Ugandan opposition leader and presidential challenger Dr. Kizza Besigye , who has been imprisoned since November on charges of treason and rape was released on bail Monday by the Ugandan High Court. Uganda's military court, which previously declared itself unbound by High Court decisions, had extended Besigye's warrant to keep him in jail on additional [...]

In his New Year message , Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian promised Sunday to support a new Taiwanese constitution in his last two years of presidency. A new constitution would have to be approved by the legislature before sent to the public for a referendum. Chen's comments come in the face of warnings from China and [...]

2005 Year-End Report on the Federal Judiciary, Chief Justice John Roberts, January 1, 2006. Read the full text of the report here . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts released his first year-end report on the federal judiciary Sunday, one of his duties as the highest judicial officer in the country. After acknowledging the need to ensure the safety of all courtrooms following the high-profile killings of a Georgia state judge and a federal district judge's [...]

One day after the Syrian parliament demanded that former Vice President Abdel Halim Khaddam be tried for treason and corruption, the country's ruling Baath party decided Sunday to expel Khaddam from the party after he accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of threatening the life of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri during a meeting in [...]

President Bush on Sunday defended the NSA warrantless surveillance program , saying the program was "limited" and was not a violation of civil liberties. Answering questions about the program during a visit to wounded troops at the Brook Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, Bush also said that officials only wiretapped conversations that involved [...]

Many new state laws took effect on Sunday, including measures to safeguard against child sex offenders and the misuse of personal information. Michigan strengthened its sex offender laws, and Illinois banned human trafficking, allowing state law enforcement to prosecute such crimes. Louisiana and Michigan now require companies to notify state residents when they believe personal [...]

Statement on signing 2006 defense spending bill, President George W. Bush, December 30, 2005 . Excerpt: The executive branch shall construe Title X in Division A of the Act, relating to detainees, in a manner consistent with the constitutional authority of the President to supervise the unitary executive branch and as Commander in Chief and [...]

Detainee Treatment Act of 2005, as included in the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2006 and agreed to by the US House and Senate and signed by President Bush, December 30, 2005 . Full text from THOMAS: TITLE X–MATTERS RELATING TO DETAINEES SEC. 1001. SHORT TITLE. This title may be cited as the `Detainee Treatment [...]

Russian officials on Saturday charged former Russian nuclear minister Yevgeny Adamov with fraud and abuse of power, possibly stemming from US charges pending against him. Adamov was extradited from Switzerland to Russia , despite US attempts to require him to face trial in Pennsylvania on charges of embezzling $9 million in US Department of Energy [...]