Ukraine's parliament Friday approved a series of bills paving the way for early parliamentary elections on September 30. The bills, reflecting an earlier political compromise between rivals President Viktor Yushchenko and Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych that adverted a violent confrontation between their fractions, had previously twice failed to gain parliamentary approval . Also on Friday, [...]

Thousands of Pakistanis rallied in support of suspended Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry Saturday, defying a government ban on unauthorized rallies of more than five people declared Friday. The rally began in the capital city of Islamabad, and proceeded south for 30 miles to Abbotabad where an estimated 50,000 people, including many Pakistani lawyers, greeted [...]

Gen. Sonthi Boonyaratglin , the leader of Thailand's 2006 bloodless coup , said Friday on state television that he backs amnesty for ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his party leaders. The remarks follow Wednesday's Constitutional Court ruling that banned Shinawatra from politics and dissolved his Thai Rak Thai (TRT) party. Boonyaratglin said that an [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Friday ruled against Internet telephone (VoIP – Voice over Internet Protocol) provider Vonage in its challenge to 2006 FCC rules requiring VoIP providers to contribute to the Universal Service Fund (USF) . Vonage raised rates in response to the new rules, but challenged the FCC [...]

Dennis Edney, a Canadian civilian lawyer for Canadian Guantanamo Bay detainee Omar Khadr , said Friday that his client would not work out a plea deal with the US military because it would require Khadr to serve 30 years in prison on terror charges. Instead, Edney indicated he will push for an independent psychological evaluation [...]

Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Friday announced plans to hold a national referendum to decide whether the country's president will be elected by popular vote instead of by parliament. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the referendum could be held on July 22, the same day as parliamentary elections, despite objections from the [...]

The Supreme Court of the Philippines ruled Friday that there was insufficient evidence to support charges of rebellion against six leftist congressional representatives alleged to have plotted a coup to oust President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2006. The court held that probable cause could not be established. Early in the investigation, Secretary of Justice Raul Gonzalez [...]

President George W. Bush strongly condemned the Iran's detention of four Iran-Americans Friday, saying in a statement that "they should be freed immediately and unconditionally." Bush named Dr. Haleh Esfandiari , Dr. Kian Tajbakhsh , Ali Shakeri and Radio Farda correspondent Parnaz Azima as among the Iranian-Americans detained, and also said he was "disturbed by [...]

The government of Pakistan Friday instituted a two-month ban on unauthorized rallies of more than five people in the capital city of Islamabad. The move came only one day before a planned march from Islamabad to the city of Abbotabad to protest the dismissal and ongoing trial of suspended Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry . [...]

Ethiopian special prosecutor Joseph Kiros told Reuters Friday that the Ethiopian government will seek to raise the sentence of convicted former dictator Mengistu Haile Miriam from a life in prison to the death penalty when an appeal commences June 12. Dozens of former officials in Mengistu's government will appear personally, although Mengistu remains in exile [...]