repression

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Gadhafi: 'My People Would Die for Me'

Ruler says Libyan demonstrators are al-Qaeda operatives

(Newser) - In Moammar Gadhafi's Libya, the only protesters are a few al-Qaeda-backed, drug-addled Libyans, the rest of his people love him, and he in fact can't step down—and certainly has no intention of doing so. The Libyan leader sat down with ABC's Christiane Amanpour and the BBC's Jeremy Bowen for...

Iran Jails Opposition Leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karoubi
 Iran Reportedly Jails Mousavi 

Iran Reportedly Jails Mousavi

Tehran formally detains opposition leaders, wives

(Newser) - Iran is cracking down on its opposition today, jailing prominent leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi, reports the AP. The pair and their wives were arrested and taken to Tehran's Heshmatiyeh jail, according to reformist website Kaleme.com. The two have been under house arrest for two weeks for...

The Chinese Are Much Freer Than We Think
The Chinese Are Much Freer
Than We Think
OPINION

The Chinese Are Much Freer Than We Think

Government 'incompetence' means greater freedoms, writes Ian Mills

(Newser) - Westerners worry that China is a “politically repressive, secretive new superpower," but in fact, it’s hardly as restrictive as many believe—thanks, in large part, to government “corruption and incompetence.” Before we engage with “the China threat,” we need to understand how the...

China Won't Let Famed Artist Leave Country

Beijing fears he'll go to Nobel Peace Prize ceremony

(Newser) - The Chinese government is forcing perhaps the country's most prominent artist to stay in the country on suspicions he'll try to attend the Nobel Peace prize ceremony, the Telegraph reports. Ai Weiwei has stated he has no intention of going to Oslo for the Dec. 10 event, in which jailed...

Don't Blame Nuns for Your Bad Sex Life: Catholic Honcho

Cosmo editor struggles 'to undo damage'

(Newser) - Are Catholic nuns responsible for repressed and sexually frustrated American women? That's absolute nunsense, fumes a conservative Catholic leader after a former sex-columnist-turned-deputy-editor at Cosmo blamed uptight teaching by nuns for women's sexual hangups. "It's not easy to undo damage caused by years of exposure to Catholic-school nuns,"...

Young Burmese Monks Ready to Take Up Arms

Buddhist movement gets bolder; some suggest stockpiling weapons

(Newser) - After seeing nonviolent protesters killed or detained in last year’s protests against the ruling junta, younger segments of Burma’s Buddhist monks are becoming more radical, embracing armed resistance and overt dissent, the Christian Science Monitor reports. "We need weapons,” one young monk said. “That is...

China Falls Behind on Olympic Promises

Despite vows, not much change on air quality, political freedom

(Newser) - With exactly a month to go before the Olympics, China has not delivered on promises to improve Beijing’s air quality or allow foreign journalists open access, the BBC reports. The government vowed to bring Beijing’s air up to WHO standards when bidding for the Games, but a BBC...

Guardian System Has Saudi Women 'Perpetual Minors'

Doing almost anything requires male consent in kingdom, report finds

(Newser) - Women in Saudi Arabia need to gain a male guardian’s consent to do almost anything, living as “perpetual minors,” the Telegraph reports. Research by Human Rights Watch found that male permission is needed to go to a doctor, travel, and even get dressed. In addition, strict segregation...

Zimbabwe Opposition Calls Strike
Zimbabwe Opposition
Calls Strike

Zimbabwe Opposition Calls Strike

Mugabe bans rallies, will skip summit on election results

(Newser) - Zimbabwe’s opposition party called a general strike today in response to news that Robert Mugabe will not attend a weekend summit intended to speed the release of last month’s election results, Reuters reports. Morgan Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change marshaled support for the strike, which "starts...

Chinese Police Kill 8 Protesters

Clash in Sichaun province comes as officials try to search Tibetan monastery

(Newser) - Chinese police killed eight protesters and wounded dozens more overnight in Sichuan province when they opened fire on a demonstration led by Tibetan monks, the Times of London reports. The altercation started when police searched a Tibetan monastery, confiscating phones and images of the Dalai Lama. After arresting two, the...

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