The Parliament of the Republic of Montenegro formally adopted the country's new constitution late Monday night, giving effect to the document's provisions. Parliamentary speaker Ranko Krivokapic welcomed the new constitution as protecting the rule of law as well as minority and human rights. Krivokapic also noted the importance of a constitutional provision which will allow [...]

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer Tuesday denied allegations that the Australian government was involved in negotiating the plea bargain of former Guantanamo Bay detainee David Hicks , refuting a report in Harper's Magazine that the plea was the result of a secret deal with US Vice President Dick Cheney. Downer said that the Australian government [...]

Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet granted amnesty to 8,066 prisoners, officials from the President's Office said Tuesday. The prisoners, who are expected to be released over the next two days, include 11 individuals convicted of national security crimes. Tuesday's pardons are part of a regular series of presidential amnesties that have freed approximately 80,000 prisoners [...]

Former Philippine President Joseph Estrada abandoned efforts to appeal his corruption conviction on charges stemming from kickbacks he received while in office and instead submitted a letter Monday to current Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo requesting a presidential pardon. Prosecutors in the case have sharply opposed Estrada's request, saying the government should use Estrada's conviction as [...]

Chile staked a claim to a portion of Antarctica with the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) Monday after the United Kingdom made a similar claim to Antarctic land last week in the face of a May 2009 deadline. The Commission has also received claims from Russia, Brazil, Australia, Ireland, New [...]

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled Tuesday that a German law protecting Volkswagen AG from hostile takeovers is illegal , saying the law limits "the free movement of capital" and discourages foreign direct investment in Germany. The ruling could have a wider effect throughout EU member states because many governments have passed similar laws [...]

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) plan to subject former Guantanamo Bay inmate David Hicks to a control order that would restrict his movements and communications as well as require him to check in with police once every year, according to Monday reports. Hicks said in May that he does not plan to challenge the legality [...]

US Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff Monday utilized his power under the Real ID Act to circumvent a federal district court decision handed down last week that on environmental grounds ordered the delay of fence construction along part of the Arizona-Mexico border. Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle of the US District Court for the District of [...]

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour Monday chided the Canadian government for not doing enough to maintain Canada's reputation in the global community as an advocate for human rights . Arbour, a former Canadian Supreme Court justice, said at a diversity conference in Ottawa that her country's longstanding commitment to the protection and [...]

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) Monday upheld a 1999 conviction of French author Mathieu Lindon for defamation. In his book "The Trial of Jean-Marie Le Pen," Lindon suggested that France's far-right National Front leader Jean-Marie Le Pen bore responsibility for two 1995 murders committed by supporters of his party. Le Pen and the [...]