The `dark side` of US counter-terrorism took center stage Wednesday in the case of a mentally ill Pakistani woman accused of attacking US officers in Afghanistan.

A New York federal judge referred to allegations that the accused, Aafia Siddiqui, was abducted and tortured by US or allied forces prior to her extradition from Afghanistan in August.

Online US dating service eHarmony.com has agreed to set up a website for gays and lesbians seeking partners after being accused of discrimination by a gay man in New Jersey state.

Under the terms of a settlement agreement announced on Wednesday by the Division on Civil Rights of New Jersey`s Attorney General`s Office, eHarmony will begin providing same-sex matching services next year.

Online US dating service eHarmony.com has agreed to set up a website for gays and lesbians seeking partners after being accused of discrimination by a gay man in New Jersey state.

Under the terms of a settlement agreement announced on Wednesday by the Division on Civil Rights of New Jersey`s Attorney General`s Office, eHarmony will begin providing same-sex matching services next year.

The UN`s top official probing torture believes that the practice is `systematic` in Equatorial Guinea, following a 10-day trip to the west African nation.

Austrian diplomat Manfred Nowak completed an inspection visit on Tuesday, slamming President Teodoro Obiang Nguema`s near 30-year regime in a document entitled `preliminary findings` obtained by AFP in Malabo.

Amnesty International on Wednesday said Sri Lanka was unable to provide for the basic needs of 300,000 people trapped inside rebel-held areas and accused Tiger guerrillas of using them as human shields.

The London-based rights watchdog said two thirds of people living in the rebel-controlled northern area of Wanni have been driven out of their homes in the ongoing wave of fighting.

The Yemen government and Shiite rebels are hampering efforts to channel aid to tens of thousands of civilians cut off or displaced by fighting, Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday.

The European Court of Human Rights held an appeal hearing Wednesday into the case of nine Cyprus nationals who went missing in 1974 during Turkish military operations that separated the north of the island.

Israel will stay away from an international anti-racism conference next year, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said on Wednesday, saying the meeting was certain to become `an anti-Israel tribunal.`

Security forces in northwest China used tear gas to quell two days of violent protests by thousands of people who used axes, chains and iron bars to attack police, witnesses and officials said Wednesday.

Security forces in northwest China used tear gas to quell two days of violent protests by thousands of people who used axes, chains and iron bars to attack police, witnesses and officials said Wednesday.