Milan judges presiding over the tax fraud trial of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi suspended the trial Monday while consulting with a Constitutional Court on the legitimacy of a new law that Berlusconi has invoked to postpone criminal proceedings against him for 18 months. The case is the second to be suspended this month, with [...]
The Indonesian Constitutional Court voted 8-1 Monday to uphold a controversial anti-blasphemy law enacted in 1965 by the first Indonesian president. The court rejected the legal challenge raised by a coalition of human rights groups and social activists supporting the Wahid Organization, a civil organization that advocates for religious pluralism in Indonesia. Critics of the [...]
The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments Monday in two cases. In Christian Legal Society v. Martinez , the court heard arguments on whether a state law school may deny recognition to a religious student organization where the group requires its officers and voting members to agree with its core religious beliefs, thereby excluding gay [...]
Kyrgyzstan's provisional government on Monday announced a plan to institute democratic reforms, including a referendum on a new constitution. The plan seeks to move Kyrgyzstan toward a parliamentary republic with increased checks and balances and a reduction in the constitutional scope of presidential power. In order to increase the perceived legitimacy of the process, the [...]
Toyota Motor Corporation on Monday accepted a record civil penalty of $16.375 million imposed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for a four-month delay in notifying the agency about a problem with "sticky" and "slow to return pedal" gas pedals in various car models. US Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced that [...]
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday signed into law the 18th Amendment bill , limiting presidential powers expanded under former military leader Pervez Musharraf . Under the amendment, which effectively reduces the role of the president to a figurehead, the vast majority of the president's powers will be transferred to the office of the [...]
A Bangladeshi special court in the district of Sathkhira on Monday sentenced 56 members of the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) on charges relating to their involvement in last year's border guard mutiny that left 74 dead. Of the 60 charged with taking up arms, firing, driving their army commanders out of offices and homes, and blocking [...]
Thomas Moran : "In order to better appreciate the recently published "Guide to Understanding Basic Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) Procedures concerning Sexual Abuse Allegations," some background information might prove helpful. The Apostolic Constitution Pastor bonus (June 28, 1988) established the CDF as the competent agency of the Roman Curia to examine [...]
The Iraqi Independent High Election Commission (IHEC) on Monday ordered a manual recount of Baghdad province ballots cast in the March 7 parliamentary elections , following fraud allegations. The election commissioner for the IHEC informed the public that the Baghdad recount would begin immediately , citing manipulation in voting stations. The ruling State of Law [...]
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay on Monday encouraged the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states to address continuing rights issues , including women's rights, treatment of migrant workers, statelessness, and freedoms of expression, association, and assembly. In a speech at a university in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the first stop on a 10-day [...]
