Congress is considering an amendment to an energy bill which would extend daylight savings time by two months, having it start on the last Sunday in March and end on the last Sunday in November. Representatives Fred Upton and Ed Markey , the co-sponsors of the amendment, say the new timeframe is a response to [...]

The UN Security Council unanimously voted Thursday to authorize an international investigation into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri . The United States, France, and Britain sponsored the resolution which gives an independent commission three months to complete an investigation. Secretary-General Kofi Annan can extend the mandate by an additional three months [...]

Tens of thousands on Thursday protested in Mexico City in support of popular Mayor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador , who announced his presidential candidacy this morning, but could be barred from running by an expected congressional vote later today that would remove his legal immunity. Lopez Obrador faces contempt of court charges from a judicial [...]

Three UK bankers whose extradition is sought by the US based on links to the Enron scandal may challenge UK prosecutors for failing to investigate the case, the UK High Court has ruled. The Court granted review on the case, saying that it was possible that the UK Serious Fraud Office did not lawfully exercise [...]

Leading Thursday's corporations and securities law news, Pfizer Inc. announced the suspension of its sales of arthritis drug Bextra . The move came after US and European drug regultors told the world's largest drug maker that the drug's risks outweigh its benefits. Pfizer will also add information to the Celebrex label about potential cardiovascular risks. [...]

The Vatican Thursday released the will and spiritual testament of Pope John Paul II . In the 15 page document the Pope left no material property and asked that all his personal notes be burned. The will, translated from the Pope's native Polish and written over the course of his 26-year pontificate, also shows that [...]

France's Foreign Minister Michel Barnier warned a 'no' vote in France's referendum on the European constitution will kill the treaty and create a crisis at the European Union . Recent polls in France have suggested voters will reject the constitution, something Barnier blames on confusion over the treaty, fears over globalisation, fears of Turkey's admission [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit hears arguments Thursday on the legality of military commission trials of terror suspects held at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base . Last November, US District Judge James Robertson ordered military commissions to come to a halt , saying their procedures were unlawful. The government counters that [...]

Iraq's new presidential council , formally sworn-in on Thursday, has named Shiite Arab Ibrahim al-Jaafari as interim prime minister replacing outgoing interim PM Iyad Allawi . The long-awaited announcement gives Iraq its first democratically elected government. Al-Jaafari now has two weeks to name a cabinet, which has seen ongoing negotiations. The primary task of the [...]

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan told the much-criticized UN Commission on Human Rights Thursday that its declining credibility had "cast a shadow" over the whole United Nations and that the institution needed to frame a new permanent human rights body to prevent and more effectively address worldwide abuses and suffering. Established 60 years ago, the current [...]