The US House of Representatives has passed the Lobbying Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 , a bill to regulate lobbying and ethics, by a narrow 217-213 margin . The bill imposes stricter reporting requirements on lobbyists and requires lawmakers to have privately-sponsored travel and gifts approved. Opponents criticized the bill for not being strong [...]

Leading Thursday's international brief, US Ambassador to Zimbabwe Christopher Dell has denied claims by Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe that the US and other Western governments were intentionally destroying Zimbabwe's international reputation, instead blaming poor government planning by Mugabe for the once-wealthy country's rapid collapse into economic and political chaos. Dell told a gathering of students [...]

As the UN Committee Against Torture prepares to hold its review of US compliance with international laws banning torture, a US State Department lawyer said Thursday that the US does not outsource torture and claimed that allegations of secret flights and prisons are harming relations between the US and Europe. Speaking to the press before [...]

The US House of Representatives has passed a bill that, under the Federal Trade Commission Act, would impose stiff civil penalties and authorize jail sentences for officials from energy companies that engage in price gouging when selling gasoline or crude oil, by a 389-34 vote Wednesday. The Federal Energy Price Protection Act would require the [...]

Russia and China have expressed doubts about a draft UN Security Council resolution introduced Wednesday by France, Britain, and the United States. The resolution, invoking Chapter 7 of the UN Charter , mandates that Iran abandon uranium enrichment and contemplates the use of "further measures as may be necessary to ensure compliance." A legally-binding Chapter [...]

US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on Wednesday acknowledged the United States' use of rendition flights but said that rendition was never used to transport a suspect to another country for the purpose of torture. Speaking at a news conference in Vienna after meeting with EU Justice and Security Commissioner Franco Frattini , Gonzales also said [...]

Annual Report of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, May 3, 2006 . Read the full text of the report . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

David et al. v. Arroyo, Supreme Court of the Philippines, May 3, 2006 . Read the full text of the decision. Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

Moussaoui jury sentencing verdict form, US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, May 3, 2006 the offense in an especially heinous, cruel, or depraved manner in that it involved torture or serious physical abuse to the victim or victims."]. See a court-redacted copy of the verdict form . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase [...]

Supplementary Briefing to the UN Committee Against Torture, Amnesty Intrenational, May 3, 2006 . Read the full text of the report. Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.