Former New Orleans mayor and current President and CEO of the National Urban League Marc Morial has called for a Hurricane Katrina victim's compensation fund, similar to the one created in the wake of the 9/11 attacks . Speaking at the University of Pennsylvania Monday, Morial also called for a "Victims Bill of Rights," asking [...]

A federal judge has ruled that correction officers in Fresno California violated the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations by not properly informing twelve Mexican defendants of their right to contact the Mexican Consulate after their arrests on drug charges. The jail officials gave the defendants hand-outs in Spanish and English that told them of their [...]

A blue-ribbon California civil justice commission comprised of lawyers, judges, and academic, business, labor and community leaders has called for interpreters to be made available in civil as well as criminal cases in California courts. The California Commission on Access to Justice issued a report Tuesday saying there is a "dire and unmet need for [...]

The European Court of Justice ruled Tuesday that the European Union can require member states to criminally prosecute companies that violate EU environmental laws. The decision was made in response to a 2001 lawsuit brought by the European Commission against the 25 EU governments for not writing the criminal prosecution of environmental violators into legislation [...]

Nepali police Tuesday detained at least 250 pro-democracy activists – including a former deputy prime minister – for defying a ban on demonstrations in the Kathmandu city center. Protestors from seven major political parties took to the streets to condemn the February seizure of power by King Gyanendra . Organizers insist that the number arrested [...]

The president of Australia's Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) , a national independent statutory government body, cautioned Tuesday that the country's proposed new anti-terrorism measures could violate human rights and said the legislation needed a time limit to ensuring periodic review of the terror law. John von Doussa said Australia must be careful [...]

Sunni Arab negotiators Tuesday requested that the UN guarantee a fair referendum on the draft Iraqi constitution , while expressing frustration and rejecting the latest version of the charter. Sunni negotiator Hussein al Falluji said he and others had spoken with Ashraf Qazi, UN Special Envoy to Iraq, to ask for an assurance that the [...]

The Ukrainian Constitutional Court Tuesday approved by a 10-4 margin a draft law that would alter the country's constitution by limiting presidential authority while strengthening parliamentary control. The measure, to take effective on January 1, 2006, gives parliament the power to appoint the prime minister, defense minister, and foreign minister after nomination by the president. [...]

Italy's highest court upheld a lower court ruling Tuesday permitting the extradition of Hussain Osman , also known as Hamdi Issac, a suspect in the failed July 21 London bomb attacks . Osman, who is expected to be transferred to Britain within the next 10 days, was arrested in Italy the week following the attacks [...]

Transcript of Day 1 of confirmation hearings for Judge John Roberts, Jr., nominated to be Chief Justice of the United States, US Senate Judiciary Committee, September 12, 2005. Read the full text transcript as provided to AP by by CQ Transcriptions, LLC .