Former Bangladeshi Prime Minster Sheikh Hasina was formally charged Tuesday with extortion for alleged kickbacks she received during her tenure in office. According to the charges, the former PM and two relatives received thousands of dollars from deals, including one awarding a contract to an electric company. Hasina was arrested last week, and has at [...]

The Chinese government compensated Zhang Zhijian, who exposed the corruption of former drug safety commissioner Zheng Xiaoyu, in the amount of 24,000 yuan ($3,175 USD) after he spent 10 months in jail for posting an Internet story on the corruption, AP reported Tuesday. Zhang was originally sentenced to six years imprisonment in March for defaming [...]

Two federal district judges separately ordered Monday the formation of special three-judge panel to supervise and reduce California's prison population after finding that California's prison overcrowding is preventing the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) from adequately providing mental health care. Judge Thelton E. Henderson of the Northern District of California ordered the suspension [...]

The Law Council of Australia, the country's national organization for lawyers, on Tuesday issued harsh criticism of the trial of former Guantanamo Bay detainee David Hicks , saying the trial was "a charade." The council's report , prepared by lawyer Lex Lasry, criticized the American and Australian governments on the trial, concluding that: The "trial" [...]

Veterans for Common Sense and Veterans United for Truth filed a class action lawsuit Monday against the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on behalf of approximately 320,000 to 800,000 veterans of conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) , alleging that the VA is denying adequate procedural safeguards in [...]

A controversial law offering ID cards to illegal immigrants went into effect Tuesday in New Haven, Connecticut. The municipal identification cards, which will be available at a cost of $10 for adults and $5 for children and will not distinguish citizens from undocumented immigrants, will allow cardholders to access public libraries, parks and recreational sites, [...]

Libya released six foreign medics Tuesday who had been sentenced to life in prison for allegedly infecting hundreds of children with the HIV virus, after obtaining an agreement from the European Union to normalize and develop closer political and economic ties and increase medical and infrastructure aid. The medics – five Bulgarian nurses and a [...]

Avid anti-war protester Cindy Sheehan and 45 other protesters were arrested Monday at the US Capitol in Washington, DC after refusing to leave the office and hallway of Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) while calling for the impeachment of both President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. According to police, they will all be [...]

European Union (EU) foreign ministers decided Monday during a meeting in Brussels to step up their involvement in the UN-supervised independence plan for Kosovo , which has been at an impasse after running into intense resistance from Russia. Previous UN proposals regarding the future of Kosovo have been rejected by Russia, including the most recent, [...]

European diplomats working for the release of six foreign medics sentenced by Libya to life in prison for allegedly infecting hundreds of children with the HIV virus said Monday that the Libyan government is seeking additional funds for the treatment of the survivors. The diplomats also said that the Libyan government wants closer ties with [...]