98-year-old freedom fighter dead

October 3rd, 2009 Rally held in Rome to defend press freedomROME — Tens of thousands of people, including journalists and media rights activists, gathered in a Rome square Saturday to defend press freedom, accusing Premier Silvio Berlusconi of trying to silence critical voices. Berlusconi, a media magnate, has dismissed the accusations as a "joke" and the demonstration as a "farce." He said this week that there is more press freedom in Italy than in any other Western country.

September 30th, 2009 Leahy: Congress should make agencies be more openWASHINGTON — The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee wants new measures to clamp down on special exemptions that federal agencies are using to avoid disclosing information to the public under the Freedom of Information Act. Democratic Sen.

September 23rd, 2009 Dalai Lama: King assassination site sad, inspiringMEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Dalai Lama said his visit Wednesday to the motel where Martin Luther King Jr.

September 12th, 2009 NEW DELHI - He uses a stick to walk, looks frail and is 91 years old. But Delhi-based Gandhian Shambu Dutta's resolve is firm - to fast unto death unless the government takes concrete steps to weed out corruption in India.

August 21st, 2009 Sweden defends press freedom amid Israeli furorSTOCKHOLM — Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt has rejected Israeli calls for official condemnation of a Swedish newspaper article about organ harvesting, saying freedom of expression is a cornerstone of democracy. Bildt said in a blog posted late Thursday that he would not condemn an article in the Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet that suggested Israeli troops had harvested the organs of dead Palestinians.

August 17th, 2009 Leaders demand freedom of expressionMEXICO CITY — Billionaire businessman Carlos Slim joined academics and human rights advocates on Monday in demanding a renewed national commitment to a free press and an end to attacks on journalists. Declaring free speech as a fundamental human right, the group of 21 leaders signed a nine-page Commitment to Freedom of Expression, a detailed proposal for Mexico to provide the public with access to information, transparency in government activities and the right to safely report news.

August 14th, 2009 Fear the country that has heroes. Pity the one that forgets them While this news came to our new desk, I was at once reminded of this quote from a movie.

August 6th, 2009 Dalai Lama to receive Tenn. museum's Freedom AwardMEMPHIS, Tenn.

August 5th, 2009 BANGALORE - It's never too late to learn the meaning of freedom and peace. And what better way than to say it with flowers and fun on the 62nd anniversary of India's Independence Aug 15.

July 29th, 2009 CHANDIGARH - Embarrassed by recent events which forced Taufique Kitchlew, son of freedom fighter Saifudin Kitchlew, to leave Amritsar city for want of adequate accommodation, the Punjab government Wednesday offered government accommodation and a pension to him. Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal made the offer for free government accommodation to Taufique, the only surviving son of Saifudin Kitchlew, legendary hero of Jallianwala Bagh massacre, if he intended to settle down in Amritsar, a government spokesman said here Wednesday.

July 2nd, 2009 37 senators seek freedom for Vietnamese priestWASHINGTON — Thirty-seven U.S. senators are asking Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet to release a dissident Roman Catholic priest serving prison and house arrest terms totaling 13 years.

July 2nd, 2009 Obama praises Civil Rights Act's 45th anniversaryWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama says the Civil Rights Act opened doors for freedom but inequities remain on the legislation's 45th anniversary. On Thursday, Obama released a statement praising the 1964 law that ended legal discrimination.

June 29th, 2009 AMRITSAR - The last known survivor of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar, Shingara Singh, passed away here Monday. He was 113. Singh was the last surviving witness to the merciless killing of unarmed Indian protestors, including women and children, at the Jallianwala Bagh who were fired upon by British forces led by Brigadier Reginald Dyer.

June 14th, 2009 PANAJI - Freedom fighters in Goa have raised strong objections to the listing of the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Old Goa and Fortress of Diu among the seven wonders of Portuguese origin in the world. Goa Freedom Fighters Association (GFFA) spokesman Naguesh Karmali told IANS that Portugal had no business to say that either of the two historic architectural marvels were of Portuguese origin.

May 5th, 2009 China reject latest US report on religious freedomBEIJING — Beijing on Tuesday said a U.S. report criticizing the state of China's religious freedom was biased and groundless.