The French Senate Thursday voted 158-123 to approve compromise labor legislation to replace the controversial CPE First Employment Contract , completing a governmental retreat from the controversial youth job plan that would have stripped young workers of job protection. The bill, passed Wednesday by the National Assembly, is expected to be signed into law by [...]

A spokesman for the Swedish Foreign Ministry told AFP Thursday that under its current legal structure, Sweden would not be able to incarcerate former Liberian President Charles Taylor following his war crimes trial, but that it could reconsider the request if its parliament passes appropriate legislation this summer. The UN-supported Special Court for Sierra Leone [...]

Iran is permitted to develop a civil nuclear program and its resumption of uranium processing does not violate the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a leading British lawmaker said Thursday. Labor Party MP Jeremy Corbyn , vice-chairman of the parliamentary Human Rights group, said in a letter to the Guardian newspaper that Iran's decision to halt [...]

The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) Wednesday sentenced a former Rwandan mayor to 15 years in prison for his participation in the 1994 genocide that the Rwandan government estimates left at least 937,000 Tutsis and some Hutus dead. Paul Bisengimana, 58, struck a plea deal with ICTR prosecutors in December to plead guilty to [...]

Message to the nation by King Gyanendra of Nepal, April 14, 2006 . English-language translation from eKantipur.com: Beloved Countrymen, On the occasion of the advent of the New Year 2063, we extend best wishes for peace, good health and prosperity of all Nepalese, living in the country and abroad. We appreciate the understanding and patience [...]

Convicted 9/11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui took the witness stand for the second time in his sentencing trial Thursday and lambasted his court-appointed defense attorneys for failing to move the proceeding away from Alexandria, VA, only a few miles away from the Pentagon building that was hit on 9/11. Virginia juries are thought to be more [...]

Leading Thursday's environmental law brief, the Appellate Division of the New Jersey Superior Court has ruled that the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) has the authority to adopt stormwater rules that create 300 foot buffers along designated reservoirs, rivers, and other waterways. The New Jersey Builders' Association (NJBA) had challenged the rules, claiming [...]

AP is reporting that Nepal's King Gyanendra has called for general elections and has promised dialogue with the opposition. Opposition political parties have been staging pro-democracy protests for over a week, calling on Gyanendra to abdicate his throne and allow free national elections. In February 2005 Gyanendra seized control of the government and dismissed elected [...]

The majority of the provisions in the UK Terrorism Act 2006 took effect Thursday amidst criticism from rights groups that the measure stifles freedom of speech and will lead to the prosecutions of legitimate political protestors. The law, prompted by the July 7 London bombings , was approved by Parliament last month and makes it [...]

Egypt has released approximately 950 former militants from the Islamic group Gamaa Islamiya over the last several days, according to lawyers for the prisoners. Some had been held as long as 25 years. The government began small-scale releases in the 1990s after the group's leaders declared a truce and renounced violence but never have so [...]