US District Judge Edward R. Korman Wednesday approved a $21.9 million award to heirs of families whose bank holdings were allegedly concealed and stolen by Swiss banks looking to gain favor with invading Nazis. Holocaust survivors and their families had sued several Swiss banks and accused them of stealing, concealing or sending hundreds of millions [...]

Leading Thursday's international brief, King Gyanendra of Nepal has announced that municipal elections will be held within a year to restore the nation to a truly democratic state. Gyanendra, speaking at the Nepalese New Year festival, said that the work of the security forces of Nepal in combating the 'menace of terrorism' and protecting the [...]

In Thursday's environmental law news, the Canadian government has revealed its plan to reduce greenhouse emissions in accordance with the Kyoto protocol. The plan, called Project Green, aims at reducing Canada's greenhouse emissions by 270 megatonnes a year by 2012. Critics say the plan is too costly and may not necessarily result in cleaner air [...]

Following the state Senate's passage of a similar bill last week, the Connecticut House passed legislation 80-67 late Wednesday allowing same-sex civil unions but adding an amendment specifically defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman. In a statement , Gov. M. Jodi Rell approved of the passage and called the bill [...]

AP is reporting that a Texas businessman and citizens of Bulgaria and Britain have been indicted in connection with the United Nations Oil-for-Food Program scandal according to US Attorney David N. Kelley . Kelley has scheduled a late-morning news conference to announce the unsealing of the indictment, which includes two companies operated by the Texan. [...]

House Majority Leader Tom DeLay apologized Wednesday for saying federal judges are "responsible" for the death of Terri Schiavo and reiterated his belief in the importance of an independent judiciary. DeLay has nonetheless asked the House Judiciary Committee to investigate the judges who declined to order Schiavo's feeding tube be reinserted for and indicated the [...]

The UN Human Rights Commission passed a resolution Thursday condemning Israel's settlements on Palestinian territories by 39-2, with 12 abstentions. The resolution called for the Israeli government to reverse the policy and to take measures meant to guarentee the safety of Palestinian civilians. The group is later expected to vote on resolutions condemning abuses in [...]

The Gaza Strip Regional Council has authorized a team of 100 lawyers and assessors to negotiate with the Israeli government about moving Gaza strip settlers as a group to the coastal area of Nitzanim in southern Israel . When Prime Minister Ariel Sharon announced his plan to withdraw from the the Gaza Strip, settlers indicated [...]

Russian prosecutor general Vladimir Ustinov has won a new term in office. Ustinov has recently led the Russian government's legal charge against businessmen Vladimir Gusinsky , Boris Berezovsky and former Yukos CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky . Ustinov, whose term has coincided almost exactly as that of President Vladimir Putin , overwhelmingly won re-approval by the Russian [...]

The United Nations said Wednesday in an annual report by its High Commissioner for Human Rights that Colombia's human rights situation had become critical in 2004, citing instances of torture and murder by the country's illegal armed groups as well as members of the state security forces. The report identifies the main violators to be [...]