A spokesman for Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said Saturday that Australia would be willing to consider acceptance of Guantanamo Bay detainees on a case-by-case basis, according to a report in The Australian. Rudd's spokesman confirmed that Australia, along with other countries, has been approached by the United States concerning prisoner resettlement possibilities. Australia strongly [...]
The Chinese Dairy Industry Association announced Saturday that 22 companies will provide financial compensation to families whose infants were harmed by melamine-contaminated milk . Families will receive a one-time payment of an unspecified amount, and may recover further for any future related medical expenses. In a statement quoted by the state-run Xinhua news agency, the [...]
Ten ethnic Albanians were arrested in Serbia Friday for alleged crimes committed during the 1998-1999 Kosovo war , according to Serb officials. The former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) members, being held for questioning in Belgrade and Vranje, will likely be charged for their alleged roles in the kidnapping of 159 Serbs and the deaths of [...]
Azerbaijan's parliament, the Milli Majlis , on Friday voted 100-7 to approve a March 18 referendum that could amend the nation's constitution to remove presidential term limits. The present law contains a two-term presidential limit, which would bring the administration of President Ilham Aliyev to an end in 2013 after the expiration of his second [...]
The French Foreign Ministry on Friday urged the European Union (EU) to adopt a unified policy on whether to accept detainees released from the Guantanamo Bay military prison if US President-elect Barack Obama closes the facility. The French government has said it would welcome the prison's closure, but Foreign Ministry Spokesman Eric Chevallier on Wednesday [...]
Six criminal trials in four separate courts began Friday in China's Hebei province for six people accused of involvement in the country's recent melamine-tainted milk scandal. The six cattle farmers and milk collectors are accused of making several hundred tons of melamine-containing protein powder and adding it to raw milk before selling the mixture to [...]
Leading Zimbabwe human rights activist Jestina Mukoko has been taken to the high-security Chikurubi prison outside of Harare in violation of a court order that she be taken to a hospital, according to human rights lawyers Friday. Mukoko, who is charged with attempting to overthrow President Robert Mugabe , went missing for three weeks earlier [...]
Russian president Dmitry Medvedev Thursday signed anti-corruption legislation passed by the country's parliament earlier this month. Medvedev has pushed anti-corruption reforms since taking office in May. The new law imposes income reporting requirements on persons holding public office , restricts gifts and makes a variety of amendments to existing anti-corruption legislation. In a late September [...]
The UN General Assembly Wednesday adopted a resolution criticizing human rights violations in Myanmar . The resolution also called for the release of political prisoners, and expressed dissatisfaction with the country's transition to democracy, which, it alleges, has lacked transparency and fairness. An unnamed Myanmar representative in the chamber agreed that human exploitation was unacceptable, [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit Wednesday upheld a district court ruling that two Kentucky statutes regulating interstate wine sales were unconstitutional. The Sixth Circuit agreed that KRS 243.155 and KRS 244.165 , requiring out-of-state wine to be purchased in-person, were discriminatory and thus violate the Commerce Clause of the US Constitution. [...]
