The US State Department Tuesday sharply criticized the selection of Cuba and Zimbabwe for positions on a panel that will set the agenda for the UN Human Rights Commission. "The United States believes that countries that routinely and systematically violate the rights of their citizens should not be selected to review the human rights performance [...]
Leading Tuesday's corporations and securities law news, the SEC has indicted television financial commentator and investment adviser Courtney Smith over his alleged role in a stock manipulation scheme. According to the SEC complaint, the head of GenesisIntermedia, Inc. paid Smith approximately $1.1 million in cash and stock to talk up GenesisIntermedia shares on television. The [...]
In Tuesday's international brief, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas today announced a truce between Israelis and Palestinians. The announcement came at the end of Tuesday's summit at Sharm al-Sheikh, which was also attended by Jordanian King Abdullah II and hosted by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Although no formal document was [...]
Delegates from 50 countries, including terrorism-affected countries such as Syria and Iran, endorsed a Saudi proposal for an international counter-terrorism center Tuesday, although details regarding its location, funding, and role remain unclear. A draft declaration from the Counter-Terrorism International Conference in Riyadh called for the establishment of "an International Counter-Terrorism Center staffed by experts … [...]
The US has agreed to transfer the last three French citizens being held at Guantanamo Bay to France, with an official announcement of the agreement expected later Tuesday. The remaining detainees are Mustaq Ali Patel, Ridouane Khalid and Khaled Ben Mustafa, who have been held by the US since being arrested in 2001 and 2002 [...]
Secretary of Homeland Security nominee Judge Michael Chertoff has been confirmed by the Senate's Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee , with a vote by the full Senate expected before the end of the week. Chertoff was confirmed by a vote of 14 in favor and one present. Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) , the sole [...]
The introduction of a bill that would replace lawsuits against asbestos manufacturers with a $140 billion compensation fund will be delayed for another week, according to the legislation's author, PA Sen. Arlen Specter . Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and Judiciary Committee members asked for an additional week to review the bill, which was previously [...]
The US remains undecided on whether to support a UN resolution on China's human rights violations, despite new evidence of improvement by the country, a US embassy spokeswoman has said. The resolution is expected to be considered at the meeting of the UN High Commission for Human Rights next month, as many Western governments have [...]
The White House has warned senators to pass a class action bill without changes as they began debate on the bill. S. 5 , which would transfer most interstate class actions to federal courts, also enjoys broad support in the House, which promised to pass the legislation and send it to President Bush if the [...]
Judge Theodor Meron, president judge of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia , has ruled that two British lawyers appointed to represent former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic may not withdraw from the case, despite Milosevic's refusal to cooperate and insistence on representing himself. The ruling was released Tuesday as the trial resumed after [...]
