The parliament of Egypt has passed a bill that restricts the government's influence over the judiciary but falls short of the reforms demanded by some judges. Although the Judicial Authority Law approved Monday by the People's Assembly ends the justice minister's authority over the attorney general, it does not incorporate other changes proposed by reformist [...]

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The Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly on Tuesday passed a resolution adopting the report of Swiss legislator Dick Marty accusing European countries of colluding with the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in transporting terror suspects in a "global spider's web" of secret prisons and rendition flights. The Assembly also called for "clear regulations" to govern [...]

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East Timor prosecutors have summoned former prime minister Mari Alkatiri for questioning about allegations that he formed a hit squad to target opponents. Alkatiri resigned from office Monday amid public protests. The government lawyers said Alkatiri could be charged. A close associate of Alkatiri's, former Interior Minister Rogerio Lobato, is already facing charges that he [...]

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President Bush on Tuesday again pressed the US Senate to pass a line-item veto bill that was approved by the House last week . Speaking in Washington to members of the Manhattan Institute , Bush emphasized that the bill was crafted to pass constitutional muster: We figured out that, obviously, any line-item veto would again [...]

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