Leading Friday's environmental law news, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released an analysis comparing a number of different proposed legislative and regulatory initiatives aimed at reducing air pollution from coal fired power plants. The analysis , presented by EPA administrator Steve Johnson before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, concluded that the [...]

George Galloway, a member of the British Parliament, allegedly received an allocation for 18 million barrels of oil from Saddam Hussein through the UN oil-for-food program in exchange for assistance in getting UN sanctions lifted against the former regime, according to the last report released Thursday by the UN's Independent Inquiry Committee (IIC) . The [...]

KGW.com is reporting that the federal grand jury empaneled in the CIA leak probe has handed up an indictment for I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby , Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, on charges of obstruction of justice, making a false statement and perjury. The charges follow a two-year investigation that began when the identity [...]

An Italian court began hearings on Friday to decide if Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi will stand trial for fraud in connection with his business holdings . Berlusconi has previously been cleared of charges of false accounting and bribery for separate incidents. If charges are approved, it could result in a trial that coincides with next [...]

The defense team for Saddam Hussein renewed its call for a change of venue for his trial on Friday, this time asking UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to put pressure on the US and Iraqi government to move the trial to The Hague. The defense team noted both security concerns in the wake of the murder [...]

Dr. Rafil Dhafir, an oncologist in the Syracuse, New York area, was sentenced to 22 years in prison on Thursday after being convicted of 59 charges in February, including mail and wire fraud, conspiracy, tax evasion and money laundering. Dhafir was indicted in 2003 for funneling donations for his Help The Needy charity to Iraq [...]

Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation and Code of Conduct, UN Electoral Assistance Division, the Carter Center and the National Democratic Institute, endorsed by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, October 27, 2005. Read the full text of the Declaration . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

Former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman pleaded not guilty on Thursday afternoon to charges related to what prosecutors are calling a "widespread racketeering conspiracy" . Former Chief of Staff Paul Hamrick and former state Transportation Director Mack Roberts also pleaded not guilty on Thursday. Richard Scrushy , the former HealthSouth CEO who was acquitted of fraud [...]

Jailed Russian oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky issued a statement on his defense website Thursday criticizing the Russian government and vowing to keep his case in the news: hoping that Khodorkovsky will soon be forgotten. They are trying to convince you, my friends, that the fight is over. That one has to reconcile oneself to the [...]

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party , led by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, on Friday proposed changes to the pacifist language of the country's constitution, originally written by US occupation forces in 1947. Article 9 of Japan's constitution requires Japan to renounce the right to wage war or threaten force to settle international disputes. It also [...]