New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer Wednesday dropped criminal charges against Theodore Sihpol, a former Bank of America broker accused of aiding illegal trades by a hedge fund, after Sihpol settled related charges with Securites and Exchange Commission . Under the settlement with the SEC , Sihpol agreed to a $200,000 fine and a five-year [...]

Indonesia has agreed to work on strengthening its anti-terrorism laws with help from Australia, Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Wednesday. Downer made the announcement after meeting with Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda in Jakarta. Australia had originally hoped to convince the Indonesian government to ban Jemaah Islamiah , a radical Islamic group reportedly responsible [...]

The Clearing House Association v. Eliot Spitzer, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Judge Sydney H. Stein, October 12, 2005 . Read the full text of the ruling here. Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

The White House Wednesday cited the religious views of US Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers , acknowledging the relevance of those to religious conservatives while denying that they should play any role in the rulings of a judge. Spokesman Scott McClellan confirmed that on October 1, two days before the nomination, top White House aide [...]

Counter-terrorism Legislation and Practice: A Survey of Selected Countries, UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, October 12, 2005 . Read the full text of the survey . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

Terrorism Bill, text as introduced in the UK Parliament October 12, 2005 . Read the full text of the bill . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

The Rest of Their Lives, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, October 12, 2005 . Read the full text of the report . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

2005 Annual Report, Congressional-Executive Commission on China, October 11, 2005 . Read the full text of the report . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

The US Supreme Court Wednesday heard arguments on how far First Amendment protection should stretch for government whistleblowers who claim retaliation for their speech. In Garcetti v. Ceballos , an employee in the Los Angeles District Attorney's office claimed he was retaliated against after he testified for the defense in a case in which he [...]

A Kosovo Albanian rebel indicted on war crimes charges was put on trial Wednesday before a special Serbian court, but the trial adjourned immediately after opening. Anton Lekaj, a former member of the Kosovo Liberation Army , is the first ethnic Albanian to go on trial before the Serbian tribunal. Lekaj has been indicted for [...]