Ben Davis : "The rejection today by the Senate Armed Services Committee of the President's draft bill on detainees and the voting out of a draft supported by Senators Warner, McCain and Graham and Democrats, together with the opposition expressed by former Secretary of State Colin Powell, appear to be progress towards a bill that [...]

A New York appeals court Thursday granted the request of former New York Stock Exchange chairman Richard Grasso to delay the trial in a civil lawsuit filed by the state over the $187.5 million compensation package he received in 2003. The trial was set to begin October 16, but Grasso requested a delay in order [...]

US officials Thursday released two Kuwaiti men who had been held for four years at the US prison camp in Guantanamo Bay , Cuba, after the military announced their intended transfer over the weekend. It is currently unclear whether Omar Rajab Amin and Abdullah Kamel al-Kandari will face charges or further detention in Kuwait, or [...]

The Bush administration said Thursday that the US Senate was "trying to play politics" by putting off a vote on the status of John Bolton as US ambassador to the United Nations . Senator Lincoln Chafee (R-RI) moved to table a committee vote on Bolton last week and the White House says it has been [...]

An Indian court in Mumbai convicted a fifth man Thursday in connection with the 1993 Mumbai bombings , a series of attacks which killed 257 people and injured over 700 others in India's financial center. The court found that Mohammed Ghanser planted explosives near the Zaveri Bazaar market which caused a blast that killed 17 [...]

A UN report released Thursday urges countries to develop a common understanding of the "precautionary principle," a term freely used by nations that do not want to allow certain trade products to enter their borders on health or environmental grounds. The study, conducted by the UN University's Institute of Advanced Studies , found that countries [...]

The paper ballots from Mexico's disputed July 2 presidential election will be destroyed under the order of the Federal Electoral Tribunal , despite objections from President-elect Felipe Calderon who wanted the ballots preserved in an effort to strengthen public confidence in his controversial victory. In a letter to Calderon, the electoral court said it made [...]

The government of Pakistan has delayed introducing legislation that would change Islamic rape and adultery laws after a deal with Islamist parties over a watered-down version of the 2006 Protection of Women Bill fell through, according to Pakistani officials Thursday. Earlier this month, members of an Islamist alliance threatened to quit the Pakistan parliament over [...]

The US House of Representatives Wednesday passed the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 , legislation that provides for the creation of a website to allow the public access to information regarding companies which receive government contracts and grants. The new measure, which was approved by a voice vote, calls for the Internet [...]

The investigating officer presiding over preliminary hearings for a US Marine accused of kidnapping and murdering an unarmed Iraqi civilian has recommended that the Marine face court-martial on murder charges, the Marine's lawyer said Wednesday. US Marine Corps Pfc. John Jodka III is accused of firing the deadly shots in the April 26 death of [...]