Two Senate Democrats urged President Obama Wednesday to veto a $410 billion spending bill and said they are going to vote against it, criticizing it for its cost and for including too many personal pet projects. "I don't think we should pass it [spending bill] this way," Feingold said on CNN's The Situation Room Wednesday. "[I'd like] to have the president veto it and say 'clean it up, do it over.'" Feingold added: "If that doesn't happen I think he ...

The International Criminal Court at the Hague issued an arrest warrant Wednesday for Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir for a five-year campaign of violence in Darfur. Bashir is charged with seven counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes. The warrant does not mention genocide, but the court may issue an amended warrant to include that charge later, ICC spokeswoman Laurence Blairon said. Five counts are for crimes against humanity and include murder, extermination, forcible transfer, torture, and rape, ...

If the prognosticators are correct, the International Criminal Court will issue its first arrest warrant for a sitting head of state on Wednesday afternoon. That's when the court will announce whether Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir ought to stand trial on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes for his alleged role in orchestrating the Darfur conflict. Regardless of what one makes of the idea of international justice, an arrest warrant would be a historic move that ...

The lopsided statistic startled Russia. At the end of 2008, news reports said that 28% of all pending claims to the European Court of Human Rights had been brought by Russian citizens against the Russian Federation. While several elements contributed to the statistic , the chief factor was clear: Russians are unhappy with their own court system and don't believe they can get justice from it. Russian President Dmitri Medvedev, a lawyer himself, announced plans to reform the Russian ...

A number of economists predict that the recession could last into 2010 and unemployment will top 10%. If the crisis does not deepen into an even longer downturn, there will have to be early signs that the credit crisis is ending and that consumer and business confidence are coming back. And, there are a few things to watch for. They are the most likely signs that the economy has bottomed and is about to move up. The first thing ...

Economist Nouriel Roubini, chairman of New York-based research firm RGE Monitor, earned the nickname "Dr. Doom" by warning as early as 2005 that America's speculative housing boom could trigger an economic crisis. At the time, he was dismissed by many as a perpetual pessimist. Today, he's a sought-after analyst and a popular guest on financial news programs and websites — and he is as gloomy as ever. Over breakfast in Hong Kong this week, the New York University professor ...

European markets closed lower Tuesday, following a global selling spree the day before. Europe's major exchanges drifted up in morning trading but by the end of the day London's FTSE 100 was down 3.1 percent, the CAC 40 lost 1 percent and Frankfurt's Dax 30 sank 0.5 percent. U.S. markets were mostly steady with the Dow Jones, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq all within 0.5 percent of the opening numbers by the early afternoon. In Asia, markets were ...

When China's legislature opens its annual session this week, the focus will be on jobs, the economy and social stability. Every year, over 3,000 delegates to the National People's Congress meet in Beijing to review draft laws and vote on government budget and policies. Delegates come from central and local governments, the military and police, including ethnic minority representatives, who typically show up in their traditional costumes. In the past, the NPC has been dismissed as a "flower-vase," a largely ...

European markets opened higher Tuesday, following a global selling spree the day before, although fell back slightly by early afternoon trading. Europe's major exchanges were all higher in early trading, although by 1345 GMT London's FTSE was down 1.2 percent. The CAC in Paris gained 0.8 percent. In Frankfurt, the Dax picked up 0.7 percent. In Asia, markets were mixed, but mostly lower. Tokyo's Nikkei average closed down 0.7 percent and the All Ordinaries index in Australia shed 1 percent. ...

European markets opened higher Tuesday, putting at least a temporary hold on the latest global selling spree. Europe's major exchanges were all higher in early trading. London's FTSE and the CAC in Paris each gained 1.1 percent. In Frankfurt, the Dax picked up 0.8 percent. In Asia, markets were mixed, but mostly lower. Tokyo's Nikkei average closed down 0.7 percent and the All Ordinaries index in Australia shed 1 percent. In Seoul, the KOSPI gained 0.7 percent, while Hong Kong's ...