A French pensions court Thursday awarded disability benefits for a non-cancer illness contracted by soldier who participated in French nuclear testing over 40 years ago in the Sahara desert. The ruling marked the first example in Feench law of testing compensation for diseases other than cancer, and opens the door for others to make similar [...]
The Supreme Court of Canada Thursday overturned a section of a Quebec law that prevented people from buying private insurance for procedures covered by public health care. The Quebec Hospital Insurance Act was challenged when a Montreal man complained that he would have to wait a year to get a hip replacement, and that it [...]
A Kenyan judge Thursday acquitted four men charged in the 2002 bombing of a hotel near Mombasa , ruling that prosecutors had failed to show a link between the men and the bombers or al Qaida, and that the men should not even had been charged because there was no prima facie case. Three suicide [...]
Former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic denied at his trial on Wednesday that he was in charge of the unit shown killing six Bosnian Muslim youths in a gruesome video that led to the arrest of eight soldiers. Milosevic, under cross examination before the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia at The Hague, called the [...]
President Bush granted seven pardons on Wednesday to people who have all long since served their sentences for relatively minor offenses. Most of the recipients had been found guilty of commiting various white-collar crimes – one had been convicted of conspiracy to possess marijuana. Bush has issued 46 pardons since taking office; Bill Clinton issued [...]
The British government Thursday is reintroducing controversial legislation designed to curb religious hatred, despite criticism that the law would overly restrict speech. The law was introduced last year, but didn't get through parliament before the general election. While the government defended the bill as a way to protect people from hatred and racism, others have [...]
A German appeals court Thursday upheld the acquittal of Abdelghani Mzoudi, a Moroccan man charged with helping the September 11 hijackers. A lower court had previously decided there was not enough evidence against him. Despite the ruling , German authorities say that since Mzoudi's student visa is no longer valid, he must leave the country [...]
In response to Sunni demands for a greater role in crafting Iraq's new constitution, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani announced Thursday that Sunnis will be given as many as 25 new seats on the committee with "full rights like other members who were elected by the parliament", meeting a concern that any additional Sunni members might [...]
While jurors in the trial of former HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy still have not reached a verdict, the company itself settled SEC charges on Wednesday related to his conduct and a company scheme to overstate earnings. HealthSouth will pay $100 million over two years, and promised continued cooperation with the SEC and the US Justice [...]
Israel's Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the government's plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip and four West Bank settlements does not violate settlers' rights. Judges voted 10-1 in favor of the Disengagement Implementation Law , noting that the lands in question are not within Israel's borders and not within their jurisdiction. The court, however, [...]
