US District Judge Denise Cote gave preliminary approval Monday to a civil settlement that would have convicted former WorldCom CEO Bernard Ebbers forfeit as much as $45 million in personal assests in order to avoid paying restitution. Ebbers still faces criminal sentencing for his conviction on Wednesday; a lengthy prison term is expected. AP has [...]

Fomer Russian prime minister Mikhail Kasyanov is being investigated by Russia's Prosecutor General for fraud and abuse of trust, according to Russian media reports Monday. Kasyanov is suspected of buying a $100 million country home and another real estate parcel at a fraction of their cost. He said he is "ready to provide every assistance [...]

Indonesia filed criminal charges Monday against Richard Ness, the American chief of Newmont Mining Corporation's Indonesian subsidiary, alleging environmental pollution. Indonesia previously filed a $133 million civil suit against Newmont, which has denied any wrongdoing . The charges stem from claims that residents near a Newmont facility became ill from waste dumped into the air [...]

Leading Monday's international brief, debate begins today in the UN General Assembly on the draft resolution proposal to expand the UN Security Council by six new permanent member seats, among them the proposing G4 nations , and four new non-permanent member seats. The draft proposal, released last Wednesday , and formally submitted to the General [...]

Iraq's parliament will debate a "comprehensive" bill later this month that would allow it to reorganize the Iraqi Special Tribunal (IST) charged with trying Saddam Hussein and move his trial up, preferably to before the scheduled October referendum on a new Iraqi constitution. The first reading of the bill is scheduled for July 20. The [...]

Nine construction workers have died after Iraqi police left them in a metal container for 14 hours in blistering summer heat. Iraqi police detained 12 men suspected of insurgent activity after a firefight with US troops. One of the survivors claimed he was also tortured with electric shocks. Iraq has admitted to abuses by its [...]

Republican officials expect President Bush to put forward a nominee to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor at the end of July, according to Monday's Washington Post. Senator Orrin Hatch has meanwhile joined several other Senators in speculating that Chief Justice William Rehnquist will retire within days, telling Meet The Press Sunday, "That's my sense, [...]

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove spoke with TIME magazine reporter Matthew Cooper just days before the identity of CIA operative Valerie Plame was revealed in a newspaper column by Bob Novak, but although he referred to her he has denied mentioning her by name, Rove's lawyer said Sunday. Cooper has agreed to [...]

Jury selection begins Monday in the first of over 3,800 state and federal lawsuits against pharmaceutical giant Merck , alleging that the company knew its popular painkiller Vioxx was dangerous before it voluntarily pulled the drug from the market in September 2004. The SEC is also investigating the company's handling of the drug. The first [...]

Cyrus Kar, the American filmmaker detained by US forces in Iraq in May and held for 54 days after the taxi he was riding in was stopped at a checkpoint and found to be carrying timing devices that could be used to make bombs, described his ordeal to reporters in Baghdad Sunday after his release [...]