Gay couples in Switzerland can register their partnerships after 58% of Swiss voters Sunday said "yes" in a referendum , bringing to fruition a victory predicted by a Friday opinion poll . The partnership law was up for popular approval at the same time as a proposal to become part of the EU passport union, [...]

In response to ongoing reports of prisoner abuse at Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib prisons , the US Senate Judiciary Committee chaired by Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) will hold hearings on the matter next month. Committee sources say that witnesses from the Justice and Defense Departments are expected to be called to testify on conditions [...]

The Iraqi government announced Sunday that former dictator Saddam Hussein will face 12 charges at trial. Iraqi government spokesman Laith Kuba told reporters in a press conference that Hussein could have faced nearly 500 charges, but prosecuting him on all charges would be a “waste of time”. Hussein's trial in front of the Iraqi Special [...]

French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder agreed Saturday that ratification votes on the EU Constitution must go on, despite last week's devastating rejections of the charter in France and the Netherlands . Many political analysts question whether the ratification process for the constitution can move forward, however, and believe the recent "no" [...]

AP is reporting that Switzerland voters approved a referendum Sunday that will make the nation part of the EU passport-free zone established under the 1985 Schengen Treaty .

A UN spokesman has condemned the Zimbabwe government's mass evictions and arrests of nearly 200,000 citizens living and trading in street dwellings as "gross human rights violations" and urged an end to the actions. In a statement , UN special rapporteur on the right to adequate housing Miloon Kothari cited the International Covenant on Economic, [...]

Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000: Trafficking in Persons Report, US Department of State, June 3, 2005 . Excerpt: This Report is intended to raise global awareness and spur foreign governments to take effective actions to counter all forms of trafficking in persons — a form of modern day slavery. The Report [...]

Richmond Medical Center for Women, et al. v. Hicks, et al., United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, June 3, 2005 . Excerpt: Because the Virginia Act does not contain an exception for circumstances when the banned abortion procedures are necessary to preserve a woman's health, we affirm the summary judgment order declaring [...]

Swiss voters are set to determine the future direction of their small country's role in Europe in a referendum Sunday. The Swiss are not voting on the EU Constitution – traditionally-neutral Switzerland is not a member of the Union – but Swiss citizens will nonetheless decide whether to adopt common border controls with the European [...]

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Saturday issued a decree officially delaying the scheduled July 17 parliamentary elections in the Palestinian Authority to allow time to settle a disagreement over election law changes. Holding up the vote is a dispute over the method for picking candidates. The delay is likely to please Abbas' Fatah party , currently [...]