Spanish National Court Judge Santiago Pedraz Gómez reinstated charges May 21 against three US soldiers for their involvement in the death of Spanish cameraman José Couso, which occurred when the soldiers opened fire on a Baghdad hotel frequented by Western journalists in 2003, allegedly without provocation.

A judge in the US District Court of New Jersey dismissed a lawsuit May 19 brought by the Constitutional Litigation Clinic at the Rutgers School of Law alleging that former president George W. Bush violated Congress's constitutional power to declare war by initiating a preemptive war against the nation of Iraq.

The US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Richmond, VA, ruled May 13 that the insurance company for defense contractor CACI International has no duty to defend or indemnify CACI against claims of torture at Iraq prisons such as Abu Ghraib. CACI conceded that its insurance policy from St. Paul Fire & Marine Insurance Co. generally covered the intelligence contractor only in the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico but argued that its policy covered some claims involving CACI employees who were abroad for a "short time" on business.

Basra's oil pipeline workers, who had been staging occupations of the facilities since April 27 to demand back pay, scored a victory this week as the Baghdad administration agreed to meet with their leaders and negotiate a payment schedule. The administration capitulated after the workers threatened to shut down the pipeline and call a general strike. Union leader Faisal Hamdan told management the workers were prepared to immediately shut down all exports fro Basra's harbor.

A jury in US District Court for the Western District of Kentucky on May 7 convicted former Pfc. Steven D. Green of the rape and murder of an Iraqi girl, and the murder of her family in Mahmudiya. Prosecutors had previously elected to seek the death penalty against Green, one of six soldiers who was initially charged with the various crimes resulting from the rape and murders.

From Dow Jones, April 30, via InvestorsIraq.com:

LONDON — The Iraqi government is taking fresh action to attract badly needed foreign investment, including moving toward allowing foreigners to own land, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Thursday. The Iraqi economy has been hit by falling oil revenue and the global recession.

Iran launched a cross-border air attack on Kurdish rebel positions in Iraq May 2—the first time Tehran has used aircraft against Kurdish guerillas. Kurdish border guards claim that Iranian helicopters began shelling three Kurdish villages—Kani Saif, Jomarasi and Kara Sozi—in the remote Panjwin district of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region at 1:30 AM local time. The attacks continued for over an hour. The aircraft reportedly did not enter Iraq and there were no reports of casualties.

Turkish warplanes again bombed PKK strongholds in northern Iraq on April 29 and 30 Anakara said. The new strikes targeted positions in the Zap and Avashin-Basyan region of Iraq's Kurdish autonomous zone, the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) said in a statement on its Web site. "The targets ... have been hit effectively and with full accuracy," the statement said. There was no estimate of casualties.