Human Rights Watch: Malaysia: ISA Detainees Beaten and Humiliated
“(New York, September 27, 2005) – Malaysia’s Internal Security Act (ISA), which gives the government unchecked powers to detain individuals for long periods without charge, is a recipe for abuse, Human Rights Watch said today.
In a new report released today, Human Rights Watch called for the repeal […]

Human Rights Watch: New Accounts of Torture by U.S. Troops
“(New York, September 24, 2005) — U.S. Army troops subjected Iraqi detainees to severe beatings and other torture at a base in central Iraq from 2003 through 2004, often under orders or with the approval of superior officers, according to accounts from soldiers released by Human […]

Internetnews: College Kids Can’t Avoid The Sound of Music
“The music industry’s syndicate of major record labels today announced it has filed another round of copyright infringement lawsuits against 757 individuals accused of Internet theft, including computer network users at 17 different colleges.
The lawsuits — filed by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), which represents […]

BBC News: Police shoot student protesters
“Indian police say they have shot dead at least six protestors during student demonstrations in the north-eastern state of Meghalaya.
Police say they opened fire when students attacked them with stones, injuring some officers.
Protest leaders say that the police opened fire without provocation.
Garo students have been staging protests against planned educational […]

Wired News: You Can’t Hide Your Lyin’ Brain
“CHARLESTON, South Carolina — A scientist at the Medical University of South Carolina has found that magnetic resonance imaging machines also can serve as lie detectors.
The study found MRI machines, which are used to take images of the brain, are more than 90 percent accurate at detecting deception, […]

Prof-Ratings Site Irks Academics
“College students might act like they respect professors in class, but you can find out how they really feel in online forums.
“Your pillow will need a pillow.”
“I learned how to hate a language I already know.”
Such are some of the comments posted on RateMyProfessors — a 6-year-old site that archives student critiques […]

BBC News: China warns of Xinjiang ‘danger’
“China’s top security official has warned of a new crackdown on “separatism” in the remote north-western region of Xinjiang.
The warning came ahead of ceremonies planned for 1 October to mark half-a-century of Chinese control.
Luo Gan said officers should remain “prepared for danger”.
Xinjiang is home to a large population […]

CNN: UFO landing strip gets mayor’s support
“LAJAS, Puerto Rico (AP) — People in this sleepy hamlet are so sure they have been receiving other-worldly visitors, they want to build a UFO landing strip to welcome them.
A bright green sign along a lonely country road in southwestern Puerto Rico proudly displays a silhouette of a flying […]

Internetnews: RFID Anywhere Eyes Enterprise Rollouts
“Sybase (Quote, Chart) subsidiary iAnywhere released the 2.0 version of its RFID Anywhere software platform, saying it’s ready to support major enterprise implementations.
At the time RFID Anywhere 1.0 was released in February 2005, most businesses were still in the experimentation stage, according to Steve Robb, senior director of marketing for […]

CNet News: Celebrate banned books week
“The electronic parade of moronic talking heads who want to legislate morality for the rest of us is seemingly endless. Unfortunately, it’s not in our power to reach inside the television set and smack them silly. So here’s the next best thing: join with the American Library Association–that most sinister […]

Wall Street Journal: China Tightens Grip on Internet With New Content, Media Rules
“Can China really control the Internet?
It has launched a new bid to try. In an effort to crack down on the information access and activities of China’s 100 million Internet users, the Chinese government is imposing new regulations that will attempt to centralize […]

CNet News: Wiretap rules for VoIP, broadband coming in 2007
“Broadband providers and Internet phone services have until spring 2007 to follow a new and complex set of rules designed to make it easier for police to seek wiretaps, federal regulators have ruled.
It’s clear from the Federal Communications Commission’s 59-page decision (click for PDF), released […]

Wired News: Nun Terrorized by Terror Watch
“Sister Glenn Anne McPhee is a busy woman.
As the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ secretary for education, Sister McPhee oversees Catholic education in the United States, from nursery school through post-graduate. Her job includes working with the Department of Education, speaking frequently at conferences and scrutinizing religious textbooks to […]

BBC News: China to review death sentences
“China’s top court is to regain its power to review death sentences, as the authorities move to stem criticism that the death penalty is too widely used.
The Supreme Court passed its right to review to lower courts in the 1980s, and a series of subsequent miscarriages of justice […]

BBC News: Australia agrees new terror laws
“Australia’s federal government has reached agreement with leaders of the country’s regions over the enforcement of tough new anti-terror laws.
The state leaders said they would back the law, in return for a promise from Prime Minister John Howard that the measures be reviewed after five years.
They allow terror […]

CNN: England convicted on six of seven counts
“FORT HOOD, Texas (AP) — Army Pfc. Lynndie England, whose smiling poses in photos of detainee abuse at Baghdad’s Abu Ghraib prison made her the face of the scandal, was convicted Monday by a military jury on six of seven counts.
England, 22, was found guilty of one count […]

Yahoo! News: China Wants Only ‘Healthy’ News on Web
“BEIJING - China said Sunday it is imposing new regulations to control content on its news Web sites and will allow the posting of only “healthy and civilized” news.
The move is part of China’s ongoing efforts to police the country’s 100-million Internet population. Only the United States, […]

The Register: Euro email storage scheme ‘illegal’, warns official
“The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) has said that he is not yet convinced by the arguments put forward in favour of a European directive on data retention, and has set out strict conditions any such law would have to meet if it’s to be considered acceptable […]

Guardian Unlimited: Lords to decide on allowing evidence extracted by torture
“Seven law lords are about to face one of the most important questions they will ever be asked to decide: should evidence extracted by torture abroad be admissible in the British courts?
The case, to be heard three weeks from today, will be the first terrorism-related […]

Wired News: Tips for the Crusading Blogger
“A Paris-based media watchdog has released a free guide with tips for bloggers and dissidents to sneak past Internet censors in countries from China to Iran.
Reporters Without Borders’ Handbook for Bloggers and Cyber-Dissidents is partly financed by the French Foreign Ministry and includes technical advice on how to remain […]