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UNITED NATIONS, June 23 — The United States bowed Wednesday to broad opposition on the Security Council and announced it was dropping its effort to gain immunity for its troops from prosecution by the International Criminal Court. "The United States has decided not to proceed further with consideration and action on the draft at this time in order to avoid a prolonged and divisive debate," James B. Cunningham, the deputy American ambassador, said on emerging from the Council chamber. The envoys from the 15-member Council had spent the morning in closed session, discussing a rewritten version of the American resolution...

Annan backs US immunity decision The prisoner abuse scandal undermined support for the US Kofi Annan has welcomed the decision by the United States to abandon efforts to stop its troops from being prosecuted by the International Criminal Court. The United Nations secretary general said the move would help to maintain unity in the security council at a difficult time. US troops have had immunity from prosecution under a deal struck two years ago. It runs out on 30 June. Washington withdrew a resolution to extend it after a lack of support. "The United States has decided not to proceed...

UNITED NATIONS - Facing global opposition fueled by the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal, the United States on Wednesday dropped its attempt to renew a U.N. exemption shielding American troops from international prosecution for war crimes. The U.S. move raised concern that Washington might carry out its threat to shut down or stop participating in U.N.-authorized peacekeeping operations. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told reporters that every request would be examined "both in terms of voting for a peacekeeping mission" and providing Americans to participate. A key factor will be "what the risk might be of prosecution by a court to...

WASHINGTON – American troops serving in Iraq would be immune from prosecution in local courts under an agreement in principle between the United States and the interim government in Baghdad. "The president wants to make sure that our troops are protected," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said Thursday. He said members of the military would face justice in the American legal system rather than in local courts. "You're talking about parts of the world where due process may not be guaranteed," McClellan said. He said that the United States and Iraq already had agreed in principle on an immunity...

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Secretary-General Kofi Annan told Security Council ambassadors Friday that renewing U.S. peacekeepers' immunity from international prosecution for war crimes would undermine international law and send "a very unfortunate signal" to the world. Annan stepped up his campaign against a U.S.-sponsored resolution renewing American immunity from prosecution by the International Criminal Court for a third year, and opposition in the council appeared to be growing. Despite intensive lobbying, Washington does not have the minimum nine votes of support on the 15-member council to approve a new exemption, council diplomats said. On Thursday, Annan urged the council not...

UN defers US troop immunity vote Last Update: Wednesday, May 26, 2004. 9:32am (AEST) The UN Security Council has indefinitely delayed plans to take up a US draft resolution shielding American troops from prosecution by a new global criminal court, a US diplomat said on Tuesday. The resolution, which human rights groups argue is especially inappropriate so soon after the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal, had been expected to come to a vote in the 15-nation council last on Friday and again on Monday. The vote was called off on Friday after China's UN envoy said he had no instructions from...

The Papal nuncio was granted diplomatic immunity in a High Court action seeking damages for clerical sex abuse, it has emerged. In the case of Paul Molloy v Bishop Brendan Comiskey, Archbishop Luciano Storero and Fr Sean Fortune, the Department of Foreign Affairs directed the chief registrar of the High Court to issue a certificate that Storero was immune from being sued under section 47 of the 1967 Diplomatic Relations and Immunities Act. Storero was appointed nuncio to Ireland in November 1995 at the age of 69. As apostolic nuncio, he automatically became dean of the diplomatic corps. He died...

Scientists have discovered that monkey cells have innate protection against infection with the human AIDS virus, a clue that may help explain why some people are susceptible to certain viral infections while others are not. The finding, reported in today's issue of the journal Nature, offers one of the first concrete examples of what researchers call an intracellular system of innate immunity and may open the door to the development of new antiviral therapies, the scientists said. The monkeys were protected from the virus by a mechanism that resides within cells and that is independent of the antibodies and white...

If the bill passes, victims of gun violence would not be able to sue gun manufacturers or dealers, who the senators say should not be held responsible for crimes committed once the guns leave the shop. The only people liable for gun injuries are the people who use the guns, they said."I think we really have enough gun control laws on the books to ensure that people who are going to use guns in the commission of a crime can be punished severely," Cochran said, arguing against punishment for the gun industry.The National Rifle Association has made passage of the...

JUDGES ARE STEALING THE LAW Sponsored by: Coalition for the Best Interest of the Child Equal Justice Foundation People for Equal Protection Citizens Judicial Review Committee Please attend a meeting on Sunday afternoon, February 22, 2004 at 1:00 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. at The Columbine Library 7706 W. Bowles Ave., Littleton 80123 The location is two lights east (on Bowles) of the intersection of Bowles Ave. & Wadsworth Blvd. This is our best chance in 10 years for getting the legislative branch to put a “Check” on Colorado’s runaway judiciary. Whether you have been abused in family law, criminal law...

JUDGES ARE STEALING THE LAW Sponsored by: Coalition for the Best Interest of the Child Equal Justice Foundation People for Equal Protection Citizens Judicial Review Committee Please attend a meeting on Sunday afternoon, February 22, 2004 at 1:00 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. at The Columbine Library 7706 W. Bowles Ave., Littleton 80123 The location is two lights east (on Bowles) of the intersection of Bowles Ave. & Wadsworth Blvd. This is our best chance in 10 years for getting the legislative branch to put a “Check” on Colorado’s runaway judiciary. Whether you have been abused in family law, criminal law...

