A draft chapter of the new Iraq constitution obtained by the Associated Press has raised concerns similar to those raised last week after another leaked draft obtained by the New York Times story prompted questions about the future of women's rights in the country. Both drafts make gender equality subject to Islamic law and appear [...]

According to Bhakta Bahadur Koirala, chairman of the anti-graft commission in Nepal , ex-prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and former public works minister Prakash Man Singh have been sentenced to two years in jail and fined $1.26 million each for their roles in a scandal involving the $464 million Melamchi Water Project . The contractor, [...]

The Bush adminstration said Monday that it will release documents related to Judge John Roberts and his time in the White House counsel office and earlier position at the Attorney General's office, but not documents from his tenure as principal deputy solicitor general. The release fulfills a request by Senate Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter (R-PA), [...]

Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney vetoed a bill on Monday that would have expanded access to emergency contraceptives . The move was symbolic since the bill passed the Massachusetts House and Senate with enough votes to override a veto, leading some political observers to call the move posturing for a possible 2008 presidential bid by Romney. [...]

California Attorney General Bill Lockyer released a title and summary for the proposed California Marriage Amendment Monday, opening the door for supporters of the document to begin gathering the hundreds of thousands of signatures needed to include the measure on the June 2006 ballot. Lockyer's analysis stresses that the proposal affects more than gay marriage, [...]

Muslim extremist Mohammed Bouyeri , who confessed to the November 2004 murder of Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh , was sentenced to life in prison, the harshest possible sentence, on Tuesday in Amsterdam. Bouyeri said he killed Van Gough in response to his film, "Submission" , which criticized the treatment of women under Islam. The [...]

Japan, Brazil, Germany and India, known collectively as the G-4 nations, and the African Union reached an agreement Monday to present a single resolution for the UN Security Council expansion . According to Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura the G-4 nations will support the African Union plan to add five nonpermanent members, instead of four [...]

US House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Peter Hoekstra (R-MI) , speaking before the conservative Heritage Foundation on Monday, called for a "comprehensive law" to punish those who leak sensitive government information. Hoekstra said that the committee will hold hearings later this year on ways to prevent leaks, adding that intentional leaks of classified [...]

A video released Monday obtained by AP shows the Iraqi Special Tribunal questioning former officials of Saddam Hussein's regime, including Ali Hassan al-Majid , known as "Chemical Ali" for his alleged role in gassing the Kurdish village of Halabja, about the killing of Shiites, Kurds, and followers of rival political parties. Others interviewed in the [...]

The head of the Arab League on Monday endorsed a definition of terrorism slated for inclusion in a long-stalled UN treaty that many Arab states oppose. The proposal would define terrorism as "the targeting and deliberate killing of civilians and noncombatants" though this definition has caused some controversy over how to classify Palestinian suicide bombings [...]