A Japanese court on Friday rejected a suit filed by 3,200 citizens who argued that Japan's deployment of troops to Iraq violates the country's pacifist constitution , which bans the use of force to settle international disputes. The plaintiffs also argued that the Iraq war is a war of invasion which violates international law. They [...]

US District Judge Reggie Walton has threatened to ban public statements about the case of former vice presidential adviser I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby after one of the prosecution's court filings was released to the media before it was officially filed. On Thursday, Walton issued an order in which he stated that he "would not tolerate [...]

A federal district judge on Thursday urged the US government to make a decision regarding the visa application of prominent European Muslim scholar Tariq Ramadan . Ramadan was originally denied a visa in August 2004, when he was offered a teaching position at the University of Notre Dame. A Swiss native, Ramadan teaches at Oxford [...]

The victory of former Prime Minister Romano Prodi over incumbent Silvio Berlusconi in the disputed April 9-10 parliamentary elections seemed confirmed Friday after reports that the number of disputed ballots in the election for the lower house of the Italian parliament – originally estimated at 43,000 by the Interior Ministry – may be as few [...]

The French Senate Thursday voted 158-123 to approve compromise labor legislation to replace the controversial CPE First Employment Contract , completing a governmental retreat from the controversial youth job plan that would have stripped young workers of job protection. The bill, passed Wednesday by the National Assembly, is expected to be signed into law by [...]

A spokesman for the Swedish Foreign Ministry told AFP Thursday that under its current legal structure, Sweden would not be able to incarcerate former Liberian President Charles Taylor following his war crimes trial, but that it could reconsider the request if its parliament passes appropriate legislation this summer. The UN-supported Special Court for Sierra Leone [...]

Iran is permitted to develop a civil nuclear program and its resumption of uranium processing does not violate the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a leading British lawmaker said Thursday. Labor Party MP Jeremy Corbyn , vice-chairman of the parliamentary Human Rights group, said in a letter to the Guardian newspaper that Iran's decision to halt [...]

The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) Wednesday sentenced a former Rwandan mayor to 15 years in prison for his participation in the 1994 genocide that the Rwandan government estimates left at least 937,000 Tutsis and some Hutus dead. Paul Bisengimana, 58, struck a plea deal with ICTR prosecutors in December to plead guilty to [...]

Message to the nation by King Gyanendra of Nepal, April 14, 2006 . English-language translation from eKantipur.com: Beloved Countrymen, On the occasion of the advent of the New Year 2063, we extend best wishes for peace, good health and prosperity of all Nepalese, living in the country and abroad. We appreciate the understanding and patience [...]

Convicted 9/11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui took the witness stand for the second time in his sentencing trial Thursday and lambasted his court-appointed defense attorneys for failing to move the proceeding away from Alexandria, VA, only a few miles away from the Pentagon building that was hit on 9/11. Virginia juries are thought to be more [...]