Civil Rights

In Afghanistan, businesswomen must seek a delicate balance

2013-05-23 14:38:00

KABUL, Afghanistan — Roya Mahboob navigates the potholes of doing business in Afghanistan like any other entrepreneur. Corruption is rife. Kidnappings are common. Bomb blasts remain an overarching reality. But as the female chief executive of a...

Obama puts restrictions on drone program

2013-05-23 18:07:00

WASHINGTON — Reining back the aggressive counter-terrorism strategy he has embraced for five years, President Obama declared clear, public restrictions for the first time on using unmanned aircraft to kill terrorists, a shift likely to significantly...

O.C. hate crimes fall; attacks based on sexual orientation rise

2013-05-23 00:05:00

The number of reported hate crimes in Orange County fell by 21% last year, even though such crimes based on sexual orientation almost doubled, according to a report released Thursday. The Orange County Human Relations Commission found that 61 hate...

Guatemalan court action revives questions about Rios Montt's fate

2013-05-21 13:45:00

MEXICO CITY— The Guatemalan high court’s decision to overturn the genocide conviction of former military dictator Efrain Rios Montt and restart his trial has revived questions about his responsibility for the slaughter of some 1,700 ethnic...

Afghan women's rights in peril, group says

2013-05-21 15:36:00

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — The number of women and girls jailed by Afghan authorities for "moral crimes" has risen by 50% in the last year and a half, an alarming statistic that reflects the Afghan government's need to step up efforts to protect women'...

Guatemala full of questions after genocide conviction annulled

2013-05-21 18:15:00

MEXICO CITY — The Guatemalan high court's decision to annul the genocide conviction of former military dictator Efrain Rios Montt on Tuesday revived questions about his responsibility for the slaughter of some 1,700 ethnic Maya people. The...

Immigration cases make up 40% of federal prosecutions, study says

2013-05-21 21:01:00

Immigration-related offenses are now the leading type of federal prosecution, constituting more than 40% of cases compared with 22% for drug crimes, according to federal crime data. Many immigrants are now prosecuted because they try to cross the border...

Jailing of Afghan women for 'moral' crimes is increasing, group says

2013-05-21 09:23:00

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- The number of women and girls jailed by Afghan authorities for “moral crimes” has risen by 50% in the last 18 months, an alarming statistic that reflects the Afghan government’s need to step up efforts to protect...

Fluoridated water? Not all Portlanders will drink to that

2013-05-18 22:41:00

PORTLAND, Ore. — Proponents of fluoridating Portland's water supply had no trouble getting the local Urban League on board. Here in the biggest city in the country that still doesn't treat its water to prevent tooth decay, studies show that low-...

Russian adoption ban leaves U.S. families in an agonizing limbo

2013-05-21 00:00:00

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — Andy and Bethany Nagel left photos of themselves at the orphanage for the little boy with Down syndrome who was going to be their son. We'll be back, they told 4-year-old Timofey, blowing kisses from the doorway and...

Florist challenges demand to provide flowers for same-sex wedding

2013-05-21 06:30:00

A tempest in a flowerpot over whether a Washington state florist should have to provide bouquets to a same-sex wedding has taken a new turn with a countersuit filed by the shop owner claiming her religious freedoms gave her the right to refuse. In an...

Guatemalan court overturns Rios Montt conviction

2013-05-20 20:59:00

MEXICO CITY -- Guatemala’s highest court late Monday overturned the genocide conviction of former military dictator Efrain Rios Montt, a verdict that had been hailed by human rights organizations but now hangs in limbo. The Constitutional Court...

Notre Dame student Moises Garcia tapes up a project board during an exhibit for students in professor Cyraina Johnson-Roullier's University Literature Seminar and 400-level classes at the Civil Rights Heritage Center in South Bend.

2013-05-05 03:04:00

A scene from a Mountain Dew ad recently taken down amid complaints of racism.

2013-05-01 10:50:00

The IU-South Bend Civil Rights Heritage Center is seen on Tuesday in South Bend. The former Natatorium swimming pool, pictured in foreground, is now a garden area.

2013-04-30 00:00:00