The Egyptian Parliament Wednesday deprived two Muslim Brotherhood lawmakers of their official immunity. Under Egyptian law, legislators enjoy immunity from prosecution unless the parliament votes to remove it. Sabri Amer and Ragab Abu Zeid were the first Brotherhood members to lose immunity since the 2005 election; Zeid labeled the decision as a government-orchestrated attempt to [...]
A US Marine sergeant testified Wednesday at the Article 32 hearing of Marine lawyer Capt. Randy W. Stone that Stone and other supervisors repeatedly ignored his requests to launch an investigation into the killings of 24 Iraqi civilians at Haditha . 1st Sergeant Albert Espinosa, who was responsible for the casualty reports of the Marine [...]
The Supreme Court of Pakistan Wednesday blocked all media coverage of the proceedings against suspended Chief Justice Iftikar Chaudhry and ordered an end to television and newspaper commentary that could "interfere" with the legal process. In a statement, the court said: Discussions, comments or write-ups which are likely to interfere with the legal process, ridicule, [...]
The Supreme Court of Japan Wednesday dismissed two cases filed by Chinese nationals seeking compensation for Japan's use of biological weapons and the Nanjing Massacre during the Second Sino-Japanese War between 1937 and 1945. The high court upheld previous decisions by the Tokyo District Court and the Tokyo High Court which acknowledged the suffering of [...]
Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski signed two gay rights bills into law Wednesday, establishing civil unions for gay couples and enacting anti-discrimination measures. House Bill 2007 allows same-sex couples to enter into contractual domestic partnerships with the same state benefits as married couples. The measure covers state benefits including inheritance, child custody, and hospital visitation rights, [...]
An Alabama grand jury issued a sealed indictment Wednesday in the 1965 shooting and death of 26-year-old Jimmie Lee Jackson by state trooper James Bonard Fowler during an attempt by state troopers to disperse a protest against the jailing of a civil rights worker. The indictment, which will remain sealed until it is served, is [...]
The Iraqi Council of Representatives Wednesday approved a measure to take legal action against Al Jazeera television for alleged insults against top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani . The measure followed days of protests by thousands of Shi'a Muslims in the southern cities of Basra and Najaf against Egyptian talk show host Ahmed Mansour, [...]
Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry Tuesday reluctantly signed a strict immigration reform bill meant to discourage illegal immigration. The Oklahoma Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act of 2007 denies illegal immigrants state identification, and requires all state and local agencies to verify citizenship status of applicants before authorizing benefits. The law also require public employers to enter [...]
A Zimbabwe court ruled Wednesday that British national Simon Mann could be extradited to Equatorial Guinea to face charges of plotting a coup against Equatorial Guinea President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo . Mann's defense team had argued against Mann's extradition on the grounds that he is likely to face torture and possible death in Equatorial [...]
A UK court found two men guilty of violating Section 3 of Britain's Official Secrets Act by leaking a secret memo in which President Bush was said to have told UK Prime Minister Tony Blair in April 2004 of a plan to bomb Arab broadcaster Al Jazeera at the height of the US campaign against [...]
