The Malaysian High Court Monday accepted a challenge by Malay-Roman Catholic Herald newspaper to a government ban on using the word "Allah" as a synonym for "God," rejecting the government's argument that the lawsuit by the Kuala...

The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Sunday abandoned a proposal to legally recognize same-sex civil union ceremonies after the Australian federal government threatened to veto Civil Partnerships Bill 2006 if it passed the ACT...

Bolivians in the state of Santa Cruz participated in a regional referendum Sunday on greater autonomy from the Bolivian national government despite opposition from Bolivian President Evo Morales , who characterized the...

The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday in Giles v. California , 07-6053, where the Court considered whether a criminal defendant can block the testimony of...

Afghan President Hamid Karzai rejected calls for the reinstatement of a moratorium on the death penalty Monday, saying that while he prefers life sentences, he will abide by Islamic law's sanctioning of the...

Sergei Ordzhonikidze, director-general of the UN Office at Geneva , on Monday urged UN member states to advance the cause for human rights by increasing arms control efforts, saying that the improvement of human rights in developing regions...

Myanmar's military government has arrested more than 20 peaceful demonstrators protesting the scheduled May 10 national constitutional referendum , the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) said Tuesday. The NLD also said that government security forces have detained...

The National Assembly of Pakistan unanimously adopted a resolution late Monday calling for a United Nations investigation into the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto . The resolution now goes to...

The UK Ministry of Defense confirmed Tuesday that it has reached a settlement with an Iraqi teenage civilian who was paralyzed in an accidental shooting in Basra in 2003. The plaintiff, who was 13 at the time...

Zimbabwe's High Court rejected a bid Monday by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) to compel the Zimbabwean Electoral Commission (ZEC) to immediately release the results of the country's March 29 presidential election . Last...