Former Russian oil executive Mikhail Khodorkovsky on Tuesday took the stand at his trial and called for the case against him to be dismissed for lack of evidence. Khodorkovsky and his business partner Platon Lebedev are charged with embezzling USD $25 billion worth of oil produced by their Yukos oil company. Defense lawyers for Khodorkovsky [...]
Two separate court-martial proceedings against former Sri Lankan army chief Sarath Fonseka were adjourned Tuesday. The trials, originally set to resume Tuesday, were postponed due to an ongoing case in the Sri Lankan Court of Appeals , which is examining the legality of the court-martials. Fonseka faces two separate court-martials, charging him with participating in [...]
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will seek a record civil penalty of $16.375 million against Toyota Motor Corporation for a four-month delay in notifying the agency about a problem with "sticky" gas pedals in various car models, US Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced Monday. The fine, which would become the largest [...]
Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry signed three anti-abortion bills into law Monday. The first bill prohibits abortions performed because of the gender of the fetus. The second bill creates the Freedom of Conscience Act and protects medical employees who refuse to participate in procedures such as abortion based on religious beliefs. The third bill regulates the [...]
Lawyers for an Algerian national detained at Guantanamo Bay on Monday filed an emergency motion in the US District Court for the District of Columbia to block the detainee's transfer to his home country. Petitioner Ahmed Belbacha renewed his request for an administrative stay of a February court order mandating the transfer. The motion alleges [...]
An Egyptian criminal court on Sunday ordered 16 members of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) released on bail , including deputy chairman Mahmoud Ezzat and spokesperson Essam al-Erian. The members of MB, which has been banned in Egypt , were arrested in February and charged with plotting to overthrow the Egyptian government. The MB has called [...]
Australia confirmed Monday that it will accept three Cuban asylum seekers currently held at the Guantanamo Bay Migrations Operation Center. The center, utilized by the US military after the recent Haitian earthquake to house mainly Haitian asylum seekers, is not affiliated with the US detention center at Guantanamo Bay. Upon the announcement, Australian Minister for [...]
The US Customs and Border Protection has arrested 115 Haitians who have crossed the border illegally since the January 12 earthquake , according to Sunday reports. Mark Henry, operations officer for the Border Patrol's Swanton sector , which covers 261 miles of the US-Canada border from New Hampshire through Vermont to New York said that [...]
A Thai court on Monday dismissed the government's application for an injunction against protesters gathered in Bangkok's business district. The Internal Security Operations Command, under the direction of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva , applied for an injunction that would have ordered the protest organizers to lead the group out of the area after three days [...]
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Uzbekistan Monday to deliver on promises to improve its human rights record. In a speech to the University of World Economy and Diplomacy in Tashkent, Ban challenged the former Soviet republic to live up to its obligations as a signatory to various international treaties banning torture and civil rights [...]
