Government officials in Zimbabwe said Thursday that the program of demolitions and forced evictions called Operation Murambatsvina has ended, but opposition leaders insist that demolitions and beatings are continuing and claim a top opposition official had been detained. International and domestic criticisms of the program have been widespread, with a report by a UN envoy [...]

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The US Department of State backtracked from prior statements Thursday evening and acknowledged that Bush UN ambassador nominee John Bolton provided Congress with inaccurate information about an investigation. The State Department had earlier insisted Bolton's answer in a confirmation process questionnaire "was truthful" when he said he hadn't been questioned or given information to jury [...]

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The Vatican said Thursday that not all attacks by Palestinian militants against the Jewish state have received their condemnation because Israel's military response has at times violated international law. The statement came in response to criticism from Israel over Pope Benedict XVI's failure to condemn the July 12 terrorist strikes against Israelis in a speech [...]

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Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap announced Thursday that the issue of whether to repeal the state's newly enacted gay rights law has qualified for the November state ballot. The proposed "Act to Extend Civil Rights Protections to All People Regardless of Sexual Orientation" adds the term "sexual orientation" to the classes already protected under [...]

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Washington-based Alliance for Justice has urged an investigation of Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) , chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, claiming he violated ethics rules by trying to influence an appeals court decision in Chicago. Nan Aron, president of Alliance for Justice, made the request in a letter dated Wednesday to the Chairman of the [...]

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