In a letter written by Saddam Hussein to a Jordanian and delivered through the offices of the International Committee of the Red Cross the former Iraqi president, facing trial this fall and possible execution, says that he will be "sacrificed for our precious Palestine and our beloved, patient and suffering Iraq." The letter, censored by [...]
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An influential son of Libyan leader Colonel Muhamar Gaddaffi has said that the Libyan government will soon free 131 political prisoners, and will also provide compensation to citizens who had their assets, properties or homes confiscated in the 1970s at the time of Gaddaffi's so-called "Green Revolution." The reform-minded, UK-educated second-eldest of seven Gaddaffi sons, [...]
Indicted former Rwandan government official Michel Bagaragaza has been transferred from the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda to The Hague due to security concerns. Earlier this week, Bagaragaza pleaded not guilty to genocide charges after surrendering himself to the UN-backed tribunal in Tanzania. Bagaragaza has been indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit genocide, genocide [...]
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair, London’s chief of police, is defending his handling of the investigation into the fatal shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes , by his officers July 22. In an interview Sunday with British tabloid News of the World, Blair says that his actions following the shooting were not inappropriate, as [...]
The Iraqi government Sunday defended its decision to reinstate the death penalty, saying that without sufficient punishment there will be no security in the country. The statements come a day after Ashraf Qazi, special representative of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, asked Iraq to reconsider executing three convicted felons. Last week, Iraqi vice president Adel Abdel [...]
A spokesperson for Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari said Sunday that Iraq's constitutional committee may seek more time to work on the draft constitution if they cannot meet Monday's deadline to submit the document to the country's parliament. Iraqi leaders are already working under an extended deadline after they missed the original August 15 date. [...]
A Metropolitan Police spokeswoman announced Saturday that the department would not modify its policy of using deadly force against suspected terrorists. The Independent Police Complaints Commission is conducting a review of police conduct after officers shot and killed an innocent man they mistakenly suspected of involvement in the July 21 subway bombings in London . [...]
Ashraf Qazi, special representative of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, asked Saturday that Iraq reconsider its decision to resume carrying out executions, three days after the Iraqi government approved three death sentences . The US-led occupation placed a moratorium on capital punishment after removing former dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003; after the end of formal occupation, [...]
Kurdish officials discussed dropping their demand for a constitutional right to secede Saturday, as negotiations continued on the drafting of the Iraqi constitution . Kurds have faced opposition to their demand for self-determination from various Sunni groups associated with Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari's Dawa Party and cleric Muqtada al-Sadr . This opposition has been instrumental [...]
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration officials announced Friday that the rule allowing truckers to stay behind the wheel for 11 hours straight will not be changed, despite a federal appeals court decision overturning the rule. Rather, the hours of service regulations now require truckers taking a break in a sleeper berth to spend at least [...]
