re courts.Rights groups have said some officers have explained the tests as
a way to clear their names of possible charges of abuse by
the protesters. Women protesters said they were threatened with prostitution charges before
they were subjected to the tests.Hossam Bahgat, a human rights activist who
was involved in the case, said the court ruling restores some justice
to the abused women and is a first step toward holding military
officials accountable."It is also very symbolically important because it is a crack
in the wall of impunity the (military rulers) have built around their
personnel and their conduct" against protesters and women in particular, he said.He
said the lawyers will try to upgrade the charges against the army
doctor to sexual assault instead of the current indecent act.Ibrahim, who covers
her hair in the style of conservative Muslims, told a private TV
station Monday that she filed the suits because she wanted to spare
others what she wen
illion.Those increases, I think, are dramatic," Reichert told Fox News.A longtime Democratic
tax lawyer says royalties, or passive income are a common tool for
nonprofit groups to earn revenues, and pointed to the Sierra Club as
another beneficiary of arms-length arrangements."That is the classic royalty situation where the
Sierra Club in effect simply makes its mailing lists available to other
charities in return for royalty," said attorney Bill Josephson. "I don't have
any problem with that, nor does anybody else."But Republicans say AARP's deal
with United HealthCare is different, and in the letter to the IRS,
they point to what they say are several examples of AARPs daily
influence over the business, including its authority over United's operating plan and
its ability to "approve, modify on a line-by-line basis, or provide specific
direction to United."Josephson said if thats indeed the case, "the kinds of
hands-on relationships (AARP) has with its supposedl
Disney Parks and Resorts. Republicans and Democrats in Congress are backing the
proposed changes through six bills in the House and Senate.Geoff Freeman, the
travel association's chief operating officer, said the State Department should be required
to keep visa interview wait times at a maximum of 10 days."Every
day a person is waiting for that interview is a day a
person cannot be here supporting the American economy," he said.For most foreigners,
taking a last-minute business or leisure trip to New York, Los Angeles,
Miami or other U.S. travel hubs would be nearly impossible. The average
wait time for a visa interview in Rio de Janeiro, for example,
was 87 days, according to the State Department.The Government Accountability Office, a
nonpartisan agency that audits federal programs, concluded that wait times are likely
much longer than reported because some department employees artificially reduce the wait
times by not scheduling interviews during high-demand
NEW YORK Three security contractors including two Americans were released by
Iraqi Army forces Tuesday after they were held for more than two
weeks, the chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security announced as
he demanded a full report on the episode.Republican Peter King identified the
men as Army veteran Alex Antiohos of West Babylon, N.Y., National Guardsman
Jonas March of Savannah, Georgia and Kevin Fisher of Fiji.King said they
were working for a security firm when Iraqi Ministry of Defense officials
rejected paperwork prepared on their behalf by the Iraqi Ministry of Interior
and began holding them on Dec. 9.The men weren't charged with any
crimes and King said it appeared that the men were not injured.He
said Antiohos, who lives on Long Island, spoke to his wife Tuesday
evening, and he was expected to be home later this week."She said
he seems to be doing well," he said.King said they were released
after efforts by his office, the State Depart
preme leader" of the party, state and army.Kim was somber in a
long, dark overcoat as he strode alongside his father's hearse accompanied by
top party officials behind him and key military leaders on the other
side of the limousine -- a lineup that was a good look
at who will be the core leadership in North Korea.North Korea now
turns to Thursday's memorial ceremony. Although there will be tributes to Kim
Jong Il, the country will be turning toward Kim Jong Un, analysts
said."The message will be clear: Kim Jong Un now leads the country
and there is no alternative," said Kim Yeon-su, a North Korea expert
at the state-run Korea National Defense University in South Korea.There will also
be more attention paid to the inner circle forming around Kim Jong
Un.On Wednesday, he was accompanied by Jang Song Thaek, Kim Jong Il's
brother-in-law and a vice chairman of the powerful National Defense Commission, who
is expected to be crucial in helping Kim Jong Un take power.
Also escorting the limousine were military chief Ri Yong Ho and People's
Armed Forces Minster Kim Yong Chun. Their presence indicates they will be
important players as the younger Kim consolidates his leadership. Top Workers' Party
officials Choe Thae Bok and Kim Ki Nam and senior military officer
Kim Jong Gak also took prominent positions.The early part of Wednesday's funeral
ceremony was shrouded in secrecy, as in 1994, when Kim Il Sung
died. Back then, Kim Jong Il and top officials held a private,
hourlong ceremony inside the Kumsusan palace before the procession through the city,
according to his official biography.Pyongyang's foreign diplomats were invited to attend the
procession, though few other outsiders appeared to be allowed into the country
for the funeral. One foreign diplomat in Pyongyang, who asked not to
be named because of the sensitive nature of her work, said funereal
music played and people wept as the convoy left Kumsusan followed by
a lar
