The European Union on Monday approved a travel ban on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and 30 other top government officials in response to his government's crackdown on political protesters following the widely criticized March 19 elections . The ban was first debated last week , when the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling Lukashenko "the [...]

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Australian Prime Minister John Howard said Monday that he will provide a statement to the judicial inquiry into Australia's involvement in the oil-for-food scandal , offering to appear before the panel if necessary. Led by retired judge Terence Cole , the inquiry began in November and has primarily focused on the Australian Wheat Board , [...]

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JURIST Guest Columnist Ron Dudai of the SOAS School of Law at the University of London (UK) says that a recent ruling by Israel's Supreme Court constitutes an important judicial recognition that giving discretion to state security services in fighting terrorism – in Israel, the US, or elsewhere – invites overreaching, abuse, and violations of [...]

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Transcript of a TV address on the CPE (contrat premiere embauche) by French Prime Minister Dominque de Villepin, April 10, 2006 . Text: Depuis plusieurs semaines, notre pays connaît l'agitation. Les désordres dans les universités et les lycées menacent d'affecter la bonne organisation des examens de fin d'année. Les manifestations de voie publique mettent en [...]

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French President Jacques Chirac and Prime Minister Dominque de Villepin said in separate statements Monday in Paris following a morning meeting that the First Employment Contract (contrat premiere embauche, CPE) established in a recent law would be "replaced" with other measures designed to help young people find work. The apparent cave-in follows weeks of controversy [...]

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