The South African Constitutional Court Wednesday refused to hear an appeal brought by former president Thabo Mbeki of a lower court ruling that dismissed corruption charges against his rival, African National Congress (ANC) president Jacob Zuma and suggested he Mbeki had a role in bringing them. The Pietermaritzburg High Court dismissed corruption charges against Zuma [...]

Jack Reilley : "Proposition 9 passed by 53.5 percent and over five million voters said YES. It was a huge win because Prop 9 was opposed by all major California newspapers, many of the major television and radio station personalities, the Democrat Party, the teacher unions, the firefighter unions, organized labor, the ACLU and a [...]

The government of Bangladesh on Wednesday reinstated a state of emergency banning political demonstrations in the country for two weeks. The ban had recently been lifted after being imposed in 2007, but was reissued in response to violent protests coordinated by the Jamaat-e-Islami party after party leaders Motiur Rahman Nizami and Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed [...]

The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments Wednesday in two cases. In Pleasant Grove City, UT v. Summum , the Court considered whether privately donated monuments displayed in public parks qualify as private speech under the First Amendment, requiring municipalities to display monuments from all other donors. Respondent Summum, a small religious sect, requested permission [...]

Former Fijian prime minister Laisenia Qarase said Wednesday that he will seek an appeal of an October decision by the Fijian High Court dismissing his challenge to the country's 2006 coup. In its decision , the High Court held that Fijian President Ratu Josefa Iloilo had the authority to name new leaders after Qarase was [...]

The Uruguayan Senate passed a bill Tuesday that partially decriminalizes abortion , but it is unlikely the bill has the support needed to override a veto promised by Uruguayan President Tabare Vazquez . According to the draft law, a mother may terminate her pregnancy during the first 12 weeks to prevent risks to her health, [...]

The German ambassador to Rwanda was given 24 hours on Tuesday to leave the country in response to Sunday's arrest of a Rwandan presidential aide in Germany in connection with the 1994 assassination of then-president Juvenal Habyarima that touched off the infamous Rwanda genocide . Rwandan Minister for Foreign Affairs Rosemary Museminali said that the [...]

The US Supreme Court ruled 6-3 Wednesday in Winter v. National Resources Defense Council that the US Navy may continue using sonar as part of military training exercises, despite environmentalists' concerns for the impact this has on whales and other marine life. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the majority: We do not discount the [...]

Bolivian officials on Tuesday formally requested that the US issue extradition orders for former Bolivian president Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada to face genocide charges for his role in October 2003 riots over corporate exploitation of the country's natural gas resources that left at least 60 dead. The officials have also called for the extradition of [...]

US Army Sgt. Michael Leahy Jr. will face a court-martial for his alleged role in the killings of four Iraqis in April 2007 , after waiving his right to an Article 32 hearing Wednesday. In September, Leahy, Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Mayo, and Sgt. John Hatley were charged with premeditated murder, conspiracy to commit premeditated [...]