The United States has yet to begin serious negotiations with Iraqis on an agreement to guarantee that American troops in Iraq will remain immune from arrest and prosecution by local authorities once a new Baghdad government takes over in June, according to U.S. and Iraqi officials. The status-of-forces agreement, often one of the most sensitive pacts reached between the U.S. and countries that host American troops, will also set the rules for where U.S. troops will be based and the conditions under which they will operate. "All these things have to be negotiated and agreed upon -- the areas they...

Links between SARS, human genes discovered Hong Kong researchers found that individuals with HLA-B*7303 gene type have much higher risk of getting Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) while those with HLA-DRB1*0131 gene type have much lower risk than the general population. The Chinese University announced the findings at a press conference Thursday, saying the findings will lead to better understanding of the disease mechanisms of SARS and could help design the SARS prevention programs. The study was made on 90 serologically confirmed Chinese SARS patients who had been treated in some Hong Kong hospitals when SARS prevailed in Hong Kong...

SILVER SPRING, Md. -- An 18-year-old son of the head of the Liberian Embassy, arrested on charges including carjacking and robbery, was released from police custody under diplomatic immunity. Police in suburban Montgomery County, Md., arrested Thomas K. Kollie and two other teenagers in connection with a carjacking in Silver Spring. Police said about 13 males attacked three men in the car Friday night, took their vehicle and drove into two parked cars in a parking lot. Police believe the three men in the car and three of the suspects were involved in a fight earlier in the evening. Kollie...

Flu May Be Worst in Decades for U.S. Kids By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: December 17, 2003 Filed at 9:52 p.m. ET The current flu outbreak may be the worst for young U.S. children in several years, some experts say, comparing it in Western states to the Hong Kong flu of 1968-69. A government epidemiologist and other disease doctors predict flu deaths among babies and toddlers will exceed the estimated 92 who die in an average flu year. ``We would expect that number would be higher in a season like this. It would be more than 92,'' said Dr. William...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Saudi Arabia's defense minister and its former intelligence chief, who have denied allegations in a $1 trillion lawsuit tying them to the Sept. 11 attacks, are beyond the reach of U.S. courts, a federal judge ruled. The suit filed by victims and survivors of the 2001 attacks accused the Saudis of having long, personal relationships with Saudi-born fugitive Osama bin Laden and officials of the Afghan Taliban militia. The officials are the defense minister, Prince Sultan, and Prince Turki al-Faisal, former director of general intelligence and now the Saudi ambassador in Britain. The suit also alleged that...

The United States aims to secure agreements "with every country in the world" guaranteeing immunity for its citizens from any prosecution from the new International Criminal Court (ICC), and will cut off military aid to countries which do not comply. In an uncompromising defence of Washington's decision to shun the court, Under Secretary of State John Bolton announced yesterday that the US has already reached so-called Article 98 exemption agreements, under the Rome statutes setting up the ICC, with 70 countries; 50 of them among the ICC's 90 signatories. Speaking at the conservative thinktank, the American Enterprise Institute, Mr Bolton...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 — The Supreme Court added a significant new federalism case to its docket for the new term on Tuesday, accepting an appeal filed by the State of Tennessee on whether states are immune from suit under federal bankruptcy law. States are often brought into federal court in bankruptcy proceedings, not because they themselves are bankrupt but because they are creditors. Most of the 1.5 million people who file for bankruptcy every year owe debts to an agency of state government and seek relief from the obligation to repay those debts, so the case has a highly practical...

Former Iraqi Defence Minister Sultan Hashim Ahmed has been granted immunity from prosecution following his surrender to US forces. Mr Ahmed - number 27 on the Americans' list of most wanted former Iraqi officials - gave himself up in the northern city of Mosul last Friday. White House officials say they have high hopes he will provide significant information on Iraq's alleged weapons programmes. The news came as US officials indicated that an interim report by the Iraqi Survey Group - charged with locating weapons of mass destruction in the country - would contain no evidence of illegal weapons. But...

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Iraq's former defense minister, who surrendered to U.S. forces last week, was given "effective" immunity from prosecution, and the United States hopes he will provide significant information on Saddam Hussein's weapons activities, a senior U.S. official said on Wednesday. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters other "lower level guys who were technical functionaries in Iraq's weapons programs" were also given immunity and have been assisting former U.N. inspector David Kay in his eagerly awaited inquiry on Iraqi arms. Former Defense Minister Sultan Hashim Ahmed, seen at Saddam Hussein's side in what is thought...

The US is stepping up efforts to find evidence of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction by offering former mid-level scientists immunity from prosecution, according to senior US officials. The move comes as the US and British governments are preparing for a long-awaited report by a US-led team of weapons inspectors - probably in the next two weeks. A senior Bush administration official said the report was not expected to prove the ousted regime had chemical, biological or nuclear weapons, but it would show Saddam Hussein had the capability and the intention to develop them. Both the US and British...

