Mounting opposition to the death penalty in America is starting to take effect, with the number of executions as well as newly imposed death sentences falling to record low levels in 2011. As the year draws to a close, the annual review by the authoritative Death Penalty Information Centre points to an ongoing withering of [...]
Tag: state
December 15, 2011
December 15, 2011
December 14, 2011
Army helicopter crash kills four soldiers at Washington base
Two US army helicopters crashed, killing four soldiers, during a training mission Monday night at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, a military spokesman confirmed. The reconnaissance helicopters crashed after 8pm in the southwest training area of the sprawling base in Washington state, according to the army. Joint Base Lewis-McChord is one of the largest bases in the [...]
December 14, 2011
VIDEO: US officer parks car on lamppost
A police office in the US state of Florida has accidentally driven his patrol car into the tension rod of a telephone pole and ended up parked upright against the mast. Stunned residents came out of their homes to observe the spectacle in Liberty City, Miami. The driver escaped the vehicle unhurt.
December 14, 2011
Alabama immigration law on mobile homes blocked by judge
A federal judge has temporarily blocked a part of Alabama‘s tough new immigration law that requires residents to show proof of citizenship when registering mobile homes with the state. US district judge Myron Thompson of the Middle District of Alabama wrote in a 108-page opinion that the law leaves illegal immigrants “between a rock and [...]
December 14, 2011
Wisconsin faces lawsuit as civil rights groups cry foul over new voting rules
A tough new law in the state of Wisconsin requiring voters to carry a photo ID card before they can cast their vote is being challenged in a federal lawsuit that claims thousands of poor, black and elderly people could be disenfranchised. The legal action, lodged in the federal court for the eastern district of [...]
December 14, 2011
December 13, 2011
Uzbekistan torture ignored by the west, say human rights group
Western governments have turned a blind eye to criticism of torture and rights abuses in Uzbekistan to preserve relations with the state pivotal to supplying Nato forces in Afghanistan, according to a human rights watchdog. New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Uzbekistan, a former Soviet republic of 28 million people, had failed to keep [...]
December 13, 2011
Iran refuses to return US drone
13 December 2011 Last updated at 10:21 GMT Iranian TV showed the unmanned “stealth” aircraft apparently undamaged Iran has rejected a US call for the return of an American spy drone captured by Iran’s military. The aircraft was now “property” of Iran and it was up to Iran to decide what to do with it, [...]
December 13, 2011
Top court to rule on Arizona law
12 December 2011 Last updated at 22:38 GMT The Obama administration is challenging immigration laws in a handful of US states The US Supreme Court has said it will rule on the legality of Arizona’s tough immigration law. It requires police to demand proof of citizenship if they suspect anyone they stop is in the [...]
December 12, 2011
Arabs denounce Gingrich remarks
12 December 2011 Last updated at 11:24 GMT Mr Gingrich has defended his claim that the Palestinians are an “invented” people The Arab League has condemned the Republican US presidential contender, Newt Gingrich, for calling Palestinians an “invented” people and “terrorists”. Mohammed Sobeih, who handles Palestinian affairs for the regional organisation, said the claims were [...]
December 12, 2011
‘Strip search’ claims prompt call for advocate at US airports
December 11, 2011 by legitgov ShareThis ‘Strip search’ claims prompt call for advocate at US airports 11 Dec 2011 Two New York lawmakers want to place a passenger advocate at airports to immediately act on complaints from passengers about security screenings. U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer and state Sen. Michael Gianaris, both Democrats, are calling on [...]
December 11, 2011
US Republicans Debate in Iowa
U.S. Republican presidential candidate hopefuls held a debate Saturday in the central U.S. city of Des Moines, Iowa – the state that will hold the party’s first nominating event in less than a month. Newt Gingrich, the former speaker of the House of Representatives, has recently emerged as the front-runner in the race. [...]
December 11, 2011
Indiana unearths $320 million in unknown tax revenue
(CNN) — Indiana’s state government has discovered $320 million in funds it didn’t know it had, money that officials stumbled across while enacting statewide belt-tightening measures. “Christmas came early,” Gov. Mitch Daniels said. During a press conference Tuesday, Daniels cited a “programming omission” and modernized tax collection processes for unearthing the $320 million in corporate [...]