Russia is clamping down "on the freedoms of assembly and expression in the run-up to parliamentary and presidential elections," according to a report released by Amnesty International Tuesday. Amnesty expressed concern that authorities are harassing rights activists and journalists monitoring opposition demonstrations, and said that police have used violence in breaking up some opposition events [...]
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Tuesday ordered some 70 Internet service providers to restore access to video-sharing website YouTube , lifting an order issued last week blocking access over "blasphemous" posted on the site. The PTA issued a statement Monday explaining the order, saying it was in response to a movie trailer posted by [...]
Former Khmer Rouge prison chief Kaing Guek Eav , also known as Duch, visited the Choeung Ek "killing field" Tuesday as part of an on-site investigation by co-investigating judges of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) . The tribunal described the investigation as "a normal investigative action, the aim of which is [...]
The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said Monday that the FCC is "ready, willing, and able to step in if necessary" to ensure a proper balance is struck between consumer proponents of "net neutrality" principles and the telecommunication industry's interest in controlling the flow and content of Internet traffic over its networks. The [...]
British Columbia Supreme Court Justice Barry Davies has ruled that Section 184.4 of the Canadian Criminal Code , which allows law enforcement officers to electronically intercept private communications in "exceptional circumstances" without court authorization, is unconstitutional because it violates "the fundamental freedom to be free from unreasonable search and seizure" protected by the Canadian Charter [...]
A federal jury in Hartford, Connecticut on Monday found five former insurance executives guilty of charges of conspiracy, securities fraud, false statements to the SEC, and mail fraud in connection with a scheme to falsely inflate the financial health of American International Group (AIG) , one of the world's largest insurance companies. Four of the [...]
Three Canadian opposition MPs and a US military lawyer urged the Canadian government Monday to request the extradition and repatriation of Omar Khadr , a Canadian citizen being detained at Guantanamo Bay . The three MPs – Joe Comartin (NDP, Windsor-Tecumseh, Ontario), Dominic LeBlanc (Liberal, Beausejour, New Brunswick) and Vivian Barbot (Bloc Quebecois, Papineau, Quebec) [...]
Russia's backing of Serbia in its denunciation of Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence last week is in keeping with international law, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday. Lavrov told Vesti 24 television that Russia is "actively supporting" Serbian efforts to restore the breakaway region to Serbian control and criticized other nations for recognizing Kosovo [...]
The US Supreme Court on Monday heard oral arguments in Cuellar v. United States , 06-1456, where the Court considered "whether merely hiding funds with no design to create the appearance of legitimate wealth is sufficient to support a money laundering conviction" under 18 USC 1956(a)(2)(B)(i) . The case involves Humberto Cuellar, who was sentenced [...]
At least 10 Turkish universities have continued to enforce a ban on headscarves despite recent amendments to the Turkish constitution lifting the ban, according to Monday media reports. Head of the Higher Education Board Yusuf Ozcan said in a weekend statement that universities "have the duty and responsibility to adjust practices in line with the [...]
