French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy Monday cautioned countries against the illegal and unacceptable use of child soldiers in armed conflicts at the opening of Free Children from War , a two-day global conference in Paris drawing together representatives from about 60 nations. Hosted by the French Foreign Ministry and UNICEF , the conference is directed [...]

French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy warned Monday against apologizing for crimes committed during France's colonization of Algeria. His comments came in response to remarks made Sunday by prominent a French Socialist Party (PS) leader who called on France to recognize its crimes in colonial Algeria , including the alleged massacres of 45,000 Algerians demanding independence [...]

Two human rights lawyers in Vietnam were ordered to return to a police station for additional questioning Monday after they were detained over the weekend for hosting a discussion on human rights law. Nguyen Van Dai and Le Thi Cong Nhan were arrested at Dai's office on Saturday where the training was taking place and [...]

The chairman of Hyundai Motors Group was convicted Monday of embezzling company funds and allegedly using secret accounts to bribe politicians in South Korea . Chung Mong-koo received a three-year prison sentence despite prosecutor petitions for a six-year prison term. Judge Kim Dong-oh ruled that the lesser prison sentence was appropriate because of Chung's significant [...]

Russian prosecutors have brought new money laundering charges against former Yukos CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky , his lawyers said Monday. Khodorkovsky was convicted in May 2005 of tax evasion and sentenced to eight years in prison. The Russian government effectively nationalized Yukos to pay off $33 billion in back taxes and Khodorkovsky's lawyers have insisted that [...]

A prominent French Socialist Party (PS) leader called Sunday for France to recognize its crimes in colonial Algeria , including the alleged massacres of 45,000 Algerians demanding independence at the end of World War II, but stopped short of calling for an official French apology. Speaking at a conference in Algiers, Jack Lang , a [...]

Kuwaiti draft legislation broadening women's rights was approved by a parliamentary panel Sunday and will likely be debated in the house in the next two months. The panel's head, MP Saleh Ashour , revealed that the bill would make government housing, currently only offered to married men, available to women who are married to non-citizens, [...]

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad introduced Gholam Hossein Elham as his candidate for justice minister to the parliament Sunday. Elham, a strong supporter of Ahmadinejad, currently works as official spokesperson for the Iranian government . In order for Elham to be officially named to the post, the Parliament will conduct a vote of confidence which is [...]

Australian Prime Minister John Howard spoke out Sunday in support of the Pentagon's decision to recharge 31-year-old David Hicks , the single Australian terror suspect at Guantanamo Bay , notwithstanding US inclusion of a criminal count – providing material support to terrorists – that was only put into law four months ago. Australian defense lawyers [...]

Bangladeshi security forces picked up 13 ex-ministers and senior politicians from their homes in raids in Dhaka Sunday. The government cited recently-promulgated emergency powers as the basis for the detentions. Bangladesh country has been in political turmoil since former prime ministers Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina began feuding over proposed electoral reforms. After the disagreements [...]