Torture survivor Juan Mendez looks back at his harrowing experience, and the challenges facing the global fight against torture, in his role as the UN’s Special Rapporteur on Torture.
In January 2009, Barack Obama signed an executive order to close the notorious detention centre at Guantánamo Bay. Five years on, detainees remain uncharged and subjected to waterboarding, prolonged isolation and force feeding.
Detainees eligible for release from Guantanamo Bay are caught in limbo: the US won’t accept them and foreign countries are reluctant to take in refugees who have been incarcerated with terrorists, writes Scott Fitzsimmons.
The more than 100 detainees on hunger strike at the detention facility have said that they do not trust military doctors who engaged in painful force-feeding.
Obama said there was no evidence to indicate when, who and how chemical weapons were used in Syria as he spoke to the media about Guantanamo Bay and Russian relations earlier today.
Irish peace groups have outlined the “aviation, human rights, and international humanitarian law” which are being violated by the use of the airport by foreign military.
The notorious detention centre has now been open for ten years and, with indefinite military detention now enshrined in US law, hope is fading that it will be closed down as pledged.
The price of keeping a prisoner at the notorious detention centre is more than 30 times the cost of imprisoning a person in the United States mainland.
MOST DRIVERS IN the UK want a lower motorway speed limit in wet weather to boost safety and encourage better driving habits, according to new polling.
Some 78% of respondents who supported a reduced motorway speed limit in the wet felt it would encourage some drivers to slow down, while 72% believed it was worth trying as it might save lives. Nearly two-thirds said it could improve visibility due to less spray from moving vehicles.
In France, this is already the case as motorway speed limits are reduced from 130km/h to 110km/h during inclement weather. While road deaths fell in most European countries due to the impact of the pandemic last year, the overall figure increased in Ireland.
The idea to reduce speeds on Irish motorways had been mooted by the Green Pary last year during negotiations on the Programme For Government in an effort to reduce carbon emissions. It was reported at the time that the Greens had looked at reducing the 120km/h speed limit to 100km/h. It is not included in the PFG but the programme did commit to a review of speed limits.
So, today we’re asking: Should motorway speed limits be cut in wet conditions?
Mostly cloudy with a brief shower or two
Max: 19 °C
Min: 9 °C
Intervals of clouds and sunshine
Max: 17 °C
Min: 9 °C
