World court to deliver opinion on Israeli barrier

World court to deliveropinion on Israeli barrier
THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- The U.N.'s highest judicial authority rules today on the legality of the 425-mile-long barrier Israel is building in the West Bank in response to Palestinian suicide bombings that have killed hundreds of Israelis.
The Palestinians say they expect the International Court of Justice to rule in their favor, and officials in Jerusalem said on condition of anonymity they expected a decision critical of Israel.
The Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz reported on its Web site that the court will declare that the fence violates international law and must be dismantled. The court also will rule that Israel must compensate Palestinians whose land was confiscated for barrier construction, the newspaper reported.
The newspaper said its report was based on court documents it obtained. In an official statement, the court's administrator stressed that "the only authentic text is the official text issued by the court," but did not contest the accuracy of the Haaretz report.
The 15-member court's advisory opinions are nonbinding but bear moral, historic and political weight. They can be the basis for action by the U.N. General Assembly or Security Council.
Rain aids firefighters
SAFFORD, Ariz. -- Heavier rain was expected today and into the weekend, a welcome forecast for firefighters protecting multimillion-dollar telescopes at a southeastern Arizona observatory threatened by two wildfires.
Light rain fell Thursday on rugged Mount Graham, helping to raise the humidity level as high as 40 percent, well above the 15 percent it had been in recent days, said Brent Wachter, a National Weather Service meteorologist.
The low humidity and high temperatures had been driving the wildfires threatening the $200 million Mount Graham International Observatory and two communities of summer homes.
The higher humidity could slow the wildfire's growth, but it also created the potential for high winds that could spread the flames and lightning strikes that could spark more fires. The fires were both started by lightning.
"This is a bittersweet day," Wachter said.
Firefighters focused their efforts Thursday on protecting the nearly 100 homes in Turkey Flat and Columbine on the flanks of the mountain. They also reinforced protection for the observatory.
Teen charged in slayingsclaims abuse by his father
HONDO, N.M. -- Cody Posey told deputy sheriffs the slap he took from his father, the manager of newsman Sam Donaldson's ranch in southern New Mexico, was more than he could handle.
This time, it was across the face for not cleaning horse stalls fast enough, and the teenager said he had had enough.
After being hit Monday, Cody shot to death his father, Delbert Paul Posey, stepmother Tryone Posey and 14-year-old stepsister Mary Lee Schmid. Donaldson came across the crime scene Tuesday, and deputies found their bodies in a shallow grave near their home at Donaldson's Chavez Canyon Ranch.
Cody, 14, was to appear in court today on murder charges. District Attorney Scot Key said the boy could face adult penalties, including up to 30 years in prison, if convicted.
Cody took a gun from his stepsister's saddlebag in the barn and went into the house.
Tryone Posey, who was reading a book in the living room, was shot twice in the head, according to an affidavit filed in court Thursday. His father, who came racing into the house, was also shot in the head.
Guantanamo detainees
SAN FRANCISCO -- Prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, must challenge their detention in the District of Columbia, a federal appeals court has ruled.
The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia was the appropriate venue for the 595 detainees given that they are overseas and are suing the federal government.
Thursday's decision was the first time an appeals court had determined where the challenges should be lodged.
The detainees won the right to seek their freedom last month after the Supreme Court rejected the Bush administration's argument that the men could be kept in military custody indefinitely, without charges or trial, because they were picked up overseas on suspicion of terrorism.
In overruling the administration, the Supreme Court ordered the San Francisco appeals court to determine the proper venue for a Libyan captured in Afghanistan to challenge his two-year detention. Lawyers representing other detainees have said they planned to sue in the nation's capital.
Faren Gherebi filed his case in California well before the Supreme Court ruling.
Associated Press