The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has begun an investigation into a proposed purchase of advertising management technology company DoubleClick Inc. by Google Inc. for possible anti-trust violations, the New York Times reported Tuesday. Google announced its plans to purchase DoubleClick for $3.1 billion in April, and the FTC investigation was expected to follow after [...]
Jordan's High Judiciary Board appointed Ihssan Barakat as Chief of the Court of First Instance Monday, marking the first time a woman will preside over a team of judges in the country. Barakat said that "this is a very important step for Arab women in the region," adding that she is ready for the responsibility [...]
UN human rights envoy Yash Ghai arrived in Cambodia Tuesday to prepare his latest report on the country's rights situation but encountered opposition from Cambodian authorities who claim that Ghai's previous reports were distorted. Ghai had expressed hope that he would be able to hear reactions to his work, but government officials, including National Assembly [...]
The Supreme Court of Pakistan will not be influenced by post-judgment possibilities in deciding the petition filed by suspended Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry , presiding Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday said in court Tuesday. Chaudhry claims his removal was illegal and that Pakistan's Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) lacks competence to try him for alleged abuses [...]
Iran formally charged two more people in an alleged espionage conspiracy against the government that has left Dr. Haleh Esfandiari detained in the Evin Prison for three weeks, a spokesperson for the Iranian judiciary said Tuesday. The government for the first time confirmed the arrest and charging of urban planning consultant Kian Tajbakhsh, and confirmed [...]
The US Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that an employee cannot bring a lawsuit for pay discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 for allegedly discriminatory actions that occurred outside the statutory limitations period even when a paycheck is received during the statutory limitations period. In Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber [...]
British authorities submitted a formal extradition request to Russia on Monday, seeking Andrei Lugovoy in the poisoning-murder of former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko . Last week, UK Attorney General Lord Goldsmith rejected a Russian offer to try Lugovoy in Russia, calling for his extradition to the United Kingdom. The Russian government has thus far refused [...]
A Chinese court sentenced Zheng Xiaoyu, former commissioner of China's State Food and Drug Administration , to death on Tuesday for taking bribes in exchange for his approval of substandard drugs. Zheng received over $832,000 in bribes, allowing eight companies to bypass the drug approval process, including one which released an antibiotic accused of killing [...]
Venezuelan Information Minister William Lara has filed lawsuits against media giant CNN and Venezuelan broadcast network Globovision , alleging that the two stations presented false information concerning Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and that Globovision issued a call for Chavez's assassination. The government is seeking an order to revoke Globovision's broadcast license. The lawsuits came as [...]
A conflict over constitutional changes in the Turkish parliament became physical Monday as nearly a dozen MPs started fighting on the parliamentary floor after one member criticized Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer . The parliament was debating a constitutional change to presidential elections, an amendment Sezer had originally sent back to MPs , saying that [...]
