A spokesperson for the European Commission on Friday said that the Vatican will implement the European Commission’s laws against money laundering and financial fraud by the end of the year. According to Amadeu Altafaj, spokesman for EU Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn , EU and Vatican officials discussed a draft law consistent with the EU [...]
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The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Friday filed an amicus curiae brief in the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit revising the government’s stance on patenting isolated genetic material, including human genes. The position represents a significant departure from established policy, which has permitted the Patent and Trademark Office to grant patents for [...]
The tenth Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on Saturday concluded its proceedings with delegates agreeing to the Nagoya Protocol. The protocol identifies 20 goals within five categories designed to protect biodiversity, including a 50 percent reduction in the extinction rate by 2020. Preservation targets are also established, expanding [...]
A Guatemalan judge on Thursday sentenced former National Police (NP) officers Hector Roderico Ramirez Rios and Abraham Lancerio Gomez to 40 years in prison for the 1984 forced disappearance of Fernando Garcia, based on evidence found in an abandoned NP archive discovered in 2005 . In February, Garcia, a student and union leader, was shot [...]
UN Special Representative for Sexual Violence in Conflict Margot Wallstrom on Thursday condemned alleged gang rapes of at least 30 Congolese women who were being deported from neighboring Angola and called for both countries to investigate. A UN official indicated that the alleged victims were among about 150 Congolese deported from Angola recently. A 2009 [...]
A coalition of 37 public interest groups, led by the American Civil Liberties Union, the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and the Alliance for Justice , sent a letter to the Senate Thursday urging it to pass legislation that would allow television coverage of Supreme Court proceedings. The letter argues that coverage of [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit on Friday upheld two of four convictions of Canadian-born media mogul Conrad Black , one for fraud and one for obstruction of justice. The court held that the other two fraud charges must be dismissed after the US Supreme Court upheld the “honest service” doctrine and [...]
Journalists in Iraqi Kurdistan who criticize the government are facing increased intimidation, violence and lawsuits , Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported Friday. HRW criticized the secret investigation into the May killing of journalist Saradasht Osman, who had written articles criticizing the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) , the region’s two [...]
A spokesperson for China’s Municipal Higher People’s Court on Friday criticized those responsible for granting the Nobel Peace Prize to dissident Liu Xiaobo . Liu, who was awarded the 2010 Peace Prize , is currently serving an 11-year sentence for subversion of state power. The unnamed spokesperson reinforced China’s dedication to the rule of law [...]
The Myanmar Supreme Court on Friday heard the final appeal filed by pro-democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi challenging the extension of her house arrest. The hearing comes two weeks before Suu Kyi’s house arrest is scheduled to end , but her lawyers maintain their goal is to prove her innocence . Suu Kyi’s appeal [...]
