UK Court Protects Tony Blair from War Crimes Suit

The UK High Court has blocked a war crimes suit against Tony Blair for the Iraq invasion, but that won't stop the effort to hold him accountable, says author and activist Chris Nineham

No Brexit without Parliamentary Approval – UK High Court Rules

Britons who voted for their country to leave the EU have been dealt a blow by a ruling from the UK’s High Court, which says the government will need Parliament’s approval to go ahead with Brexit.

What Brexit Judgment Means - BBC News

The BBC's assistant political editor says the High Court decision to say MPs must give their go-ahead before the formal Article 50 process of leaving the EU is triggered has "thrown an almighty spanner in the works" for Prime Minister Theresa May. Norman Smith was speaking on the BBC News Channel as the verdict was delivered.

UK's Brexit Cannot Pass without Parliament Approval

Britain's High Court has ruled there must be parliament approval first for the UK to leave the European Union.

Brexit Appeal: Parliament Has Final Say in Triggering Article 50

In a major blow for Prime Minister Theresa May, the British government has lost its case for making the sole call on triggering Article 50, the formal process to begin negotiations to leave the European Union.

Hindu Elder Goes to High Court for Right to Open-air Cremation
THE GUARDIAN: Davender Ghai, 70, says he is being discriminated against on grounds of race and religion

Davender Ghai, centre, arriving at court. Photo courtesy of The Guardian
An elderly Hindu man will today ask the high court for the right to have an open-air cremation , claiming that to deny him such a ritual "will enslave his soul in endless earthly entrapment".

Davender Ghai, 70, is challenging Newcastle city council's decision to refuse him an open-air cremation when he dies. He claims that this refusal discriminates against him on the grounds of race and religion, contrary to equality and race relation laws. If successful, say his lawyers, the case could set a precedent for designated natural cremation sites around the country.

They also described today's review as "the most controversial religious freedom case in British legal history".

The local authority argues that open-air funeral pyres are outlawed by the 1902 Cremation Act. In 2006, it blocked his attempt to establish Britain's first approved site for burning bodies outdoors. Ghai, however, claims to have tested the law in July 2006, when he lit the funeral pyre of Rajpal Mehat in Northumberland.

In a witness statement to be read out in court today, Ghai says he is asking for equality not exemption.

"Local authorities routinely ­provide separate Muslim and Jewish burial grounds and out-of-hours registration and immediate or weekend burials. Hindus should cremate before the following sunset, too, and yet we, along with the general public, wait for up to a week.

"No one expects Hindus to marry in a church so why are Hindu funerals shoehorned through chapels of rest designed like Anglican churches?" >>> Riazat Butt, Religious Affairs Correspondent | Tuesday, March 24, 2009