Full Coverage: Civil rights

31.07.2007 The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have reached a halfway point but little seems to have changed, particularly for women whose lives are most affected by extreme poverty. The MDGs do not deal with the underlying causes for women and girl's poverty which needs to be understood in ways men and women access and control services and resources.

31.07.2007 The tribals of Ranchi, the capital of the east Indian state of Jharkhand are bringing out handwritten newspapers to highlight the problems faced by them and raise issues that are overlooked by major newspapers. Through newspapers they also try to create awareness among people about government welfare programmes.

30.07.2007 The Delhi Police has printed a booklet on Security tips for North East Students /visitors in Delhi and advising them on how to behave well and to blend into the mainstream society of Delhi. But many activists and concerned citizens believe this a violation of human rights.

30.07.2007 Analysis of phone records by the Jan Sangharsh Manch (JSM), an NGO in the western state of India, Gujarat, indicates that top police officials who were responsible for controlling the post-Godhra riots in Gujarat, in 2002, were not at the spot when two worst attacks against the Muslim community took place.

27.07.2007 BANGKOK, Jul 27 (IPS) - Dr. Weng Tojirakan was in a defiant mood the morning after he was detained by the police at the Criminal Court in the Thai capital. "This happened because of the tyranny in our country," the 56-year-old medical doctor said in an interview Friday.

25.07.2007 KARACHI, Jul 25 (IPS) - As Superintendent Nusrat Hussain Mangan of Central Prison in the southern port city of Karachi spends sleepless nights trying to figure out how to raise money to save the life of one inmate, just one of 107 on his death row, there are moments of near despair.

25.07.2007 The proposed, Kylleng-Pyndengsohing Uranium Project, in the north east Indian state of Meghalaya has run intro a controversy as land-owning villagers have given it the go-ahead but neighbouring villagers have not. Meghalaya is the only state in India where either the tribes or an individual owns the land.

24.07.2007 Access to the Red Mosque in Pakistan was denied to US news channel CNN and its journalists were not invited for a press conference addressed by the Pakistani Prime Minister. The decision was taken by the government in aftermath of the battle in the Mosque.

24.07.2007 The United Nations and the Maoists have agreed on the resumption of the second phase of registration and verification of Maoist army personnel – to ensure that no minors are
serving – as soon as possible.

23.07.2007 Indian development organisation Development Alternatives is holding a workshop on Participatory Livelihood Assessment Techniques in Madhya Pradesh , India on 13-15th September 2007.

23.07.2007 A washerman from the state of Jharkhand, central India, has been writing on local issues for the last twenty years. His efforts have resulted in a weekly handwritten newspaper, popular among its readers.

17.07.2007 A report on the realization of MDGs in the state of Orissa was released on the halfway date, 07.07.07, at Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India. The document has been compiled by the ‘Katha Rakhibaa Sarakar’ (KRS) Campaign and takes stock of the achievements in the first half of the MDG deadline while also setting an agenda for the remaining time.

17.07.2007 The Indian Academy of Social Sciences announces the 31st session of the Indian Social Science Congress, to be hosted by SNDT Women's University and Ambedkar Institute of Social and Economic Change between December 27 and 31, 2007 at Mumbai. Its focal theme is Peoples' Struggles And Movements For Equitable Society.

16.07.2007 The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has opened a new office in the central province of Ghor. UN’s Special Representative says the new office will help local communities with development, humanitarian efforts, human rights, good governance and the rule of law.

11.07.2007 The Supreme Court of India has rejected a PIL filed by Gujarat-based NGO National Council of Civil Liberties (NCCL) seeking an investigation against Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) for indulging in illegal activities and receiving foreign funds. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on NCCL as a symbolic cost for the expense on the case.

11.07.2007 Indian NGO Jagori, which works for women rights, will release a study on the impact of evictions and resettlement on slum dwellers. Many slums in Indian capital New Delhi have been demolished and people have been relocated to Bawana, which is on the outskirts of the city. The study, which was an intensive two-year long exercise will be presented on July 13, 2007 in New Delhi.

02.07.2007 In Indonesia, to be out and gay remains a taboo. Gay community members are straightforward about their sexual orientation among themselves. However, facing the social pressure of Indonesia's heterosexist society, they hide their sexual orientation when returning to the mainstream.