UNITED NATIONS, July 31 (AFP) - A US demand for jurisdictional exemption from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for a members of a multinational peacekeeping force in Liberia would violate international law, legal experts said Thursday. The United States on Wednesday tabled a resolution in the UN Security Council that would authorize deployment of a multinational peacekeeping force in Liberia. But it included a proviso that participants in the force be exempt from the ICC's jurisdiction. William R. Pace, Convenor of the Coalition for the International Criminal Court said inclusion of the provision was "particularly disturbing" and would violate...

Ruling: Reno Can't Be Sued for Elian Raid Appeals Court Rules Former Attorney General Can't Be Sued by Elian Protesters MIAMI June 20 — Protesters and neighbors who alleged their constitutional rights were violated during the raid to seize Elian Gonzalez cannot sue former Attorney General Janet Reno, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday. The Atlanta-based panel reversed a lower court decision, stating Reno has immunity from damages because the 52 plaintiffs failed to show that she knew agents would violate their rights during the pre-dawn raid three years ago. Armed federal agents removed Elian, then 6, from his Cuban-American...

Blood tests of people who worked with exotic animals in markets in southern China show that a significant proportion apparently had been infected with the SARS virus, suggesting that some people may become infected without becoming ill, according to World Health Organization officials. The findings are from two separate studies of workers in markets in Guangdong Province, and they strengthen the SARS link between animals and humans, the officials said in interviews Monday. At the same time, scientists at Hong Kong University announced that they were developing what could become the first experimental vaccine for severe acute respiratory syndrome. They...

SADDAM’S deputy PM Tariq Aziz is pleading to move to Britain. The schemer has told his US captors he will reveal all about the Iraqi regime in exchange for a new identity and cushy life here.Cigar-smoking Aziz, 67, was Saddam’s best-known mouthpiece and condemned the UK. Now he wants to live here because he is terrified of being executed by Iraqis and is desperate to dodge US strict justice.Aziz, who gave himself up on Thursday, is the most senior Saddam aide caught so far.Human rights groups last night said: “The guy is a murderous scumbag and we don’t want him...

Tough Task Ahead in Gun-Industry Immunity FightDick Dahl JoinTogether.org4/23/2003 The prospect of a Senate filibuster to stop a bill that would immunize the gun industry from most lawsuits appears likely when Congress resumes its session April 28 following the Easter break. In early April, the House passed a nearly identical bill by 285-140, and the Senate already has 52 co-signers. Opponents of the Senate bill have talked of a rare filibuster in an attempt to head off the measure, which is assured of President Bush's signature. But as it stands, if supporters can get eight of the 48 nonsigners to...

LONDON — The United States has apparently withdrawn its offer of immunity for Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and his aides in exchange for their voluntary exile. Arab diplomatic sources said senior Bush administration officials refused to relay guarantees that Saddam, his sons and aides would be granted immunity from war crimes prosecution if they enter exile. The sources said the proposed deal has been promoted by Saudi Arabia and Turkey and discussed by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal during his meeting with U.S. President George Bush last week. "The White House is feeling more confident these days and...

MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) - Nicaraguan lawmakers stripped former President Arnoldo Aleman of his immunity from prosecution Thursday, clearing the way for him to face charges he stole nearly $100 million in public funds.

A spate of government litigation against the nation's gun companies has been stifled in 30 states, which have passed laws granting the industry immunity from civil lawsuits. Those laws have been enacted since 1998, when New Orleans became the first of almost three dozen cities and counties to file suits against gun manufacturers and dealers, accusing them of being public nuisances and seeking huge damage awards in a campaign similar to that waged against the tobacco industry. The gun companies have won the aid of state legislatures to turn back the legal assault. Already, civil suits against the industry by...

United Nations S/RES/1422 (2002) Security Council Distr.: General 12 July 2002 Resolution 1422 (2002)Adopted by the Security Council at its 4572nd meeting, on 12 July 2002The Security Council,Taking note of the entry into force on 1 July 2002, of the Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), done at Rome 17 July 1998 (the Rome Statute), Emphasizing the importance to international peace and security of United Nations operations, Noting that not all States are parties to the Rome Statute, Noting that States Parties to the Rome Statute have chosen to accept its jurisdiction in accordance with the Statute and in...

<p>NEW YORK — The United States last night softened its demand for immunity for U.N. peacekeepers from the new international war crimes tribunal, prompting a quick rebuke from key members of the U.S. Senate.</p> <p>The proposal was circulated as a draft Security Council resolution that would exempt U.S. soldiers from the court's jurisdiction for one year, instead of the open-ended immunity sought earlier by the Bush administration.</p>

<p>UNITED NATIONS  — The United States on Wednesday backed off from its demand for permanent immunity for U.S. peacekeepers from the new war crimes tribunal, proposing instead a ban on any investigation of peacekeepers for a year.</p> <p>U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte circulated the new proposal to the U.N. Security Council after an open council meeting where the United States faced intense criticism from countries around the world, including its closes allies.</p>