Iran officials said Wednesday that they plan to begin trials Sunday for 20 of those detained during protests of the controversial reelection of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad . The protesters have been charged with crimes ranging from vandalism and organizing riots to sending pictures of the protests to "enemy media." Iranian officials announced earlier this week [...]

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Anti-death-penalty group Hands Off Cain said Wednesday that the number of countries with capital punishment, as well as the total number of executions was down in 2008 from the previous year. According to the group, at least 5,727 executions were carried out in the 46 countries that retain the death penalty. It cited the execution [...]

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Irish Justice Minister Dermot Ahern announced Wednesday that Ireland will accept two detainees being released from the US prison facility at Guantanamo Bay . The detainees will not be admitted as refugees, but rather with permanent residency rights , allowing them to work and move freely. Ahern said: During my time as Minister for Foreign [...]

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The US House Committee on Financial Services on Tuesday approved the Corporate and Financial Institution Compensation Fairness Act , which would restrict the way in which executives for publicly-traded companies can be compensated. Committee members say the bill would discourage executive compensation packages that emphasize short-term gains over long-term stability, which they say helped to [...]

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The substantive portion of the civil trial of Boston University graduate student Joel Tenenbaum , accused of illegally downloading seven songs , began in Boston on Tuesday. On Monday, jury selection was completed, and, in a significant setback for the defense team, led by Harvard professor Charles Nesson , Judge Nancy Gertner of the US [...]

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