A Turkish prosecutor officially filed charges against political science professor Atilla Yayla Tuesday for "insulting the legacy" of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk , the founder of modern Turkey. The professor is being prosecuted for a November 18 speech, in which he stated that Ataturk's rule from 1925 to 1945 was not as progressive as some believe. [...]

The Tokyo High Court overturned a landmark decision on Tuesday that had held both the Japanese government and Rinko Corp. responsible for forcing Chinese citizens into slave labor during World War II. The 2004 lower court ruling mandated that Rinko Corp. and the government of Japan pay the Chinese plaintiffs $760,000 in damages for the [...]

The British government introduced a progressive new draft environmental bill on Tuesday that could control greenhouse gas emissions until as far as the year 2050. Outlined in the Queen's Speech said that he hopes this will encourage other countries, including the US, to adopt similar changes, saying that "This is a revolutionary step in confronting [...]

The Judicial Conference of the United States decided Tuesday that it will ask Congress for 67 new judge positions , including 15 new circuit court positions and 52 new district court judgeships, throughout the country in order to help ease the crowded court system. No new circuit court judges have been added to the bench [...]

Sudan on Tuesday attempted to prevent the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) from considering a report by a UNHRC team sent to investigate conditions in Darfur . The report , issued Monday, calls for immediate protection of victims in the war-ravaged region of Sudan. In response Tuesday, Sudanese Justice Minister Mohammed Ali al-Mardi accused team [...]

US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Tuesday he will not resign from his position in response to growing controversy over the firings last year of eight US Attorneys that may have been politically motivated . Gonzales nonetheless accepted responsibility and admitted "mistakes were made" when the US Department of Justice (DOJ) publicly dismissed the US [...]

High-ranking officials in the Australian government pressured the US government to reduce terror charges against Australian Guantanamo Bay detainee David Hicks , according to a report in The Australian on Tuesday. Attorney General Philip Ruddock and other officials personally asked the US Department of Defense and the Department of Justice to expedite the charges, starting [...]

Lawmakers dismissed last week by Ecuador's Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) fought police as they tried to enter the Congress of Ecuador on Tuesday, sparking violence that led to the suspension of the legislature's activities for a week. Meanwhile, the Constitutional Tribunal rejected an appeal by lawmakers to resolve the dispute between the legislature and the [...]

Charges were dropped Tuesday against the last of seven British soldiers accused of causing the 2003 death of Iraqi civilian Baha Musa . A military panel cleared Major Michael Peebles and Warrant Officer Mark Davies of negligently performing their duties. Charges against Lieutenant Colonel Jorge Mendonca and four other soldiers were dropped in February, and [...]

The Washington State House of Representatives has passed a bill by a vote of 73-22 that will require public and private schools to provide information about human papilloma virus (HPV) , a sexually transmitted disease that causes cervical cancer, and its newly-developed vaccine to parents of sixth grade students. The bill stops short of mandating [...]