DNA tests announced in a Sri Lanka court Monday confirmed that "Baby 81," a baby boy rescued from debris in the wake of the tsunami, does in fact belong to the couple who had launched a legal battle for his custody. The finding ended weeks of drama concerning the fate of the baby, who became [...]

Eleven al Qaeda suspects began their trial in Yemen on Monday, charged with trying to support insurgents battling against US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. The defendants were also charged with planning attacks in Yemen. The defendants admitted to forging passports, but denied all other charges. If convicted, they face an unspecified amount of jail [...]

President Bush on Monday urged Congress to re-authorize the USA Patriot Act, the widely-criticized legislation passed in the wake of September 11. "We must not allow the passage of time or the illusion of safety to weaken our resolve in this new war," said Bush while attending the formal swearing-in ceremony of new Attorney General [...]

Apple Computer and Sony will appear in a French court over claims that their respective music download sites, iTunes and Connect, are deceptive and force customers to buy other products which are tied together. The French consumer group Union Federale des Consommateurs–Que Choisir has initiated the lawsuits, and claims that Sony and Apple limit consumer [...]

Israeli Internal Security Minister Gideon Ezra has told the Jerusalem Post that he is in favor of placing certain radicals opposed to Prime Minister Sharon's plan to pull out of the Gaza Strip in administrative detention, i.e hold them without trial . Israel has so far only used this measure for Palestinian militants. Ezra cited [...]

Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm backed off her earlier support for displaying the Ten Commandments in the state Capitol, and said on Monday that she now believes such a display would be unconstitutional. On Friday, the governor had said she did not object to such a display. "I know that will make some people mad. But [...]

Leading Monday's corporations and securities law news, insurance giant American International Group (AIG) announced it has received subpoenas from New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer and the SEC "relating to investigations of nontraditional insurance products and certain assumed reinsurance transactions and AIG's accounting for such transactions." AIG said it will cooperate with the probe. Spitzer, [...]

Amnesty International has issued a Valentine's Day warning that "conflict diamonds," gems whose sale finances war, terrorism, and human rights abuses, are still being imported into the US due to loopholes in Customs procedures. The 2003 Clean Diamond Trade Act prohibits most imports that do not comply with the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme, but Amnesty [...]

The Pentagon announced on Monday that it is investigating eight additional Air Force contracts to determine if they were a product of illegal influence or manipulation by Darleen Druyun. Druyun, a former Air Force official, was convicted last year of giving preferential treatment to Boeing on a tanker lease deal. After leaving the Air Force, [...]

British legal experts on the BBC news program Panorama have warned that a civil marriage between Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles might not be allowed under existing legislation. The 1836 Marriage Act, which permitted marriages outside the church, contained an exemption for the royal family. Experts are divided on whether the 1949 Marriage Act, [...]