The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego said in letter to parishioners Sunday that it will consider declaring bankruptcy in light of the more than 140 pending lawsuits alleging sexual abuse by priests. Signed by Bishop Robert Brom , the letter stated that if fair settlements cannot be reached in the cases, the diocese may [...]
Australian Prime Minister John Howard said Monday that the Australian government will put more pressure on the US to expedite the trial of Australian Guantanamo detainee David Hicks when US Vice President Dick Cheney arrives in Australia on Tuesday for a two-day visit. Speaking to Australian television, Howard called for a speedy trial so Hicks [...]
UK Prime Minister Tony Blair said Sunday that he is in favor of toughening Britain's gun laws after the deaths of three teenagers in London during the past month. Blair said that the applicable age to receive a minimum 5-year jail sentence for illegal gun possession should be lowered from the current age of 21 [...]
JURIST Special Guest Columnist Robert Amsterdam, international defense counsel for Russian billionaire and former Yukos CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky, imprisoned in Siberia for tax fraud after a controversial trial and now facing new money laundering charges, says that if the rule of law to take root in Russia, the international legal community must demand that the [...]
Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso Monday rejected a US House of Representatives proposed resolution which urges Japan to apologize to women who were forced into sexual slavery during World War II. Aso said the US resolution was "regrettable" and not factual after three women testified last week before the US Congress that they received apologies [...]
Iraqi legislators delivered a draft law to Iraq's cabinet over the weekend which outlines the development and distribution of oil in the country, according to two members of a negotiating committee tasked with developing the resolution. Negotiations concerning the proposed law have been a source of tension in Iraq for months as Kurds were adamant [...]
Thomas Nash : "Efforts to ban or restrict the use of cluster munitions are ongoing in dozens of countries around the world and have been spreading in response to growing awareness of the humanitarian problem and increased pressure from civil society. Most prominently Belgium banned the weapon in February 2006 and Norway instituted a permanent [...]
Hundreds of civilians have been arrested for opposing the Republic of Guinea's government since President Lansana Conte announced martial law last week, according to human rights groups Sunday. Martial law was imposed after Guinea was swept by protests and strikes in opposition to Conte's continued rule. More then 120 people have been killed so far [...]
Police in the Zimbabwean capital of Harare ignored a court order and interfered with a political rally held by opposition group Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Sunday. According to an MDC spokesman, police arrested members of the audience and used tear gas to break up the crowd gathered to see Morgan Tsvangirai begin his presidential [...]
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday that the US Congress would damage the American relationship with Turkey if it supports a resolution recognizing the WWI-era killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as genocide. Although the Bush administration has spoken out against such a bill, the Democratic-led Congress may decide to pass a resolution [...]
