About 150 opposition activists from South Ossetia have held an unapproved protest in front the Russian Duma in Moscow, RFE/RL’s Russian Service reports.
The protesters object to the policies of South Ossetian President Eduard Kokoity.
Alan Gassiev, a member of the political council of the opposition People’s Party, told RFE/RL that Kokoity is implementing "antidemocratic politics."
Japan’s main opposition party has formally decided to pick a new leader on Saturday to replace Ichiro Ozawa, who resigned over a political fund-raising scandal Monday.
Ozawa said on Monday the election to pick his successor should be held after the lower house completes its deliberations on the fiscal 2009 supplementary budget so as to minimize the impact on the public.
Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister, should be indicted for an alleged investment scheme, police say.
The recommendation to indict Olmert was issued on Thursday, adding more charges to a series of corruption scandals that have forced his resignation.
A police statement said that during Olmert’s term as trade minister under Ariel Sharon, the former Israeli prime minister, he diverted state money to Uri Messer, a former law partner.
Micky Rosenfeld, a police spokesman, said the anti-fraud unit’s non-binding recommendation included evidence of “fraud and breach of trust”.
The former China head of Morgan Stanley Real Estate is under investigation for possible violations of the foreign corrupt practices act, a US law that prohibits corporate bribery.
In a filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission, the investment bank said it had discovered actions initiated by an unnamed China-based employee that “appear to have violated” the act.
Three people familiar with the matter said the employee referred to in the filing was Garth Peterson, Morgan Stanley’s top property deal-maker in China until he was fired around Christmas.
Reporting from Springfield, Ill. — Brushing aside the governor’s pleas of innocence, the Illinois Senate unanimously voted Thursday to remove Rod R. Blagojevich and impose a “political death penalty” that bars him from ever holding public office in the state.
The action came after a four-day impeachment trial on allegations that the Democrat had abused his power — trying, among other things, to sell Barack Obama’s vacant Senate seat to the highest bidder.
Four Labour peers are facing a police corruption inquiry into claims that they were ready to pocket large sums for secretly amending laws in the House of Lords.
An official complaint accusing them of bribery will be made with Scotland Yard today as two high-level Parliamentary investigations into the claims begin.
The inquiries centre on former ministers Lord Truscott and Lord Moonie, ex-Government whip Lord Snape and Lord Taylor of Blackburn, a one-time education adviser to Margaret Thatcher.
