The UN Committee Against Torture called Friday for a definitive statement by the United Kingdom that "evidence" procured through torture is unadmissible at trial. The Committee, which monitors adherence to the UN Convention Against Torture, is acting in response to an August ruling by the Court of Appeals for England and Wales that stated evidence [...]
The Ontario Court of Appeal ruled Friday that same-sex partners are entitled to survivor benefits under the government-run Canada Pension Plan. The court held that benefits should be paid dating back to 1985, but there will be no payments of back-benefits to partner's estates. Justice Minister Irwin Cotler stated that he would review the opinion [...]
In a reversal from earlier statements, jailed Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti announced Friday he will not seek the presidency of the Palestinian Authority. Pressure from Fatah leaders who were fearful of a party split influenced Barghouti's decision. Quddoura Fares, a Fatah cabinet minister who was sent to dissuade Barghouti from pursuing candidacy, stated that Barghouti [...]
A Pakistani district magistrate has ordered all copies of the November 22nd issue of Newsweek magazine destroyed for publishing material that desecrates the Koran. Islamic groups in the country have said that an article about murdered Dutch film-maker Theo Van Gogh which also included pictures of a woman with Koranic verses inscribed on her body [...]
The World Trade Organization Friday approved sanctions against the US for failing to repeal the Byrd Amendment, federal legislation that directs US Customs to distribute duties collected as a result of "antidumping" and countervailing duty orders to US goods producers found to have been injured by foreign dumping and subsidies. The sanctions were supposed to [...]
Judges of the Ukrainian Supreme Court were reported by opposition sources Friday to have received threats after ordering a ban Thursday on publication of the country's disputed presidential election results pending their hearing of an opposition appeal. A parallel government set up by opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko has meanwhile published its first decrees as protestors [...]
Brazil (official government site in Portuguese) has announced that it has received full approval from the International Atomic Energy Agency to begin producing enriched uranium. The IAEA and Brazil had been ironing out a deal to allow the country to produce its own nuclear material so long as there was no weapon's grade material produced. [...]
BBC News is reporting that Ukraine's Supreme Court has barred official publication of the country's presidential election results until it has considered the opposition's appeal. 11:56 AM ET – The BBC now has a full story here. The English-language website of Opposition candidate Viktor Yushchenko, which is being continually updated as events in the Ukrainian [...]
Federal prosecutors filed a 220-page brief on Wednesday evening with the US Second Circuit Court of Appeals asking the court to uphold the conviction of Martha Stewart. Earlier this month, Stewart's attorneys argued that federal prosecutors improperly suggested that Stewart was charged with insider trading at her trial. The appeals court will not hear oral [...]
Marwan Barghouti, currently in an Israeli jail for involvement in terrorism, will seek the presidency of the Palestinian Authority, according to a top official in the ruling Fatah movement speaking Thursday. Barghouti is widely considered to be the most electable Palestinian candidate for the January 9th election. His candidacy would deepen an internal power struggle [...]
