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Darfuri women live ‘nightmare,’ Harvard-backed study says

An American human rights group documenting widespread sexual violence against Darfuri women in Sudan and Chad has called for "vigorous prosecution of rape as a war crime." Physicians for Human Rights, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, issued a report Sunday “documenting the scope and long-term impact of rape and other sexual violence” experienced by women who fled the war-torn Sudanese region of Darfur and now live as refugees in neighboring Chad. The report — titled “Nowhere To Turn: Failure To Protect, Support and Assure Justice for Darfuri Women” — is based on interviews with 88 female refugees living in Chad’s Farchana refugee camp

Irving Picard at Center of Post-Madoff Storm

Bernie Madoff bankruptcy trustee, Irving H. Picard, may be the hardest working man in the collections business — and maybe one day the richest. Picard, the New York-based lawyer who could have easily doubled for actor Frederic March in film Inherit the Wind, is at the turbulent center of the post-Madoff world, a world that includes multi-billion dollar feeder fund lawsuits, multi-million dollar deals with international banks, and, less grand, the issuing of multi-hundred thousand dollar checks to the nearly 7,000 direct account holders caught up in Madoff’s massive Ponzi scheme.

Bush v. Gore lawyers launch new same-sex marriage appeal

Opponents of California’s voter-approved ban on same-sex marriages launched a new court challenge Wednesday, led by lawyers who were on opposite sides of the case that settled the 2000 presidential race. Attorneys Ted Olson and David Boies have asked a federal judge to block California from enforcing the ban, known as Proposition 8. “We are two lawyers from opposite ends of the political spectrum who have come together to support one of the most important issues of our time,” Olson told reporters.

After California ruling, will more states favor same-sex marriage?

While California’s Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a ban on same-sex marriages that voters voters passed in November, the fight will undoubtedly go forward. The ruling by the court allows about 18,000 same-sex marriages performed before the ban to remain valid. The decision was met with chants of “shame on you” from a crowd of about 1,000 people gathered outside the court building in San Francisco on Tuesday.

World outraged by North Korea’s latest nuke test

The U.N.

North Korea confirms nuclear test

North Korea has conducted its second nuclear test, the country’s state news agency announced Monday. The confirmation came little more than an hour after the U.S

Torture video threatens U.S-UAE nuclear deal

President Obama on Thursday sent a civil nuclear agreement with the United Arab Emirates to the Senate for ratification, but its passage remains uncertain, thanks to a recently disclosed video. Senior U.S.

The Republicans Weigh in with a Health-Care Plan

The last time this country undertook a serious debate over health-care reform, back when Hillary Clinton put together her proposal in 1993, the Republican strategy could have been summed up in three words: Just say no. This time around, however, the clamor for fundamental change of a system that covers too few and costs too much has grown to the point where the minority party knows that simple obstructionism is a dangerous route to take

Should Universal Health Care Cover Faith Healing?

Lobbying may be the one remaining recession-proof industry, and as Washington prepares for a summer-long debate over how to reform health care, lobbyists for every conceivable interest group have camped out in congressional anterooms to press their case. There are advocates for doctors, insurance companies, patients, nurses, pharmaceutical companies, big business and small business. And for faith healers too

Family feud roils Republican Party

President Obama poked fun at the travails of the Republican Party last weekend, telling the party’s chairman that no, the GOP does not qualify for a bailout, and conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh does not count as a troubled asset.