The Constitutional Court of Thailand on Monday conducted the first hearing in the electoral fraud trial of the ruling Democrat Party . The case, brought in June by the Election Commission of Thailand , could result in the dissolution of the party and the exclusion of its leaders, including current Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva , [...]
British Petroleum (BP) and the US Department of Justice (DOJ) on Monday announced the completion of negotiations over the implementation of a $20 billion fund to aid victims of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The White House has tapped Washington lawyer and special master for compensation Kenneth Feinberg to manage [...]
An Iranian court on Sunday sentenced seven Baha’i leaders to 20-year prison terms on charges of espionage. The seven were convicted of espionage , propaganda activities against the Islamic order, the establishment of an illegal administration and cooperation with Israel. All seven have denied the charges and have appealed the decision. The seven, all members [...]
Maldavian Attorney General Husnu Al-Suood resigned Sunday after the People’s Maljis failed to approve legislation to make the fledgling democracy’s interim Supreme Court permanent. In his resignation letter, Al-Suood accused the opposition-controlled legislature of having “deliberately not attended to its duties,” making it impossible for the Attorney General’s Office to function. Maldavian President Mohamed Nasheed [...]
Amnesty International Australia (AIA) on Monday criticized the Australian government for not taking greater measures to eliminate racial discrimination, violating its obligations under international law. The charges were made in a report to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination , the body that oversees the implementation of the International Convention on the [...]
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu testified Monday that Israel did not violate international law during the May flotilla incident , in which Israeli forces raided several Turkish ships bound for the blockaded Gaza Strip . His testimony was the first heard before the Turkel Commission, a civilian investigatory commission created by the Israeli government in [...]
South African journalists on Sunday expressed disdain for proposed media regulations that they claim will inhibit freedom of expression and media freedom. A declaration by South African Press Council chairman Raymond Louw criticizing the regulation was published in every major South African newspaper. Louw said he was “appalled” that the African National Congress (ANC) and [...]
A Turkish court on Friday annulled the arrest warrants issued for 102 Turkish military officers over an alleged 2003 coup plot. The officers, including 25 generals and admirals, were arrested last month for allegedly participating in a coup plot referred to as “Operation Sledgehammer” after the Justice and Democracy Party (AKP) , which has Islamic [...]
Elena Kagan was sworn in as the 112th justice of the US Supreme Court Saturday. Kagan, the former US Solicitor General and dean of Harvard Law School , took part in two ceremonies —a private one for her friends and family, and a public ceremony. Chief Justice John Roberts administered the oath , in which [...]
The US Supreme Court on Friday refused to block the military trial of Canadian Guantanamo Bay detainee Omar Khadr . The Supreme Court issued a one-line order denying the Khadr’s petition for a stay. The order had no noted dissents and offered no explanation of the ruling. The trial is scheduled to begin August 10 [...]
