A judge in Ecuador on Wednesday reinstated 57 members of the legislature who had been dismissed earlier this month by the country's Supreme Electoral Tribunal . The reinstatements came one week after Ecuador swore in 21 replacement legislators in order to establish a quorum for future legislative sessions. The controversy began when the unicameral Ecuadorean [...]

The Russian Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that the Russian Peace Party was too small to be considered a legitimate political party under a 2004 law and should be shut down. According to the Federal Registration Service , Peace Party membership had fallen below a legal minimum that went into effect on January 1, meaning that [...]

The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments Wednesday in Tellabs v. Makor Issues & Rights , 06-484 , where the Court must decide the extent to which shareholders bringing suit against a company must prove the company intended to deceive the public about its financial future. Tellabs, Inc. allegedly made predictions about its future sales [...]

Thousands of Polish citizens marched in Warsaw on Wednesday in support of a proposed constitutional amendment to enact a complete ban on abortion. The opposition Civic Platform party is expected to block passage of the amendment when it comes to a vote in April. Poland's current 1993 abortion law is considered among the strictest in [...]

Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry of the Supreme Court of Pakistan , who was suspended March 9 by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf for alleged misconduct, told a crowd of 2,000 lawyers in Rawalpindi on Wednesday that judicial independence in Pakistan is under attack. Chaudhry said that judicial independence is guaranteed by the constitution of Pakistan, though [...]

The Russian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday lashed out at the Georgian Republic for filing a lawsuit with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) alleging Russia violated the human rights of Georgian nationals during a deportation sweep last September. On Monday, Georgia lodged an application against Russia under the European Convention of Human Rights , [...]

Belgian authorities on Wednesday arrested three Italian nationals – a European Commission official in charge of delegation infrastructure, a personal assistant to an Italian member of the European Parliament , and a businessman – on corruption charges stemming from European public tenders to lease space and provide security for delegation buildings in Albania and India. [...]

Zimbabwe police on Wednesday arrested opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai and twenty staff members ahead of a press conference where Tsvangirai was expected to denounce police brutality that occurred during a crackdown on anti-government protesters earlier in March. Tsvangirai was released from police custody several hours later, according to a MDP official. Tsvangirari was previously arrested [...]

A Mexican special prosecutor's office designed to investigate past political crimes shut down on Tuesday without ever securing any convictions. Former Mexican President Vicente Fox , who created the department, decided to close it just before leaving office last year. That decision just took effect. All cases being pursued by the special office, including the [...]

Texas Governor Rick Perry Tuesday signed into law a new so-called "shoot first" law , which allows state residents to use deadly force to respond to threats in their homes, cars, and at jobs. The bill, also known as a "stand your ground" law, was approved by large majorities in both houses of the Texas [...]