Defense lawyers for Saddam Hussein are preparing legal challenges to his upcoming war crimes trial to be filed in US courts, according to leaked memos. The Sunday Times reported that a brief titled "The Iraqi Special Tribunal as Victors’ Justice — the Inherent Illegality and Bias of the Whole Process" was prepared by leading UK [...]

KGW-TV in Portland is reporting that WA State Democrats have said the WA Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal over 700 disputed King County in a hand recount for the gubernatorial race. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports that WA Republicans have accused King County election officials of misleading the public about the disputed ballots. [...]

The US government has agreed to settle a class action brought by Hungarian Holocaust survivors over an estimated $200 million in jewelry, gold and other property that was seized by the US at the end of World War II but never returned to the rightful owners. Lawyers in the case announced Monday that a settlement [...]

Ukrainian opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko opened a 2-hour live TV debate Monday with rival and prime minister Viktor Yanukovych by accusing him of trying to steal the November 21 Ukrainian presidential election, which led to allegations of massive fraud and weeks of protests in Kyiv, resulting in the Ukrainian Supreme Court setting aside the result [...]

US-based rights monitoring group Freedom House said Monday in its annual report on human rights conditions in countries around the world that Russia had dropped into the category of "not free" in the wake of various authoritarian moves this past year by the government of President Vladimir Putin. FH Executive Director Jennifer Windsor said:Russia's step [...]

Anna Ryzhova, Kyiv: "Today, at noon under the EST time, Ukraine will be watching the nationally televised debate between Presidential candidates Victor Yushchenko and Victor Yanukovych. The debate this time is expected to be different from the previous one. A new format will allow for one-on-one Q&A and discussions between the two candidates. The revote [...]

AP is reporting that Jewish settler leaders have endorsed a call for civil disobedience against Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's planned evacuation of Gaza Strip and West Bank settlements. Pinchas Wallerstein, a former leader of the Yesha Settlers' Council, had previously circulated a letter calling for evacuation to be resisted even if it meant defying [...]

AP is reporting that a Chilean court has upheld the indictment and house arrest of former president General Augusto Pinochet on human rights charges, according to a judge's announcement. BBC News has background on the appeal.

Two Albanians who hijacked an Athens bus and took 23 passangers hostage last Wednesday in a standoff that went on for 18 hours before they surrendered apologized in court Monday for what they themselves called a "stupid act." The men had demanded a $1 million ransom and threatened to blow up the bus, but admitted [...]

In a statement circulated Monday, jailed former Yukos Oil CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky said that the auction sale of Yukos' main Yuganskneftegaz production arm to little-known Baikal Finance Group Sunday had "destroyed" the company and had given the Russian authorities a "wonderful Christmas present." Khordorkovsky is currently on trial in Moscow for tax fraud (official trial [...]