Indian Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee Sunday announced plans to implement a new set of anti-terror measures that would allow the military to shoot down hijacked commercial planes the government believes will be used as weapons, prohibit negotiations with hijackers, and sentence convicted hijackers to death. Six years ago, hijackers diverted Indian Airlines flight 814 to [...]
The family of Saddam Hussein told reporters Sunday that the Iraqi Special Tribunal has blocked its attempt to replace the former dictator's massive Jordan-based legal team. Earlier this month, Hussein's family dissolved said it was dissolving the fractious collection of some 2000 lawyers and had appointed Iraqi lawyer Khalil Dulaimi as lead counsel, alleging Saddam [...]
Iraqi political leaders and lawmakers met again Sunday amid conflicting reports about the likelihood that the Iraqi constitutional committee would complete a draft of the new Iraqi constitution before the August 15 deadline. On Saturday, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani indicated that the committee had reached tentative agreements on certain issues, but the key issues of [...]
Security in the Gaza Strip increased Sunday, on the eve of the implementation of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan to withdraw Israeli settlers . Police are expected to encounter pockets of resistance following the midnight start of the pullout , at which time border crossings to settlements will be sealed, and army officers [...]
Former London Metropolitan Police Commissioner Lord John Stevens slammed British human rights groups Sunday for their efforts to block the controversial new UK policy of deporting persons preaching violence or hatred or posing a threat to national security. Prime Minister Tony Blair announced the policy changes earlier this month following the July London bombings, and [...]
There were indications Saturday that Iraq's constitutional committee would resolve major issues and submit a draft constitution before the Monday August 15 deadline. Iraqi President Jalal Talabani told reporters that the committee had reached a tentative agreement on the issue of oil wealth distribution, and expressed optimism that the committee would resolve major issues such [...]
US Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced in a press release late Friday that the threat level for transit systems nationwide was being lowered from Code Orange, or "high", to "elevated" Code Yellow. The threat level had been increased on July 7 following the London subway bombings . In his statement, Chertoff urged all Americans [...]
Two attorneys representing inmates at Guantanamo Bay prison told reporters Saturday that the US military has agreed to meet several demands of prisoners for better conditions at the facility, including greater access to books and bottled water with every meal. According to the attorneys, the military opened negotiations with a detainee representatives following a hunger [...]
By a 4-2 margin late Friday the California Supreme Court overruled a lower court decision , and placed controversial Proposition 77 back on the November 8 special election ballot. Proponents of the plan that transfers redistricting power from the current Democratic-controlled legislature to a panel of judges had argued that the petition circulated to get [...]
Address to the American Bar Association, Thurgood Marshall Awards Dinner Honoring Abner Mikva, John Paul Stevens Associate Justice Supreme Court of the United States, August 6, 2005 . Excerpt: Thurgood's rejection of the death penalty rested on principles that would be controlling even if error never infected the criminal process. Since his retirement, with the [...]
