The Law Council of Australia, the country's national organization for lawyers, on Tuesday issued harsh criticism of the trial of former Guantanamo Bay detainee David Hicks , saying the trial was "a charade." The council's report , prepared by lawyer Lex Lasry, criticized the American and Australian governments on the trial, concluding that: The "trial" [...]

Veterans for Common Sense and Veterans United for Truth filed a class action lawsuit Monday against the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on behalf of approximately 320,000 to 800,000 veterans of conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) , alleging that the VA is denying adequate procedural safeguards in [...]

A controversial law offering ID cards to illegal immigrants went into effect Tuesday in New Haven, Connecticut. The municipal identification cards, which will be available at a cost of $10 for adults and $5 for children and will not distinguish citizens from undocumented immigrants, will allow cardholders to access public libraries, parks and recreational sites, [...]

Libya released six foreign medics Tuesday who had been sentenced to life in prison for allegedly infecting hundreds of children with the HIV virus, after obtaining an agreement from the European Union to normalize and develop closer political and economic ties and increase medical and infrastructure aid. The medics – five Bulgarian nurses and a [...]

Avid anti-war protester Cindy Sheehan and 45 other protesters were arrested Monday at the US Capitol in Washington, DC after refusing to leave the office and hallway of Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) while calling for the impeachment of both President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. According to police, they will all be [...]

European Union (EU) foreign ministers decided Monday during a meeting in Brussels to step up their involvement in the UN-supervised independence plan for Kosovo , which has been at an impasse after running into intense resistance from Russia. Previous UN proposals regarding the future of Kosovo have been rejected by Russia, including the most recent, [...]

European diplomats working for the release of six foreign medics sentenced by Libya to life in prison for allegedly infecting hundreds of children with the HIV virus said Monday that the Libyan government is seeking additional funds for the treatment of the survivors. The diplomats also said that the Libyan government wants closer ties with [...]

US House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) announced Monday that the Committee will meet on Wednesday to vote on whether to proceed with contempt of Congress citations against former White House counsel Harriet Miers and White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten for their refusal to comply with subpoenas issued in the congressional [...]

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon formally requested Monday that the government of the Netherlands consider hosting the ad hoc tribunal that will investigate and try suspects involved in the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri . In a letter to the Dutch government, Ban stressed that The Hague has valuable experience in hosting [...]

Washington state's domestic partnership law entered into effect Monday, allowing same-sex couples over the age of 18 residing together to register with the state's domestic partnership registry. Registered same-sex couples will be afforded hospital visitation rights, inheritance rights, and the right to authorize medical decisions for one's partner. The registry will also allow heterosexual couples [...]