American businessman Philip H. Bloom pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges of conspiracy, bribery and money laundering in a corruption scandal that continues to expand as investigators find "more cases of a similar vein in the pipeline." In his guilty plea, Bloom, who was charged last year, admitted providing Robert J. Stein , a former US [...]

Raouf Abdel-Rahman , the chief judge in the Saddam Hussein trial , read out a report by prosecution experts as the trial resumed Wednesday that authenticated the former leader's signature on several more documents submitted into evidence . Reading from the report, Rahman said "The writing and signatures … that are related to Saddam Hussein [...]

The US Supreme Court on Wednesday heard oral arguments in United States v. Gonzalez-Lopez , where the court will decide whether a defendant is guaranteed a new trial under the Sixth Amendment right to counsel if a trial court improperly denies a person their choice of counsel. In the case, Gonzalez-Lopez wanted to bring in [...]

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak suggested Tuesday that the country's emergency laws will be extended before they expire in June. Mubarak said that a nearly two-year gap between the expiration of the emergency provisions and new anti-terror legislation that could result from delays in the legislature would be a "serious danger." The emergency laws have been [...]

The attorneys general of New Jersey and California said Tuesday that they will file a lawsuit against tobacco manufacturers over payments they allege are due to them under the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) . New Jersey Attorney General Zulima Farber said the state's lawsuit against R.J. Reynolds and Lorillard requests a court order recognizing [...]

The UN Committee against Torture (CAT) said Tuesday that the panel has submitted a lengthy interrogatory to the US seeking information on the treatment of prisoners detained at Guantanamo Bay, Abu Ghraib and in Afghanistan . The CAT also demanded information about secret detention centers allegedly operated by the US in Europe, and asked if [...]

An Act,. Relating to pardons; to provide that a person convicted of violating a state law or municipal ordinance whose purpose was to maintain or enforce racial segregation or discrimination would be granted a pardon of the conviction upon application, Alabama Legislature, passed April 18, 2006 . Read the full text of the legislation. Reported [...]

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe on Tuesday threatened harsh punishments for any groups that oppose his government in an Independence Day speech. He said, "Anyone who dares go against the law … dares lead any group of persons to embark on a campaign of violence or terrorist activities will be inviting the full wrath of the [...]

The speaker of the Russian Duma , Russia's lower house of parliament, said Tuesday that parliament would not hold another vote on whether to modify the constitution to allow the president to run for a third term. The Russian Constitution , adopted in 1993, limits presidents to two consecutive four-year terms. Russian President Vladimir Putin [...]

A military judge Tuesday said that US Army Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller , the former commander of military intelligence at the Guantanamo Bay prison facility, can be called to testify at the upcoming trial of a sergeant accused of using dogs to abuse detainees at the Abu Ghraib detention center in Iraq. Miller will testify [...]