small arms ammunition”. The U.S. Army is planning to develop new protective headgear for soldiers that will shield them from ballistic munitions, small arms ammunition and blunt trauma as part of missions that will include “homeland security operations.” A solicitation on behalf of the Army Contracting Command asks for potential vendors to present... 

Rwandan President Paul Kagame Rights groups have called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate Rwandan President Paul Kagame for alleged war crimes for backing rebels in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. On Friday, some Rwandan and Congolese groups congregated outside the court in The Hague, the Netherlands, with banners reading “Kagame Assassin,” and “Freedom... 

British threats to invade Ecuador’s embassy will be discussed at international-level talks between the foreign ministers of the Organization of American States. The proposal was adopted despite the US saying OAS has nothing to do with the issue. ­Ecuador’s resolution to convene a meeting of the OAS member nations’ foreign ministers was adopted with 23 voting in favor, three against and... 

South African policemen turn guns on dead bodies of miners. South African riot police opened fire on striking miners armed with machetes and sticks at Lonmin’s Marikana platinum mine, killing 34 men in the deadliest episode of a week of union violence. Heavily armed officers backed by armored vehicles were laying out barbed wire barricades when they were outflanked by some of the estimated... 

Ecuador has granted political asylum to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. The decision comes almost two months after the world-famous whistleblower came to the country’s embassy in London seeking protection. “We have decided to grant political asylum to Mr. Assange,” said Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino. “We believe that his fears are legitimate and there are the threats that he... 

British authorities have “warned” Ecuador that they could raid its embassy and arrest Julian Assange if he is not handed over. The Ecuadorian Foreign Minister responded by saying such a move would be a “flagrant violation” of international law. Ecuador received a “direct” threat from the authorities in London that they are prepared to storm the Ecuadorian Embassy and arrest Assange... 

A US newspaper has revealed that the FBI has been raiding the houses of anti-Wall Street protesters in Oregon and Washington in what the agency describes an “ongoing violent crime investigation.” The Oregonian newspaper reported that heavily-armed domestic terrorism units of the FBI have been raiding the homes of activists in Seattle and Olympia, Washington and Portland, Oregon over the last month. The... 

After announcing possible amendments banning Russian officials from owning real estate and other property abroad, the State Duma is planning a ban on public servants marrying foreigners. The author of the bill, United Russia MP Evgeny Fyodorov has told the press that the document includes this restriction. “Wives and underage children of civil servants must also declare their property and cannot... 

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (L) and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu are considering implementing no-fly zones for Syria after holding Saturday talks in Istanbul. ­According to Reuters, Clinton said that Ankara and Washington need to plan ways to assist the rebels fighting to topple President Bashar... 

A Norwegian lawyer criticized the local judicial system that, in her opinion, protects pedophiles. As a result, in many families children are forced to live with parents who subject them to sexual abuse. All attempts to appeal to the court are unsuccessful because the testimony of the children simply is not trusted. Norwegian lawyer Thea Totland shared her fears with a reporter of local newspaper... 

Argentina’s parliament has introduced a new bill in order to impose a range of penal sanctions against those who exploit children for labor in the South American country, Press TV reports. Official statistics show that more than 450,000 children are forced to work in agriculture, mining and fishing activities and domestic service in Argentina. This is while the country’s national legislation prohibits... 

The New York Police Department has a new terrorism detection system that will also generate profit for the city. The New York Police Department is embracing online surveillance in a wide-eyed way. Representatives from Microsoft and the NYPD announced the launch of their new Domain Awareness System (DAS) at a Lower Manhattan press conference Wednesday. Using DAS, police are able to monitor thousands... 

The US leading drug maker Pfizer Inc. will pay total $60.2 million to settle a federal investigation on alleged bribing overseas doctors and other health officials to prescribe medicines. ­The US Securities and Exchange Commission announced that the company will pay a $45 million fine to resolve charges of bribery in more than a dozen countries in Asia and Eastern Europe. Separately, Pfizer agreed...