A committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) , the legislature of China , has decided not to criminalize sex-selective abortions , the state-run China Daily reported Monday. A proposed amendment to the criminal law would have punished anyone convicted of involvement in sex-selective abortions with a three-year prison sentence. Zhou Kunren, vice-chairman of the [...]

UK Conservative Party leader David Cameron said Monday that he would appoint a panel of legal experts to examine whether the increasingly-controversial Human Rights Act of 1998 should be replaced with an American-style Bill of Rights. Speaking at the Centre for Policy Studies in London, Cameron asserted that the act doesn't adequately protect rights even [...]

Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys , the new supreme leader of Somalia's Islamic Courts Party whose militia took control of the capital of Mogadishu from US-backed warlords earlier this month, vowed Monday to impose Islamic law – Sharia – on the country and denied US allegations that he is a terrorist as a former leader of [...]

The European Union on Monday condemned all instances of torture, even "on grounds of national security," and called on all countries to sign and follow the UN Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT) , marking the United Nations' ninth annual International Day in Support of Victims of Torture [...]

The US Supreme Court said Monday that it would consider whether the Clean Air Act requires the US Environmental Protection Agency to regulate "greenhouse gas" emissions from automobiles. The court granted certiorari in Massachusetts v. EPA , an appeal by 12 states, three cities and several environmental groups, arguing that the EPA erred in concluding [...]

US Rep. Peter King (R-NY) , chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee , encouraged the Bush administration in a FOX News interview on Sunday to press criminal charges against the New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and the Wall Street Journal for disclosing a secret CIA financial-monitoring program supervised by the US Treasury [...]

UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers Leandro Despouy has called for the Iraqi government to begin an independent investigation into the murder of Khamis al-Obeidi , a lawyer representing Saddam Hussein in his crimes against humanity trial . Condemning the killing of al-Obeidi, the third defense lawyer assassinated since the trial [...]

The UK Foreign Office has begun talks with the US on the potential release of eight UK residents detained at the US detention center in Guantanamo Bay into the custody of British authorities. The UK government has successfully negotiated the release of British citizens detained at Guantanamo, but has previously declined to lobby for the [...]

Mauritania citizens have approved changes to the country's constitution in a Sunday referendum by 80 to 90 percent, according to preliminary results announced Monday by the Interior Ministry. The changes are being made to the 1991 constitution after a series of votes indicated citizens wanted a return to democracy, in sharp contrast the government of [...]

The US Supreme Court on Monday handed down decisions in five cases, including Randall v. Sorrell , consolidated with two other cases, where the Court struck down Vermont's Act 64 campaign law , which places strict caps on campaign contributions and spending. Opponents of the campaign financing law argued that the restrictions violate the First [...]