A court in the Somali state of Puntland on Tuesday sentenced a pirate to death for murdering the skipper of cargo ship in June. Salah Mohamed Gelle, considered a pirate ringleader, highjacked the MV QSM Dubai, along with seven other pirates, in June. The vessel had a crew of 24 and was headed to Bossaso. [...]

Amnesty International (AI) on Tuesday urged EU members to stop forcibly deporting Roma migrants to Kosovo. AI believes that Roma, as well as other ethnic minority groups, could face persecution or violence upon their return. The report emphasizes the tension that has existed in the region over the last two decades and previous examples of [...]

A three-judge panel for the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on Monday ordered a district court judge to reconsider the stay of execution in the case of Albert Brown. Brown was convicted of raping and murdering a 15-year-old girl in 1982 and was scheduled to be executed on Wednesday, in what would [...]

A judge for the US District Court for the Southern District of New York on Monday ruled that a securities fraud class-action lawsuit against American International Group (AIG) can move forward. Judge Taylor Swain refused to dismiss the suit , which is led by the State of Michigan Retirement Systems and accuses AIG of fraudulent [...]

A Philippines military court dismissed mutiny charges Tuesday against seven officers allegedly involved in the February 2006 coup attempt against former president Gloria Macapagl-Arroyo . The seven-member military tribunal determined there was insufficient evidence to charge the seven junior officers with committing “overt acts” to overthrow the government. Under court-martial, the seven officers will be [...]

The Paris city council voted Monday to accept a deal in which former French president Jacques Chirac will pay the city USD $741,000 in compensation for money he allegedly paid to supporters for whom he created false jobs. In exchange for the compensation, the city agreed to drop out of a corruption suit against Chirac. [...]

The Israeli Ambassador to the UN on Monday called for an end to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) investigation into Israeli actions during the 2008-2009 Gaza campaign , Operation Cast Lead, which resulted in the deaths of 1,400 Palestinians. The ambassador, Aharon Leshno Yaar, called the UNHRC investigation biased and said that Israel was [...]

Kosovar President Fatmir Sejdiu resigned Monday following last week’s Constitutional Court ruling that his dual roles as president and head of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) violated the country’s constitution. Sejdiu said he did not believe his title as president of the LDK violated the constitution since he was not exercising duties associated with [...]

Australian Director of Military Prosecutions Brigadier Lyn McDade announced Monday that she will charge three Australian special forces soldiers in the deaths of six Afghan civilians during a 2009 operation. The deaths occurred as Australian forces attempted to clear a compound in Uruzgan province, where it was suspected that a Taliban leader was hiding. The [...]

The State Council Information Office of the People’s Republic of China released a position paper Sunday on the country’s human rights record, claiming that it has heightened Internet freedoms and improved civil and political rights. The Progress in China’s Human Rights in 2009 white paper cites seven progressions in Chinese human rights areas, including: China’s [...]