Free political prisoners, Spain tells Cuba

Madrid, Feb 26 (IANS/EFE) Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has demanded that Cuba’s communist government release its “prisoners of conscience” and respect human rights following the death of a Cuban political prisoner on hunger strike.

Myanmar Supreme Court turns down Aung San Suu Kyi’s appeal

YANGON - Myanmar’s Supreme Court Friday turned down an appeal by opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi against her sentence of 18 months of house detention, which would keep her confined during a general election planned this year, her defence lawyers said.

British lawyer’s conviction overturned by Italian court

ROME - Italy’s top appeals court Thursday overturned a four-year-and-a-half prison sentence against British lawyer David Mills in a corruption case involving Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

Las Vegas police: Deputies turned away trying to collect $500K debt at Wayne Newton home

Debt collectors turned away at Wayne Newton home

Jury says it’s reached a stalemate in the case of slain Iowa coach; asks for another day

Jury asks for another day in coach slaying case

With fortune at stake, billionaire Blixseth stands ground against attack from creditors

Blixseth stands ground in attack from creditors

Judge in child support trial over Bristol Palin’s son urges resolution before court date

Rights panel seeks Orissa’s response to hunger deaths

NEW DELHI - Taking cognisance of a media report on its own, the National Human Rights Commission Thursday asked the Orissa government to furnish a report on the hunger deaths in Balanagir district within four weeks.

Government settles Tennessee housing discrimination suit it filed

Tennessee housing discrimination suit settled

Madhya Pradesh allowed to resume work on dam projects

NEW DELHI - The Supreme Court Thursday permitted the Madhya Pradesh government to resume the stalled canal work for the Indira Sagar and Omkareshwar dam projects, saying construction work that had been going on for years cannot be stopped.

Public transport bomb blast victims can claim compensation

NEW DELHI - The Delhi High Court Thursday ruled that victims of bomb blasts on public transport can claim compensation and enhanced the compensation of a woman who lost her husband in an explosion on a Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) bus in 1992.

Cabinet clears Women’s Reservation Bill

NEW DELHI - The cabinet Thursday cleared the long-pending Women’s Reservation Bill that provides for setting aside 33 percent of seats in parliament and the state legislatures for women and it is likely to be tabled in the current session of parliament, informed sources said.

Ensure better quality of Delhi roads, court tells MCD

NEW DELHI - While the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is busy re-surfacing the city’s roads ahead of the Commonwealth Games, the civic agency was Thursday told by the Delhi High Court to ensure “better life” for the roads so that they do not “crumble with the onset of the monsoon”.

Taj Corridor case reverted to original bench after drama

LUCKNOW - Much drama was witnessed Thursday in the court of the chief justice of the Allahabad High Court’s Lucknow bench, when a battery of lawyers vehemently opposed withdrawal of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that had sought prosecution of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati for her alleged involvement in the Rs.175-crore Taj Heritage Corridor scam.

21 Kashmiri migrants to get shops in INA market: Court

NEW DELHI - The Delhi High Court Thursday directed the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) to allot shops in a south Delhi market to 21 Kashmiri migrants who were forced to leave from there following the construction of Delhi Metro.

German surrogate twins: Government to relax adoption norms

NEW DELHI - The government Thursday told the Supreme Court that it is willing to waive some of the restrictions in adopting children born through surrogacy to help a German couple adopt their twin sons born to an Indian surrogate mother in 2008.

Trial against former Israeli premier opens in Jerusalem

JERUSALEM - Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert arrived at Jerusalem’s District Court Thursday for the opening of a corruption trial against him.

CIC orders disciplinary action against MCD employee

NEW DELHI - The Central Information Commission (CIC) has directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to take disciplinary action against one of its employees for not fulfilling his duty as prescribed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

Report: E-Verify gives OK to more than half of illegal workers it checks

E-Verify misses half of illegal workers checked

Spain deplores death of Cuban political prisoner

Toledo (Spain), Feb 25 (IANS/EFE) The Spanish government has said that it “deeply deplores” the death of Cuban dissident Orlando Zapata Tamayo and regrets that the human rights situation on the communist-ruled island has led to “this very terrible outcome”.