The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) said Friday that their first legal battle against Internet file-sharers has been a success. BPI issued their statement after 23 people paid a cumulative sum of £50,000 in an out-of-court settlement. Of those, 17 were men and six women, ranging from 22 and 58 years old. Each signed High Court [...]

journalist Giuliana Sgrena to safety after she had been released from her Iraqi captors. The attack wounded Sgrena and killed an Italian secret service agent. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi announced that he immediately summoned the US ambassador to take responsibility for the accident. He later stated to Sky Italia television , "An Italian agent [...]

The Swiss Federal Prosecutor's office announced Friday that searches conducted in Switzerland on February 22 resulted in the arrests of three individuals accused of running Islamic websites that allowed Internet users to view images of hostage killings and access instructions for bomb-making and kidnapping. The websites also allegedly provided a means of communication between extremist [...]

Britain's Joint Committee on Human Rights warned Friday that the proposed Prevention of Terrorism Bill , even with an amendment allowing only judges to impose house arrest on terror suspects, does not comply with human rights laws. The committee, which is made up of MPs and peers, has said that the procedures outlined in the [...]

Russian prosecutors said Friday that they have arrested four people suspected of planning the Beslan school siege last year, in which over 300 people died. Five other suspects were killed while resisting arrest. A Russian commission investigating the attack has said that senior Kremlin officials were at fault for the lack of organization during the [...]

US Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman William Donaldson said Friday that corporate lawyers should devote more time to helping clients obey the law, rather than evading it. Speaking to a gathering of securities lawyers , Donaldson called on lawyers to deliver common-sense advice to their clients rather than engage "in rhetorical somersaults to justify the [...]

In Friday's international brief, France has announced that it will hold a national referendum on the European constitution on May 29. France just recently approved an amendment to its constitution to allow such a referendum. French President Jacques Chirac is hoping to capitalize on the recent 'yes' vote on a similar referendum in Spain. Opposition [...]

President Bush Friday nominated acting Environmental Protection Agency administrator Stephen Johnson to fill the job permanently. In White House remarks, the President said: … his immediate task is to work with Congress to pass my Clear Skies Initiative. This innovative legislation will reduce power plant pollution by 70 percent, without disrupting the economy or raising [...]

A federal grand jury in Indianapolis Indiana has indicted Shaaban Hafiz Ahmad Ali Shaaban on charges he tried to sell the names of US intelligence operatives in Iraq to Saddam Hussein's government. Charges outlined in the indictment include conspiracy, acting as a foreign agent without notification and violating the Iraqi sanctions in place before Saddam [...]

Judge James Kleinberg of the Superior Court of California, Santa Clara County issued a preliminary ruling Thursday holding that three computer industry blogs – PowerPage, Apple Insider, and Think Secret – could not claim the same First Amendment {Cornell LII backgrounder] and California Shield Law protections that allow journalists to refuse to reveal their sources. [...]