A U.S. based rights group is urging Turkey to press Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who is in Ankara for a three-day visit Monday, to end atrocities in the Sudan's war-torn Darfur region.

Gaza Strip's only power plant has shut down due to an Israeli border closure that is blocking fuel deliveries. The generating station's shutdown late Sunday plunged large parts of the Gaza territory and many of its one1.5 million people into darkness. As Robert Berger reports from VOA's Jerusalem bureau, the tightening siege on Gaza has raised fears of a humanitarian crisis in the impoverished Palestinian territory.

The United States found itself Thursday on a Canadian list of countries where foreigners risk torture and abuse. The country is listed alongside countries such as Afghanistan, China, Iran, Israel, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and Syria in a leaked internal training manual. Both Israel and the United States are officially allies of Canada.

A fellow blogger Misr Digital (misrdigital.tk/) and Human Rights activist, who has won awards for his efforts is being silenced by YouTube and Yahoo!.

North Korea has faded from the headlines over the last few weeks after the country agreed to let international inspectors start dismantling its nuclear capacity.

South-east Asian foreign ministers have agreed to new rules for the regional group ASEAN, committing members to promoting human rights and bolstering democracy.

Seven human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, have called on authorities in Iran to set aside a sentence passed on Iranian women's rights activist Delaram Ali.

“Passage of H.Res.106 by the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee on October 10 has resonated around the world. From Ireland to China, from India to South America, throughout Europe, and most every town in the United States, a worldwide public debate has begun,” AAA Country Director for Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh, Arpi Vartanian told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

Ko Mya Than Htike had not fully recovered from the gunshot wound to his leg when he was taken from the hospital to undisclosed destination for interrogation.

Gross human rights violations, including forced displacement, forced labor, attacks by soldiers on civilians, injury from landmines and destruction or theft of food supplies, have been widespread in eastern Burma (also known as Myanmar), with over half of households in displaced areas reporting incidents in the 12 months prior to a 2004 survey.

Paddy Briggs, a former executive of Royal Dutch Shell has written an important article stimulated by current events in Burma.

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