The US Department of Justice (DOJ) asked a federal district judge Thursday to block New Jersey, Vermont, Maine, Missouri, and Connecticut from investigating potential violations of state consumer privacy laws in the controversial warrantless domestic surveillance program...

US Vice President Dick Cheney has exempted his office from Executive Order 12958 as amended by Executive Order 13292 , which requires executive branch officials to submit annual reports to the Information Security Oversight Office...

The Portuguese government officially published a new abortion law Thursday, formally adopting the law and paving the way for it to enter effect on July 15. The law allows abortions during the first 10...

The White House is considering the closure of detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay and the transfer of the estimated 385 detainees currently held there to other military detention facilities, AP reported Thursday. Three senior Bush administration...

The Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People's Court began judicial proceedings against former Pharmaceutical Registration Department director Cao Wenzhuan Thursday as a part of China's crackdown on corruption at the State Food and Drug Administration , where...

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled Thursday that Russian authorities were responsible for the deaths of four members of a Chechen family. The court ordered Russia to pay $114,000 to the family of...

The US House of Representatives Thursday passed a measure by 223-201 that would reverse a ban on contraceptive aid to overseas agencies that offer abortions. The measure, introduced by Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY) , is attached...

The Iraq Central Criminal Court handed down 16 death sentences Thursday, the latest such sentences in a country with the fourth highest execution rate in the world . Two of those sentenced were non-Iraqi Arabs arrested...

Former US Attorney General John Ashcroft said Thursday at a closed-door hearing held by the US House Intelligence Committee that there had been divisions between members of the Bush administration as to whether the president's...

UK Minister of State for Security, Counter Terrorism, and Police Tom McNulty told Parliament Thursday that an Iraqi suspect subjected to a UK government control order is believed to have absconded ...