Creating a political dustup just 10 days before the Iraq's first democratic elections, the spokesman and vice-president of the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq refused to resign Thursday despite a board vote to eliminate his job in the name of transparency and the preservation of the board's credibility. Deposed spokesman Farid Ayar lashed out at [...]

A week after the United States agreed to release accused terrorist Mamdouh Habib to his native Australia, the Guantanamo Bay detainee's return home is now being delayed by logistical problems centered on the US government's refusal to allow Habib to travel unshackled over US airspace. While they have agreed to avoid US airspace during the [...]

The Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that the state's constitution does not require governmental recognition of same-sex marriage. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of three same sex couples who argued that law was unconstitutional because it limited the choices of homosexuals. In its opinion , the court wrote: What we decide today is [...]

Chile's Supreme Court said Thursday that a judge who has been investigating allegations of tax fraud against former dictator Augusto Pinochet can begin an international search for secret bank accounts belonging to Pinochet. Judge Sergio Munoz is investigating Pinochet's finances and is looking into allegations that Pinochet misused public funds and evaded taxes. Munoz has [...]

Leading Thursday's corporations and securities brief, US District Court Judge Sim Lake has decided against former top Enron executives Ken Lay , Jeff Skilling , and Rick Causey in their attempt to move their trial outside of Houston. Skilling and Causey both face more than 30 charges, including fraud and conspiracy over allegations they manipulated [...]

Inaugural address, President George W. Bush, January 20, 2005. Excerpt: Across the generations we have proclaimed the imperative of self-government, because no one is fit to be a master, and no one deserves to be a slave. Advancing these ideals is the mission that created our Nation. It is the honorable achievement of our fathers. [...]

Capitol Hill sources indicate some Senate Democrats will attempt to delay the vote on the nomination of Condoleezza Rice as secretary of state. The Senate reconvenes Thursday at 3 PM ET to debate the nomination. Aides said Democrats Barbara Boxer of California and Robert Byrd of West Virginia will give long speeches in opposition to [...]

California officials lied to the US Supreme Court about racial segregation in the state's prisons, according to state prison guards and inmates quoted in the Wednesday edition of the Riverside Press-Enterprise. According to the newspaper, one correctional officer filed a whistleblower complaint with the state auditor over a false statement given to the Supreme Court [...]

Chief Justice William Rehnquist, not seen at public events since mid-October, looked frail at Thursday's inaugural but administered the presidential oath in a strong voice without need of any assistance. Rehnquist, 80 and ailing after undergoing treatment for throat cancer this fall, arrived on the podium wearing a cap and using a cane, but did [...]

President Bush said achieving freedom throughout the world was "the urgent requirement of our nation's security, and the calling of our time," after he took the oath of office just before 12 Noon ET Thursday. The swearing in was the 55th presidential inauguration in US history. President Bush was sworn in by Chief Justice William [...]