Final results of the Spanish referendum on the treaty establishing a European constitution, February 20, 2005 . Review the final vote totals from the Spanish Ministry of the Interior. Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

The Royal Navy has become the first branch of the British Armed Forces to actively promote the protection of the civil rights of its homosexual and bisexual members. Navy officials signed the Diversity Champions Programme from the alternative lifestyle equal rights group Stonewall on Monday. Homosexuals have been permitted in the UK Armed Forces since [...]

Israel released 500 prisoners Monday in a 'goodwill gesture' that was first proposed at the Sharm al-Sheikh summit held nearly two weeks ago and was approved by the Israeli parliament last Sunday. The 500 prisoners are the first to be released under the new truce; 400 more are expected to be released in the near [...]

Here's a run-down of law-related events, expected developments and live webcasts on JURIST's docket for Monday, Feb. 21. The US Senate and US House are in recess today for the President's Day holiday. Both will resume their sessions on Feb. 28. European Commission Vice President Margot Wallström will speak at a press conference on the [...]

Spanish television is reporting that a clear majority of Spanish voters who turned out in Sunday's referendum on the European Union constitution voted in favor of ratification. Exit polls are showing that over 78% voted in favor of the EU constitution, though only about 41% of the population turned out for the non-binding referendum. Sunday's [...]

Israel's Cabinet approved the government's plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip Sunday, the first time an Israeli government has decided to dismantle Jewish settlements on land claimed by Palestinians. Also Sunday, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon signed an order that makes it illegal for Israelis to remain in the Gaza Strip and the northern part [...]

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers submitted his letter of resignation to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan Sunday, citing a lack of confidence in him due to allegations of sexual harassment . Saying that the sexual harassment claims could not be substantiated, Lubbers wrote "For more than four years I gave all my energy to [...]

The legal battle over Terri Schiavo could wrap up this week if either Florida's 2nd District Court of Appeals or the Pinellas Circuit Court act to end appeals in the dispute over the fate of the brain-damaged Florida woman. Both courts, which have previously upheld her right to die, are expected to issue rulings this [...]

The Economic Community of West African States has announced that member countries will impose sanctions against Togo as world pressure mounts for Togo to hold democratic elections. Faure Gnassingbe was appointed president on February 5, within hours of the death of his father, who ruled the country for 38 years. Opposition has been demanding an [...]

The UN General Assembly's legal committee has adopted a non-binding resolution against all forms of human cloning, including techniques used in stem cell research. After several days of debate , the committee voted 71-35, with 43 abstentions, to adopt the resolution, which was put forward by Honduras and backed by the Bush administration. The measure [...]