The US Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled . Thursday that Virginia's method of execution by lethal injection does not violate the Eighth Amendment ban on cruel and unusual punishment. Virginia death row inmate Christopher Scott Emmett had challenged the procedure, arguing that there is an unacceptable risk that the drugs used in the lethal [...]
The US and coalition forces have released more than 9,000 detainees in Iraq already this year, more than were released in all of 2007, according to a statement issued Wednesday by the Multi-National Force-Iraq (MNF-I) . The MNF-I reported that 9,047 detainees had been released in the year to date, while 8,956 were released in [...]
Former White House advisor Karl Rove Wednesday refused to testify before a scheduled Thursday hearing of the US House Judiciary Committee in defiance of a subpoena. In May, the committee subpoenaed Rove to testify concerning any involvement in the prosecution of former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman on federal corruption charges in 2005. Rove Wednesday sent [...]
South Korean prosecutors indicted two former naval officers on charges of stealing state secrets Thursday. The two men, now working for German submarine manufacturer Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft , allegedly obtained classified documents about South Korea's submarine program from a navy captain, who is also under investigation. AFP has more. Cases involving the alleged theft of state [...]
The UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) reached a settlement Thursday with nine Iraqi men who say they were tortured while detained by British troops in Basra in 2003. A MOD spokesman said the military had agreed to pay £2.83 million in compensation, as well as issue an apology and an admission of liability. The family [...]
Marc Rotenberg : "The Senate's vote reflected a fundamental misunderstanding of the purpose of FISA. The law was enacted to make clear the circumstances under whichtelephone companies could be required by the government to turn over customer records in foreign intelligence investigations. The law anticipated not only routine exigencies but also the circumstances under which [...]
The district court of The Hague ruled Thursday that it does not have jurisdiction to hear a case against the UN for its alleged failure to protect civilians during the 1995 Srebrenica massacre . Srebrenica survivors who filed the lawsuit alleged that both the Netherlands and the UN were liable for their failure to protect [...]
The UK Employment Tribunal Thursday found for a central-London registrar who says she was harassed for refusing to perform same-sex civil unions on religious grounds. Lillian Ladele alleged that her colleagues at the Islington Council threatened and excluded her in retaliation for her beliefs, and she characterized the tribunal's decision as a victory for religious [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Wednesday ruled that an Arizona election law requiring that independent presidential candidates register earlier than those affiliated with political parties was unconstitutional. Presidential candidate Ralph Nader had filed a challenge to the deadline, arguing that it violated his rights to free speech under the First Amendment [...]
French President Nicolas Sarkozy Thursday told the European Parliament that the European Union (EU) should quickly resolve conflicts over the proposed EU reform treaty , formally known as the Treaty of Lisbon , so the body can move on to other issues. Sarkozy called on member states to ratify the treaty, but joined others in [...]
