Human rights groups fear that the number of people executed in Iran could double this year after reports of a spike in secret hangings at a large prison in the city of Mashad. Iran already executes more people per capita than any country in the world. Credible information from former inmates indicates that “numerous” undeclared executions have taken place... 

Zimbabwe’s white farmers face new violent surge in the build up to vote, farm leaders say. A Zimbabwean white farmers’ organization said Thursday they had seen a “renewed onslaught” of farm seizures and attacks, including the slayings of two farmers, in recent weeks. Deon Theron, head of the Commercial Farmers Union that represents Zimbabwe’s... 

A Coachella Valley teen who aimed a laser pointer at a CHP helicopter last year was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison Monday, authorities said. Nathan Ramon Wells, 19, aimed the laser at the aircraft while it was assisting Cathedral City police investigating a residential burglary in June 2009. Along with the prison time, U.S. District Court Judge Virginia A.... 

Indoneisa has admitted it's soldiers tortured a Papuan man Indonesia has admitted that its soldiers had tortured Papuan men seen in an online video being beaten and humiliated, and promised a thorough investigation. The soldiers applied a burning stick to the genitals of one of the unarmed detainees and threatened another with a knife as they interrogated them over... 

A pilot for ExpressJet Airlines refused to submit to a full-body scan in Memphis on Saturday, saying the technology amounts to “virtual strip searching.” Detained by airport security, he now may lose his job. Here’s his heroic first-hand account. Michael Roberts says he has been reporting for work in Memphis for 4 1/2 years without incident until Friday,... 

It may not be politically correct to say it, but most Americans think the country’s gotten too PC and see that as a problem. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 57% of Adults believe America today has become too politically correct, while just 23% say the country is not politically correct enough. Eleven percent (11%) say the balance is about... 

The Irish Nobel peace laureate Mairead Corrigan Maguire at the Israeli supreme court yesterday. Mairead Corrigan Maguire, who tried to break Gaza blockade, loses appeal against deportation. Israel today expelled an Irish Nobel peace laureate and pro-Palestinian activist who was barred from the country for trying to break the naval blockade of Gaza. Máiread Corrigan Maguire... 

Australia may pressure Sweden to prosecute Julian Assange or others linked to his whistleblower website WikiLeaks if planned releases of military documents outlining the Iraq and Afghanistan wars pose a risk to serving forces. Attorney-General Robert McClelland warned Mr Assange, who is an Australian citizen but runs his rogue website from Sweden, that he could not ”from... 

Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders appealed for freedom of expression Monday as he went on trial for alleged hate speech at a time when his popularity and influence in the Netherlands are near all-time highs. Prosecutors say Wilders has incited hate against Muslims, pointing to a litany of quotes and remarks he has made in recent years. In one opinion piece he... 

South African right-winger and former Rhodesian SAS soldier Willem Ratte and 10 others were arrested for possession of illegal firearms, Mpumalanga police say. Police arrested the men on a farm in Balmoral near Witbank on Thursday afternoon. “We don’t have much information at this stage. The 11 were arrested for being in possession of unlawful firearms and... 

A conservative student in Florida says he has the evidence that implicates a public college administrator who last week ordered members of Young Americans for Freedom to leave a campus event after they displayed Heritage Foundation research papers. Palm Beach State College activities director Olivia Morris-Ford, a Facebook fan of President Barack Obama and filmmaker... 

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev stepped out of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s shadow long enough on Tuesday to fire Moscow’s larger-than-life mayor, rattling a political establishment that until now has accepted Putin as the nation’s undisputed authority. The mayor, Yuri Luzhkov, has ruled Russia’s biggest and wealthiest city since 1992 with... 

Though the administration is also on the verge of getting broad powers to destroy the entire Internet on national security grounds, President Obama is also seeking Congressional approval for a bill that would grant him virtually limitless power to wiretap online communications as well. The bill would require every single online service with even a peripheral capability... 

Pirates seize cargo ship off Somalia’s coast with 12 Ukrainians onboard. The European Union’s anti-piracy force says Somali pirates have hijacked a cargo ship carrying steel bars and wires off the coast of Somalia. The force said in a statement that the MV Lugela sent a distress call to its Greek operator Saturday when pirates attacked it about 900 nautical... 

Advocates for separation of church and state are urging cancellation of a Christian concert at a U.S. Army base but base officials say the event will be held. “Rock the Fort” — scheduled for Saturday at Fort Bragg, N.C. — is being sponsored by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, which said on its Web site the concert would be a “clear...