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 [...]

US House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) announced Monday that the Committee will meet on Wednesday to vote on whether to proceed with contempt of Congress citations against former White House counsel Harriet Miers and White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten for their refusal to comply with subpoenas issued in the congressional [...]

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon formally requested Monday that the government of the Netherlands consider hosting the ad hoc tribunal that will investigate and try suspects involved in the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri . In a letter to the Dutch government, Ban stressed that The Hague has valuable experience in hosting [...]

Washington state's domestic partnership law entered into effect Monday, allowing same-sex couples over the age of 18 residing together to register with the state's domestic partnership registry. Registered same-sex couples will be afforded hospital visitation rights, inheritance rights, and the right to authorize medical decisions for one's partner. The registry will also allow heterosexual couples [...]

Draft Reform Treaty, Council of the European Union, July 23, 2007 . Read the full text of the draft and associated materials. Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

Philippine President Gloria Arroyo Monday urged lawmakers from both houses of Congress to pass legislation to curb extrajudicial killings and disappearances , adding that the Philippines must also move forward with electoral reform, such as computerized ballot counting, and impose harsher penalties for election violence. Speaking before Congress during her annual "State of the Nation [...]

US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Monday that he will stay at the Department of Justice (DOJ) to improve its damaged image. In prepared testimony released Monday, Gonzales said that he feels "very strongly" that political considerations should not affect the hiring of US Attorneys and reiterated that the DOJ has an ongoing internal investigation [...]

Foreign ministers of EU member states began formal negotiations on the proposed Reform Treaty Monday. Foreign ministers convened the 2007 Intergovernmental Conference in Brussels, circulating drafts of the proposed treaty so that the respective states' legal experts can meet Tuesday and Wednesday to begin preliminary negotiations to finalize the details of the landmark agreement reached [...]