But imagine that Pennsylvania actually litigates to a successful conclusion and has the consent decree between Penn State and the NCAA overturned.

CNN: Pennsylvania's lawsuit against NCAA is absurd

It had issued a decree sacking the Bihar state government for its failure to stem the slaughter of low-caste labourers by private armies of landowners, and imposed direct rule from Delhi.

ECONOMIST: India

On the day the decree was published, state-run newspaper al-Ahram said that an internal report by a commission monitoring the performance of state-run radio and TV described the state TV stations' coverage as "non-professional", "confused", and "lost" as they waited for directives on how to cover the news.

BBC: Egypt state TV inconsistent in constitution decree row

Earlier this year, President Karimov issued a decree ordering the privatisation of hundreds of state firms in an apparent effort to attract investment.

BBC: Uzbeks deprived of mobile service

The only organizations excluded from the measures will be the Cypriot state and the country's central bank, the decree said.

WSJ: Cyprus Braces for Bank Openings

There he promised cheap loans for farmers and lashed out at privatised utilities, but said he no longer favoured state takeovers, and that he would seek to negotiate, rather than decree, lower debt payments.

ECONOMIST: Peru

Officials at Penn State, which isn't involved in either legal action, signed a consent decree last summer agreeing to the penalties.

WSJ: Heard on the Field: Champions League: Advantage Goes to Milan

But while western diplomats demand a letter from Iran revoking the decree, they may get second best - a ruling which says it is not in the state's interests to carry out the death sentence.

BBC: Despatches

Since his campaign, Morales vowed to tighten state control over this resource and the mining industries and as of May 1, 2006, he signed a decree stating that all natural gas reserves were to be nationalized.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: chavez_castro_morales copy