BBC News is reporting that UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has accepted responsibility for mismanagement of the now defunct UN Oil-for-Food program . The Independent Inquiry Committee investigating the program delivered its final report to the UN Security Council Wednesday morning and will soon make the full report available to the public. According to an [...]
An Iraqi official has confirmed that the draft Iraqi constitution will be sent to printers Thursday so that almost 5 million copies of the draft can be printed and distributed to citizens in advance of an October 15 referendum. Baha al-Araji, deputy head of Iraq's Constitution Committee , said that the version to be printed [...]
A day after announcing his decision to nominate John Roberts to succeed Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, President Bush Tuesday urged Senators to concentrate on confirming Roberts, and not speculate on who he will now choose to replace Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, a decision he says will come in "due time". In remarks before a [...]
The Florida Fifth District Court of Appeal has affirmed a lower court's decision to uphold the suspension of a Florida woman's drivers license after she refused to remove a religious veil for her license photo. The ACLU filed the original complaint in 2002 on behalf of Sultaana Freeman, an American Muslim who converted from Christianity [...]
Iraqi-born US resident Numan Adnan Al-Kaby was released from a US prison in Baghdad Tuesday, after attorneys from the ACLU filed a lawsuit calling for his release last week. The US government continued to detain Al-Kaby despite a July US military tribunal determination that he was not involved in the mortar attack that led to [...]
Egyptians voted in the country's first multi-candidate presidential election Wednesday amid demonstrations and allegations of fraud. Longtime Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak , who is expected to win easily, has touted the election as signaling a move towards democracy in the country where he previously retained his position by referendum vote. Thus far, citizens have alleged [...]
Suspected looters and others accused of committing crimes in New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina are now being held at the city's Greyhound bus station, which has been turned into a makeshift jail. Louisiana Attorney General Charles Foti told reporters late last week that a temporary detention facilty was being set up after [...]
AP is reporting that the California Assembly has narrowly passed a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in the state. AB 849, the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act was approved by the state Senate last Thursday, and now goes to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger for his signature, although it's not yet clear whether he will [...]
Declaration of Emergency Order for the City of New Orleans, Mayor Ray Nagin, September 6, 2005 : Whereas, the presence of individuals not specifically engaged by the City, State or U.S. Government to assist in the remediation and recovery effort would distract, impede, or divert essential resources from the recover effort. Now, therefore, I as [...]
New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin issued a new emergency order Tuesday evening authorizing public safety officers in the city – including police, firemen, and members of the US military – to force the removal of anyone not engaged in the Hurricane Katrina recovery effort. This latest evacuation order supercedes the mandatory evacuation order Nagin issued [...]
