China's State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) Wednesday announced an anti-monopoly investigation into Microsoft and other international software companies suspected of dominating the Chinese software market, unfairly raising prices and bundling software. Software companies will likely face increased liability for alleged anti-competitive practices beginning August 1, when a new anti-monopoly law takes effect. Officials at Microsoft [...]
A UN observer who arrived in Zimbabwe Sunday to monitor the human rights situation has been ejected from the country after only two days, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour said Wednesday. Zimbabwe government agents told the UN envoy that he had not given them proper notice of his arrival, an assertion disputed [...]
US President George W. Bush Wednesday called for Congress to relax restrictions on oil exploration , saying that it should end a long-standing prohibition against offshore oil drilling and also allow drilling to begin in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. Bush argued that resources currently off-limits to harvesters could offset rising fuel prices; [...]
The California First District Court of Appeal Tuesday rejected a petition by anti-same-sex marriage group Liberty Counsel to block the issuance of new sex-neutral marriages licenses . Liberty Counsel had argued that same-sex marriage licenses should not be issued until after voters decide on a proposed amendment to the state's constitution on the November ballot. [...]
The European Parliament (EP) adopted a new European Union directive to combat illegal immigration on Wednesday. The new rules are intended to normalize immigration procedures across the EU. Under the directive, illegal aliens caught in the EU must leave within 30 days, after which a removal order can be issued to forcibly deport them, and [...]
A Virginia circuit court judge approved an $11 million state settlement agreement Tuesday for the families of 24 people killed in the April 2007 shootings at Virginia Tech . The settlement, which many of the families involved tentatively approved in April, gives each family $100,000 plus medical expenses and provides for meetings with Virginia Governor [...]
A telephone caller threatened the life of the Serbian prosecutor responsible for the arrest and extradition of war crimes suspect Stojan Zupljanin to the International Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) , the Serbian Prosecutor's Office said Tuesday. The death threat, which was traced to the Netherlands, warned Vladimir Vukcevic that he would be killed [...]
The UK House of Lords Wednesday passed a bill to ratify the EU reform treaty , formally known as the Treaty of Lisbon , rejecting an amendment pushed by Conservative peers to postpone the upper chamber vote until October 20. The House of Commons approved the pact in March. Royal assent is expected Thursday, making [...]
The Norwegian parliament approved a law Tuesday allowing same-sex marriage in the country. The new law replaces 1993 legislation that granted same-sex couples the right to enter into civil partnerships. The bill was proposed in the Norwegian parliament, the Storting , by the Standing Committee on Family and Cultural Affairs , and passed by the [...]
Physicians For Human Rights Wednesday released a report saying that abuse and torture claims made by former detainees held by the US in Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay and Iraq are supported by medical examinations performed by the group. The exams showed that their subjects currently experience numbness and weakness consistent with extended placement in "stress positions" [...]
