The Dutch Public Prosecution Service (OM) on Friday concluded its case against right-wing politician Geert Wilders by asking for Wilders’ acquittal on all charges . The prosecutors’ request is based on a determination that the politician’s statements were directed at Islam and not Muslims themselves, and that they were within the realm of public debate [...]
The Republic of Moldova on Tuesday ratified the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) . The treaty will become effective in Moldova on January 1, 2011. EU High Representative Catherine Ashton commended the move, noting the positive effects that ratification will have on relations between the EU and Moldova. Amnesty International (AI) offered [...]
Egypt issued new media restrictions Wednesday that critics say effectively put all live television media, including talk shows and news shows, under government control. The telecommunications regulator cancelled the broadcast permits of all private media companies forcing them to apply for new licenses through the state television agency. The measure is part of a series [...]
The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced Thursday that CVS Pharmacy has agreed to pay a $75 million fine for sales of pseudoephedrine to individuals who used that compound to produce methamphetamine . In addition to the $75 million fine, CVS will also forfeit the profits from those sales, an additional $2.6 million. Under the [...]
US Attorney General Eric Holder has said the Department of Justice will continue to enforce the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) in California even if a state ballot measure legalizing marijuana passes in November, according to a Friday report by the AP. The measure, Proposition 19 , would legalize the possession of less than one ounce [...]
Italian prosecutors on Friday launched a tax inquiry against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi for tax declarations he made in 2003 and 2004 relating to the commercial broadcast company Mediaset , which Berlusconi founded. Berlusconi is accused of artificially inflating the price of film rights sold to companies that belonged to him, and then selling them [...]
Judge Alvin Hellerstein of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York on Thursday approved a $47.5 million settlement between the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey , which owns the World Trade Center site, and over 9,000 people who claim they became ill from helping with 9/11 rescue and [...]
The Obama administration on Thursday asked for a federal judge to stay her order requiring the US military to end enforcement of its controversial “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy . In reaction to the order by Judge Virginia Phillips of the US District Court of the Central District of California to halt DADT, which [...]
A US military judge postponed the trial of Canadian Guantanamo Bay detainee Omar Khadr Thursday while his lawyers attempted to reach a deal exchanging a guilty plea for leniency. The military proceeding was to resume Monday after being suspended in August, but the judge delayed the proceedings furthe,r and the tribunal will now resume October [...]
The World Justice Project (WJP) released its inaugural report on Thursday, ranking countries by their adherence to the rule of law. The three-year study categorizes governments based on nine factors, including their level of corruption, rights, clarity of laws and access to judicial remedies. Of the nations with the highest income levels, Sweden ranked first [...]
