UK recognizes Libya rebels as legitimate government

The United Kingdom recognizes Libya's rebel umbrella group, not Moammar Gadhafi's regime, as the legitimate government, Foreign Secretary William Hague said Wednesday.

"We are dealing with them as if they are the state of Libya and that is how we are treating them," Hague said of the Transitional National Council.

Impasse on debt ceiling deal drags into critical week

One week before the United States government could default and enter uncharted economic territory, Democrats and Republicans remain at a stalemate on how to reach a debt ceiling deal.

A vote on a Republican plan originally expected for Wednesday was postponed Tuesday after the Congressional Budget Office said it failed to reduce spending and deficits as much as advertised. The proposal was unveiled Monday by House Speaker John Boehner.

Phone hacking: Murdoch's agree to appear before MP's

News Corporation's Rupert and James Murdoch have agreed to appear before MP's to answer questions on the phone-hacking scandal on Tuesday.

The Commons media committee had issued summonses after the men initially declined to appear next week.

News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks had agreed to attend.

US recognizes Libyan rebel TNC as legitimate authority.

That means billions of dollars of Libyan assets frozen in US banks could be released to the rebels.

The decision was announced by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at a diplomatic meeting in Istanbul.

Western and Arab members of the Libya Contact Group are drawing up a plan to end hostilities, which will be presented to Col Muammar Gaddafi

Mau Mau Kenyans allowed to sue UK government.

The High Court said the group could seek damages over their treatment during the 1950s and 60s. Mr Justice McCombe said the claimants had an "arguable case" and it would be "dishonourable" to block the claims.

Ministers say the UK government is not responsible for the actions of the colonial administration. The decision means that the government will have to defend accusations of torture, murder, sexual assault and other alleged abuses at a full damages trial in 2012.

Democrazy

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Ongoing Elections

Ongoing elections....

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Sudan's South Kordofan fighting: 'Mass graves found'

Satellite images show mass graves following recent fighting in Sudan, a campaign group set up by Hollywood star George Clooney says.

Eyewitnesses who spoke to the group said soldiers had systematically massacred civilians in South Kordofan.

The UN General Assembly has admitted South Sudan as its 193rd member.

South Sudan is the first country to join the UN body since Montenegro in 2006, and the day was described by assembly president Joseph Deiss as a "historic and joyous moment".

"Welcome, welcome South Sudan to the community of nations," said UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

The vote was unanimous and was immediately followed by applause in the General Assembly.

Rebekah Brooks has resigned.

Rebekah Brooks, chief executive of News International, has resigned, the company has confirmed. Her departure follows days of increasing pressure to step down as the phone hacking crisis grew. In a statement, she said she felt a "deep responsibility for the people we have hurt".

Ecuador president 'to donate $40m libel damages'

The President of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, has said he won't keep "one cent" of the $40m (£24m) he received after a libel suit against El Universo, the main opposition newspaper.

Mr Correa has vowed to donate all the money to a government environmental project.

A journalist, Emilio Palacio, and the three newspaper owners were sentenced to three years in jail each over an article published last year.

Venezuela’s Chavez home after chemotherapy in Cuba

"I return in better condition than I was in when I left," President Chavez said as he left the plane in Caracas. He said he had a week of chemotherapy and doctors found no malignant cells. President Chavez had surgery twice last month - once to remove an abscess and once to remove a cancerous tumour.

Obama calls for compromise amid stalemate in debt talks

President Barack Obama called on the American public to pressure elected officials to work out a compromise to raise the federal debt ceiling and avoid a potentially devastating default.

A deal would allow the government to continue borrowing money to pay its debts after August 2. The challenge came during the president's seventh prime-time televised address Monday night. The president singled out House Republicans for intransigence and said the political showdown is "no way to run the greatest country on Earth."