John Bolton , President Bush's nominee for US ambassador to the UN, appeared Monday before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee . Senate Democrats largely oppose Bolton, who has been criticized for his statements on the irrelevance of the United Nations. In his opening statement Monday, Bolton pledged to work to both strengthen and reform the [...]

Leading Monday's corporations and securities law news, Warren Buffett is set to appear before the SEC, New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer and the US Department of Justice to answer questions related to the investigation of insurance giant American International Group (AIG) . The questions will focus on reinsurance company General Re , a subsidiary [...]

Dutch officials Monday demanded an explanation as to why a KLM Royal Dutch Airlines flight was forced to turn around by US authorities on Friday. The 278 passengers aboard the flight returned to Amsterdam 11 hours later after the airline was refused permission to fly over US airspace en route to Mexico. US officials said [...]

Microsoft has agreed, after mediation, to pay computer manufacturer Gateway $150 million over four years to settle claims arising from the software giant's mid-1990s antitrust case, in which Gateway was specifically identified as having been harmed by Microsoft's practices. The companies announced the settlement in a press release Monday. Gateway will release all antitrust claims [...]

In a strong move for a government-funded body, the first annual report of the Egyptian Supreme Council for Human Rights has confirmed the widespread belief that the country's security forces are involved in torture. The Council noted that it is normal investigative practice for security forces to arrest everyone at the scene of a crime [...]

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh signed an historic border agreement Monday, ending nearly four decades of tense relations between the two nations. The agreement provides for the peaceful resolution of a final border demarcation, which will rely on clearly identifiable geographical features as agreed upon by both nations, while listening [...]

John R. Bolton , the State Department official who is President Bush's nominee for US Ambassador to the United Nations, faces questioning Monday before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee before a confirmation vote that is currently expected Thursday. Bolton, Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security , has a reputation as a [...]

The Kyrgyzstan Parliament, meeting for the fourth time on the issue of former President Askar Akayev , finally accepted his formal resignation Monday by a majority vote. The parliament had struggled to approve the resignation, as some members wanted to initiate impeachment proceedings or even a criminal trial against Akayev. While some members still view [...]

A Moscow court adjourned Monday to begin consideration in the criminal case against former Yukos CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky on charges of embezzlement and tax evasion. Defense counsel finished its defense Friday , alleging that the charges against Khodorkovsky were trumped up by the government to quiet the politically active millionaire. Prosecutors asked the court for [...]

The International Court of Justice , the principle judicial organ of the UN, will begin hearing oral arguments Monday in the case of Armed Activities on the Territory of the Congo (Democratic Republic of the Congo v. Uganda). The case, filed in 1999, concerns DRC allegations that Uganda invaded its territory, violated international human rights law, [...]