US Assistant Attorney General William E. Moschella defended the use of National Security Letters in a 10-page letter sent to the Chairmen of the US House and Senate Judiciary Committees Tuesday, rebutting claims raised by a Washington Post article that NSLs have been used to spy on law-abiding citizens. NSLs allow the FBI to obtain [...]

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The first federal Vioxx trial, in which Evelyn Irvin Plunkett is suing pharmaceutical giant Merck for the death of husband Richard “Dicky” Irvin of a heart attack in May 2001, began Tuesday with an opening statement from Plunkett’s lawyer, who told jurors that Irvin died as a direct result of taking the painkiller Vioxx for [...]

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Observers of the trial of Saddam Hussein warned Tuesday that mounting political pressure threatens the independence and fairness of the Iraqi High Criminal Court trying the ousted Iraqi leader. A Human Rights Watch spokesman noted that although Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari has not directly intervened in the proceeding, his public complaints that the court [...]

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French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin announced Tuesday that he would introduce stricter immigration controls as part of the French government's response to the riots started by immigrant youth that broke out across the country in late October and lasted almost three weeks. Under the new controls, France will no longer automatically issue French identity [...]

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