The European Union may resume talks with Serbia over the country's possible accession into the EU this fall, even if indicted war crimes suspect Ratko Mladic has not been arrested and handed over to the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) , according to European diplomats Thursday. Talks can resume if Belgrade shows convincing [...]
The Alabama-Coushatta Tribe filed a complaint in a Texas federal district court on Wednesday alleging that former lobbyist Jack Abramoff , his associate Michael Scanlon and former Christian Coalition executive director Ralph Reed defrauded the tribe by lobbying to close its Texas casino nine months after it opened in November 2001. Specifically, the lawsuit alleges [...]
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Thursday denied a request by Argentina that Uruguay be barred from continuing construction of two paper mills along the river that separates the two nations . The court, voting 14-1, ruled that "the circumstances, as they now present themselves to the Court, are not such as to require [...]
A Connecticut Superior Court judge ruled Wednesday that civil unions do not harm same-sex couples, saying that they "share the same benefits, protections and responsibilities" as married couples. Judge Patty Jenkins Pittman further wrote that because civil unions enjoy the same benefits and protections as traditional marriages, same-sex couples receive equal protection and due process [...]
The European Court of First Instance , the European Union's second-highest court, on Thursday rejected a proposed merger between Sony and Bertelsmann AG (BMG) that earned unconditional approval in July 2004 from European Commission (EC) regulators. The decision marks the first time that EU judges have turned back a Commission merger approval. Independent music trade [...]
The Thailand Constitutional Court agreed Thursday to hear arguments in a case against five political parties, including the ruling Thai Rak Thai party, the main opposition Democrats , and three smaller parties, for allegedly "acting against democratic rule" during April's annulled parliamentary elections . Last month Thailand's Election Commission unanimously recommended that the five parties [...]
France's far-right National Front leader Jean-Marie Le Pen , who surprised observers with his strong performance in the 2002 French presidential election , will be put on trial in Paris for allegedly denying how brutal the Nazi occupation of France was during World War II, according to French judicial officials Wednesday. The charges stem from [...]
House Majority Leader Jim Boehner (R-OH) on Wednesday scheduled seven more House hearings through the end of July on comprehensive immigration reform , and characterized the first round of hearings as a success for House Republicans who support strict enforcement-focused legislation. The new hearings, save one, will all be held in Washington DC, and will [...]
Lord Michael Levy , chief fundraiser for British Prime Minister Tony Blair , returned to a police station for questioning Thursday after he was arrested by Scotland Yard Wednesday in connection with a growing "cash for honors" scandal . The police official leading the investigation, Deputy Assistant Commissioner John Yates, described Levy's arrest as "integral" [...]
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Thursday that the US Department of Defense (DOD) decision to apply the Geneva Conventions to detainees in US military custody "strengthens the international rule of law, and is true to the U.S.'s strong tradition of respect for civil liberties." A statement released by Annan's spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, reads, in full: [...]
