The passive personality principle allows states, in limited cases, to claim jurisdiction to try a foreign national for offenses committed abroad that affect its own citizens.
It is puzzling that Americans who commit nonviolent offenses in foreign countries are subject to trial and conviction, but Americans who commit violent offenses in the United States are effectively immune from prosecution.
They incorporate everyone, move the ball, run a motion offense almost foreign to the N.B.A. of the new millennium.
The Sri Lankan foreign secretary took "serious offense" at that, adding, It is not the role of the UN office to say anything in public to embarrass the host government.
The government is also probing Citigroup in connection with manipulating foreign exchange markets and other offenses.
In the Communist era, Mr. Rashkov, 69, was convicted several times of offenses involving illegal foreign exchange and gold transactions.
"We continue to receive reports of sexual offenses committed against foreign women and men," the British Embassy warns on its Web site.
"Red Granite is funded with monies that include proceeds from offenses against a foreign nation that involve bribery of public officials, or misappropriation, theft, or embezzlement of public funds by a public official," the complaint reads.
The law under which Mr. Zaidi has been charged applies to offenses against a foreign leader on a formal visit; if the visit is found to be informal, a largely technical point, it will cast the matter onto less certain legal ground.
Indian officials accused the United States of hypocrisy, saying that American officials routinely demand immunity for their own nationals in foreign postings for more serious offenses.
