UN chief meets atomic-bomb victims in Nagasaki

TOKYO – United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon met victims of the atomic bombing during his first visit to Nagasaki on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu Thursday.

Nagasaki is to hold the ceremony commemorating the atomic bombing of the city by the United States August 9, 1945, which Ban is not scheduled to attend. … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : UN chief meets atomic-bomb victims in Nagasaki.

Judge says NY fire department entry test unfair to blacks, stops hiring of 300 firefighters

Judge blocks FDNY hiring, says test is invalid

NEW YORK – The mostly white Fire Department of New York is temporarily barred from hiring more than 300 rookie firefighters because it used an entry exam that discriminates against blacks and Hispanics, a judge ruled Wednesday.
In a written decision in federal court in Brooklyn, U.S. District Judge … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Judge says NY fire department entry test unfair to blacks, stops hiring of 300 firefighters.

Federal court in Ohio dismisses Joe the Plumber’s lawsuit against former state employees

Ohio court dismisses Joe the Plumber’s fed lawsuit
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A federal court in Ohio has dismissed a lawsuit that claimed former state employees violated the constitutional rights of a man Republicans dubbed Joe the Plumber by illegally accessing his personal information.
The GOP hailed suburban Toledo resident Samuel “Joe” Wurzelbacher (WUR’-zuhl-bah-kur) in 2008 … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Federal court in Ohio dismisses Joe the Plumber’s lawsuit against former state employees.

Blagojevich jurors end sixth day without verdict in former Ill. governor’s corruption trial

Blagojevich jurors end day without verdict
CHICAGO – Jurors deliberating the corruption case against former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich have ended a sixth day of deliberations.
Jurors went home Wednesday without announcing a verdict. Earlier in the day, attorneys and prosecutors agreed on instructions that would be read to jurors if they convict Blagojevich of …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Federal judge overturns California gay marriage ban (Lead, changing dateline)

SAN FRANCISCO – A federal judge overturned California’s ban on same sex marriage, saying that the voter-approved restriction violated the highest law of the land, the US constitution.

The ruling Wednesday by Judge Vaughn Walker overturned a 2009 ruling by the California Supreme Court that upheld a state-wide ballot proposition in 2008 that reserved marriage for … Read : Federal judge overturns California gay marriage ban (Lead, changing dateline).

California allows same sex marriage

WASHINGTON – Same sex couples in California have a right to be married, said a ruling issued Wednesday in a federal court in San Francisco that overturned a ban on gay marriage in the state.

US district chief judge Vaughn Walker said banning same sex marriage violates the US Constitution because it denies equal rights to … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : California allows same sex marriage.

Congress may not give opinion on caste-based census

NEW DELHI – The Congress is considering the option of not giving its opinion on a caste-based census to a group of ministers (GoM) headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, a senior party leader said Wednesday.

The party is likely to go by the stand of the government on the issue, the leader said, at a …. Source article  : Congress may not give opinion on caste-based census.

Canadian judge rejects US request to extradite Canadian on terrorism charges

Judge denies US extradition request
TORONTO – A Canadian indicted in the U.S. on charges he supplied al-Qaida with weapons was freed Wednesday after more than four years in jail after a judge refused to extradite him to the United States.

Abdullah Khadr, 29, has been held in Canada on a U.S. warrant since his December 2005 … Read : Canadian judge rejects US request to extradite Canadian on terrorism charges.

Judges clear the way for model Naomi Campbell to testify at Charles Taylor’s war crimes trial

Naomi Campbell to speak at Taylor war crimes trial

THE HAGUE, Netherlands – Judges at the Special Court for Sierra Leone have rejected a final protest from Charles Taylor, clearing the way for model Naomi Campbell to testify at his war crimes trial on Thursday.
Taylor’s lawyer had objected to Campbell testifying, arguing that the prosecution had …. Source article  : Judges clear the way for model Naomi Campbell to testify at Charles Taylor’s war crimes trial.

Order DNA tests if unavoidable, courts told

NEW DELHI – The Supreme Court has said that courts should exercise extreme caution in ordering a DNA test to determine the paternity of a child as this could end up damaging his or her reputation.

In a matter where the paternity of a child is questioned, the use of DNA test is an extremely delicate … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Order DNA tests if unavoidable, courts told.