The European Union on Monday approved a travel ban on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and 30 other top government officials in response to his government's crackdown on political protesters following the widely criticized March 19 elections . The ban was first debated last week , when the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling Lukashenko "the [...]

National Guard Major Harry Schmidt is suing the US Air Force for violating his privacy after it published a letter of reprimand for his involvement in a friendly-fire incident in Afghanistan . On April 18, 2002 Schmidt and another pilot killed four Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan when they dropped a 500-pound bomb, mistaking the soldiers [...]

Australian Prime Minister John Howard said Monday that he will provide a statement to the judicial inquiry into Australia's involvement in the oil-for-food scandal , offering to appear before the panel if necessary. Led by retired judge Terence Cole , the inquiry began in November and has primarily focused on the Australian Wheat Board , [...]

The first voters will cast their ballots Monday in New Orleans municipal elections under Louisiana's displaced voters plan , after a federal judge refused to delay elections late last month. Hurricane Katrina evacuees who are currently residing outside Louisiana will return by bus to cast early votes at ten polling stations for displaced residents around [...]

JURIST Guest Columnist Ron Dudai of the SOAS School of Law at the University of London (UK) says that a recent ruling by Israel's Supreme Court constitutes an important judicial recognition that giving discretion to state security services in fighting terrorism – in Israel, the US, or elsewhere – invites overreaching, abuse, and violations of [...]

Transcript of a TV address on the CPE (contrat premiere embauche) by French Prime Minister Dominque de Villepin, April 10, 2006 . Text: Depuis plusieurs semaines, notre pays connaît l'agitation. Les désordres dans les universités et les lycées menacent d'affecter la bonne organisation des examens de fin d'année. Les manifestations de voie publique mettent en [...]

French President Jacques Chirac and Prime Minister Dominque de Villepin said in separate statements Monday in Paris following a morning meeting that the First Employment Contract (contrat premiere embauche, CPE) established in a recent law would be "replaced" with other measures designed to help young people find work. The apparent cave-in follows weeks of controversy [...]

Changes to the controversial French labor law establishing the First Employment Contract (contrat premiere embauche, CPE) are expected to be announced Monday after an early-morning meeting between President Jacques Chirac and Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin . Villepin's office says he will make a speech on the law at 10:30 AM Paris time. Chirac signed [...]

German officials Sunday announced the arrest in Mannheim of Ignace Murwanashyaka , leader of the Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda (FDLR) . While the arrest was based on immigration violations, Murwanashyaka could face deportation or extradition to Rwanda for alleged war crimes committed during the 1994 genocide of Tutsis. Rwanda plans to formally seek his [...]

US Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) Sunday urged President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney to go public about their roles in disclosure of classified information in the CIA leak case . Specter was interviewed on Fox News Sunday in the wake of a government court filing last week that disclosed grand [...]