In a White House ceremony, President Bush has formally nominated Rep. Christopher Cox of California to succeed William Donaldson as SEC Chairman. Cox now awaits Senate confirmation, a process he withdrew from when in line for appointment to the US Court of Appeals after the Democrats gained control of the Senate in 2001. AP has [...]

A bill to legalize same-sex marriage in California was narrowly defeated early Thursday by a 37-35 vote in the the 80-member California State Assembly . The vote came on the heels of state appeal Tuesday of an earlier judicial ruling that the state's ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional . Supporters of the bill have [...]

The Durban High Court convicted an associate of South Africa's Deputy President Thursday at the end of a high-profile corruption trial that had gripped the nation. Financial advisor Schabir Shaik was found guilty of fraud in his business dealings with South African politician Jakob Zuma . The judgment, read live over radio and television for [...]

Amnesty International Secretary-General Irene Khan said Thursday that the US could settle disagreements about alleged abuses of prisoners at its Guantanamo Bay detention camp and other facilities by opening them to inspections by human rights investigators. AI criticized Guantanamo in a report released earlier this month, calling it the "gulag of our time." On Wednesday, [...]

In the wake of the latest campaign to track down insurgents in Baghdad, human rights groups have called on Iraqi and US forces to respect humanitarian law when raiding houses in search of suspects. The campaign, announced on May 26 and termed Operation Lightning , is designed to close off exits from the city and [...]

US business leaders Thursday debated possible new directions for the Securities and Exchange Commission following Wednesday's announcement by current SEC Chairman William Donaldson that he would be stepping down June 30. Donaldson led the drive to toughen corporate regulations and penalties in the wake of the Enron scandal and revelations of mutual fund fraud, but [...]

Protesters returned to the Supreme Court in Kyrgyzstan again on Thursday to demand the resignation of several judges. A violent clash on Wednesday initially ousted the protesters, who had occupied the building since April 22 following an election dispute that led to the overthrow of the hardline government of President Askar Akayev. Police Thursday allowed [...]

Wachovia Corp. , the fourth largest bank in the US, acknowledged Wednesday that two of its predecessor banks owned slaves prior to the Civil War and apologized for the practice. Wachovia had contracted with historical research firm The History Factory to look into the pasts of acquired banks, an increasingly common practice as legislative initiatives [...]

About 70 animal rights protestors marched and chanted in protest outside a Trenton New Jersey courtroom Wednesday as the trial of seven activists charged with domestic terrorism began. The activists are all members of Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty , a group opposed to the animal testing practices of British company Huntingdon Life Sciences which has [...]

After the second No to the EU constitution in four days was handed down by Dutch voters Wednesday , European leaders are struggling to keep the charter alive. Current EU President and Prime Minister of Luxembourg Jean-Claude Juncker has said that the double rejection from France and the Netherlands has put Europe in "a dangerous [...]