Turkish authorities on Thursday replaced lead prosecutors in the Ergenekon coup investigations in response to criticism. The probe has resulted hundreds of arrests, with people awaiting or on trial, but has not yet delivered any verdicts. Among the hundreds arrested are 163 active and retired military officers. On Wednesday, the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) criticized [...]
Three prominent Kenyans appeared before the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague on Thursday to hear the charges against them in connection with the violence that followed the December 2007 Kenyan general elections. Facing charges including murder, deportation, rape, inhumane acts, persecution and torture, the two suspended government ministers and one radio executive denied [...]
The Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a lower court decision invalidating a state ban on adoptions by same-sex couples. The court affirmed the decision of the Pulaski County Circuit Court invalidating Act 1 , a state law which prohibits all unmarried couples from adopting or fostering children in the state. The court held that [...]
A Somali pirate was sentenced by the US District Court for the District of Columbia on Thursday to 25 years in prison for attacking a Danish ship off the coast of Somalia in 2008, for which he and other pirates received a $1.7 million ransom. US Department of Justice (DOJ) officials say Jama Idle Ibrahim, [...]
Amnesty International (AI) on Thursday urged Serbian authorities to halt the forced evictions of Roma in Belgrade and provide them with adequate housing and compensation. The AI report alleges that Roma living in these informal settlements, approximately one-third of the Belgrade Roma population, are denied access to water, sanitation and other basic services “that are [...]
The Ohio Senate on Wednesday approved a bill that would limit the availability of abortions after 20 weeks. The act, which was approved 24-8 by the Republican-dominated assembly, requires doctors to determine the viability of the fetus and seek a second opinion as to whether the child is capable of surviving outside of the womb. [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled Wednesday that errors in the prosecution’s case against former Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling are harmless, denying Skilling a new trial. The court, however, went on to vacate the original sentence against Skilling and remand for resentencing due to lower court error. The appeals court said: [...]
The Alabama State House of Representatives on Tuesday approved a bill to create an illegal immigration policy comparable to the controversial Arizona law . The bill, approved by a vote of 73-28, would grant state and local police broad powers to examine the immigration status of anyone detained, no matter what the charge. The bill [...]
Washington Governor Chris Gregoire on Tuesday signed a bill recognizing out-of-state same-sex marriages as legal domestic partnerships. House Bill 1649 amends current law that acknowledges out-of-state domestic partnerships and civil unions, but excludes same-sex marriage. The Senate approved the bill by a 28-19 vote last week after the House of Representatives passed the bill by [...]
The trial for Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on charges that he paid an underage prostitute for her services was adjourned Wednesday only 10 minutes after opening in Milan. Berlusconi and Moroccan-born teenager Karima El Mahroug, known as Ruby, did not attend the trial. Berlusconi faces charges for abusing the power of his office and [...]
