US Army Sgt. Javal S. Davis will plead guilty to reduced charges next week after reaching a deal with prosecutors, Davis' attorney Paul Bergrin said Thursday. Davis had been charged with maltreatment of detainees and other charges in the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal, but he will instead plead guilty to simple assault and making [...]

Reuters is reporting that Riggs Bank has pleaded guilty to money laundering charges and agreed to pay $16 million. The charges stem from the bank's handling of finances for diplomats and foreign officials, including former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet. The plea could jeopardize a takeover deal with PNC Financial Services Group . Riggs was implicated [...]

A man suspected of causing a train derailment in Los Angeles was charged Thursday with 10 counts of murder and could face the death penalty, according to LA County District Attorney Steve Cooley . Juan Manuel Alvarez, who authorities said was suicidal, allegedly parked his SUV on the tracks but then changed his mind and [...]

In Thursday's environmental law news, Tyson Foods has settled a lawsuit brought by the Sierra Club and three Kentuckians over the air pollution from 80 chicken houses. The company agreed Wednesday to fund a study of the emissions from chicken houses and paid the individuals undisclosed amounts. Tyson had taken the position that environemental liability [...]

Parliamentary elections in Afghanistan set for this spring may be delayed by up to two months due to technical problems, Afghan Foreign Minister Abdullah said Thursday. Although many observers have previously warned of potential delays , Abdullah's comments are the first by a government official acknowledging that elections might not occur by the May 20 [...]

Israel has preliminarily agreed to release around 900 Palestinian prisoners in the near future, a senior Palestinian officer said Thursday. Palestinian authorities reportedly requested the release of 5000 prisoners, but the two sides agreed on the lesser total. Nearly 8000 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli prisons and their release has been a major demand [...]

Palestinian prime minister Ahmed Qureia ordered a ban on civilians carrying weapons in Palestinian territories on Thursday, showing a desire for less violence in the wake of the Palestinian Authority's proposal to Israel of a mutual cease-fire. The order was signed during a security meeting among senior officials amid a busy day of meetings on [...]

In Thursday's international brief, senior African Union officials are reporting that the Sudanese government bombed a Darfur village Wednesday, with NGO workers present for the first time to actually witness the explosions. The announcement came just hours after the UN confirmed that over 100 people were killed and over 9,000 fled their homes last week [...]

The only remaining challenge to the federal Defense of Marriage Act is set to begin today in California. The lawsuit argues DOMA and California's Proposition 22 are violations of a gay couple's civil rights. California only recognizes marriages as between a man and a woman and DOMA allows states to disregard any gay marriages performed [...]

World leaders and Holocaust survivors gathered in Poland Thursday to mark the 60 year anniversary of the liberation of the Nazis' Auschwitz death camp . The heads of state of both Israel and Germany will join those of Russia and other countries to remember the arrival of Soviet troops in 1945. Other world leaders attending [...]