The US, France, and the UK circulated a draft UN Security Council resolution Wednesday seeking to postpone plans for Kosovo's independence for 120 days to facilitate further discussions with Serbia and Russia, which oppose independence. Kosovar Prime Minister Agim Ceku nonetheless urged the international community to quickly adopt a UN-supervised independence plan for Kosovo , [...]

Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid M. Kasuri has said that President Pervez Musharraf will not resort to martial law in the midst of continuing anti-government agitation by lawyers and opposition groups because it is "unconstitutional." In an interview with PBS Tuesday, Kasuri reiterated Musharraf's pledge to "work within the confines of the constitution" despite protests against [...]

The US Supreme Court handed down decisions in three cases Thursday, including Rita v. United States , where the Court held that a prison sentence falling within the federal sentencing guidelines may be presumed to be a reasonable sentence on appeal, but the presumption of reasonableness is not binding. Victor Rita was convicted of obstructing [...]

Thai prosecutors formally filed corruption charges against former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife Pojamarn at the Supreme Court of Justice Thursday, charging the exiled Thaksin with abuse of power for personal gain, conflict of interest violations, and also dereliction of duty for personal gain. The charges stem from a 2003 land purchase [...]

The Supreme Assembly of Tajikistan voted unanimously Wednesday to approve an amnesty proposed by President Emomali Rahmon , paving the way for Rahmon to reduce the sentences of hundreds of Islamic militants imprisoned for fighting against the government during the 1992-1997 Tajikistani Civil War . The amnesty will not reduce the sentences of militants convicted [...]

US Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff has criticized a bipartisan amendment to the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007 that seeks to loosen the worker verification program by requiring employers to verify only the immigration status of new job applicants. In a letter sent late Tuesday to Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Sen. Arlen Spector [...]

A German Presidency policy paper proposing that European Union nations abandon talks on a constitutional treaty circulated Wednesday, just prior to Thursday's summit meeting of European Council in Brussels. Last week German Chancellor Angela Merkel , the summit chair, expressed doubts that the meeting would see any progress beyond a road map to an eventual [...]

The Colombian Senate voted 34-29 against landmark gay rights legislation Tuesday. The bill, endorsed by President Alvaro Uribe , was approved by the lower house 62-43 last week. Many of the 102 Senators were not present Tuesday for what was expected to be a routine bloc vote, but a conservative call for a floor vote [...]

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Wednesday moved to ease accounting procedures required for foreign companies trading on US exchanges. The SEC commissioners voted 5-0 to amend federal regulations to accept financial statements prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) , as published by the International Accounting Standards Board , rather than [...]

The New York State Assembly Tuesday passed a bill to legalize same-sex marriage following three hours of often emotional debate. The bill was proposed in April by New York Governor Eliot Spitzer , and was sponsored in the Assembly by gay Assemblymember Daniel O'Donnell , brother of talk show host Rosie O'Donnell. Assemblymember O'Donnell, who [...]