Leaders in the US House and Senate are still working to reach a compromise on legislation that would reauthorize portions of the USA PATRIOT Act which are set to expire at the end of this year, though officials say they are moving closer to a deal. Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA), chairman of the Senate Judiciary [...]

Flight Lieutenant Malcolm Kendall-Smith, an officer in Britain's Royal Air Force , will face a court-martial next year on five counts of disobeying a lawful command and could be jailed for refusing to serve in Iraq. Earlier this year, Kendall-Smith refused to attend preliminary training and briefings in preparation for his posting to Basra because, [...]

US District Judge Shirley Wohl Kram has dismissed several lawsuits that sought to block reparations for Austrian Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Last month, the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled that the claims should be dismissed under the political question doctrine, because the compensation agreement had been specifically negotiated by the [...]

The Inuit Circumpolar Conference (ICC) , representing Inuit indigenous peoples in Alaska, Canada, Greenland and Russia, has filed a petition with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) accusing the US government of violating Inuit human rights by failing to adequately fight the thaw of Arctic ice. The ICC argues that climate change is undermining [...]

A and others v. Secretary of State for the Home Department, UK House of Lords, December 8, 2005 . Read the full text of the opinions of the Lords of Appeal . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

Massachusetts Public Health Commissioner Paul Cote Jr. has said that church-run and other private hospitals will be able to opt out from a new state law requiring emergency room doctors to offer emergency contraception to rape victims. Cote's office expects to issue regulations next week that will allow private hospitals to opt out based on [...]

European officials have said they are satisfied with assurances by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that US policies on the treatment of terror detainees fall within the bounds of international law. Rice is currently in Europe and on Wednesday met with foreign ministers from NATO and European Union countries. Officials emerged from the meeting [...]

Saddam Hussein's chief lawyer said Thursday that he was threatened by three men when boarding a flight from Baghdad to Jordan, and that the three individuals were escorted from the plane by security personnel. Khalil Dulaimi said he knows the men but will not reveal their names and did not indicate exactly how he was [...]

The Chinese government said Thursday that it will make court proceedings on death penalty appeals open to the public to "improve human rights protection" following a notice from the Supreme Court of China . On January 1, the public will have access to death sentence cases involving "major controversy," and on July 1, the public [...]

House and Senate negotiators are continuing talks to reconcile versions of a defense appropriation bill, with both sides largely agreeing to a torture ban proposed by Sen. John McCain , but with other provisions remaining in dispute. Negotiators hoped to reach a final bill by the end of this week, but additional provisions dealing with [...]