A Jordan military court concluded two separate terrorism cases Wednesday, convicting a total of 10 suspected militants, including two fugitives in absentia, of charges stemming from alleged plots to kill Americans in Jordan . The court sentenced the suspects to terms ranging from 10 to 20 years with hard labor, though lawyers for both sets [...]

Two US congressmen on Wednesday filed a motion in the US District Court for the District of Columbia requesting Judge Emmett Sullivan to order the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) to provide a reasoned explanation for its decision to treat tax-exempt 527 groups on a case-by-case basis or, in the alternative, to issue new rules requiring [...]

UK Foreign Office Minister Kim Howells called for the redefinition of "war crimes" in light of the recent Mideast conflict between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon, during a Wednesday hearing of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament . Howells blamed the "ruthless" tactics of Hezbollah, such as storing weapons in schools and apartment blocks, [...]

The US Senate Judiciary Committee approved the National Security Surveillance Act of 2006 Wednesday, a bill that pushes forward Republicans' efforts to confer legal status on the Bush administration's domestic surveillance program , which involves warrantless wiretapping by the National Security Agency . The bill would subject the program to a review to determine its [...]

Texas' highest court for criminal cases announced Wednesday that it will consider whether to reinstate conspiracy charges against former US Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX) . The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals granted a request by Travis County Prosecutor Ronnie Earle , although it did not set a date for oral arguments. The charges of conspiracy [...]

China's Supreme People's Court has promulgated new rules aimed at preventing leaks of information regarding sensitive cases, and has established a system whereunder all court information will flow through court spokesmen, 65 of whom have already been appointed, according to a Wednesday China Daily report . The report did not say how the new spokesman [...]

A federal judge Tuesday ordered the state of Missouri to submit new protocols for carrying out the state death penalty by lethal injection and has refused to authorize executions until revisions are approved. The order by US District Judge Fernando Gaitan , issued Tuesday, marks the second time that Missouri has had to make revisions [...]

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he will not make an exception to the Russian Constitution or other laws in order to pursue a third term for himself in the scheduled 2008 Russian election. In a transcript posted on the Kremlin's website Tuesday, Putin was quoted as acknowledging public polls indicating that the people of [...]

The Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) presented a report to the Australian Parliament Wednesday recommending that references to the term "sedition" in the new Australian anti-terrorism laws be removed. The ALRC report presents the group's conclusions after a five-month inquiry. ALRC President David Weisbrot said that continued use of the word is misleading because the [...]

The National Assembly of Serbia voted 219-5 on Tuesday to refer to Kosovo as an "integral and historic" part of Serbia in Serbia's forthcoming constitution, voicing its opposition to efforts by Kosovo to form a fully independent nation. UN-sponsored talks over the Kosovo issue began in February ; in July Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica [...]