The far-right British National Party on Thursday agreed to consider letting nonwhite members join after the country's Equality and Human Rights Commission took them to court. The move would require a change to the party's constitution, which it will put to its members for a vote next month, a spokesman for the party told CNN. The members could, in theory, reject the change, spokesman John Walker said, noting "there is a range of opinions across the membership." But, he added, ...

In a passionate address to Northern Ireland's legislature, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday pledged Washington's commitment to the Northern Ireland peace process. There still are those who want to undermine that process, she warned, trying to derail it with "thuggish tactics." In the Stormont Assembly were members of at least six political parties -- men and women, she said, "who once were sworn enemies who now work side by side." "Please know that the Obama ...

After decades of coddling military dictators in Pakistan, Washington wants a different relationship with its key partner in the war against al-Qaeda. The Kerry-Lugar Act which has passed the Senate, after a similar bill passed in the House last month, would provide $7.5 billion in nonmilitary aid over the next five years, in an ambitious plan to counter widespread anti-American sentiment there by helping Pakistan's civilian government deliver essential services to its population. Unlike previous no-strings aid packages, Kerry-Lugar ...

Votes were being counted in Ireland Saturday after a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty -- a controversial agreement, already rejected once by Irish citizens, which lays down rules for governing an expanded European Union. Results of the referendum were expected later in the day, with both the government and main opposition parties saying they were optimistic of a "yes" response. The European Union has made assurances to Ireland that the Lisbon Treaty will not affect the country's ...

Germans went to the polls Sunday in the face of threatening videos from al Qaeda and the Taliban warning them not to vote for leaders who want to keep the country's troops in Afghanistan. Security was tightened at airports and train stations, and authorities on Saturday banned all flights over the Oktoberfest beer festival until it ends on October 4. The annual event attracts about 6 million people. Chancellor Angela Merkel is fighting for another four-year term amid concerns about ...

After losing her beloved Maltipoo Daisy to a coyote attack, Jessica Simpson may be at the lowest point of her life, friends fear. "Daisy was her baby," one of them told PEOPLE. "It's going to put her into a tailspin. It will put her into the worst place ever." Daisy was snatched away by a coyote before Simpson's very eyes in Los Angeles last week, and, despite Simpson's refusal to quit searching and offer of a reward, no sign has ...

Environmental campaigners say they have dealt a blow to the proposed expansion of London's Heathrow Airport by buying up land earmarked for the construction of a controversial third runway. Greenpeace said the purchase of a field next to the airport threw a "massive spanner" into the plans, which were being considered by the UK government on Tuesday morning amid speculation that a decision to authorize the expansion may be delayed. The group, which says a third runway will create ...

Are white Americans turning against Barack Obama because of the color of his skin? After weeks of growing opposition and the largest protest of his eight-month presidency, some of his supporters think so. "An overwhelming portion of the intensely demonstrated animosity toward President Barack Obama is based on the fact that he is a black man," former president Jimmy Carter said this week. Many Americans have been shocked by protestors' posters depicting the president in the crudely stereotyped ...

Ireland have made one change on the bench for Saturday's Six Nations match against Scotland at Murrayfield from the team that beat England 43-13. After weeks of growing opposition and the largest protest of his eight-month presidency, some of his supporters think so. "An overwhelming portion of the intensely demonstrated animosity toward President Barack Obama is based on the fact that he is a black man," former president Jimmy Carter said this week. Many Americans have been shocked ...

Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code" has spawned a raft of imitators, most of which pale in comparison; the latest, "The Lost Symbol," is by Brown himself. Once again, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned to the scene of a gruesome attack, joins forces with an attractive and erudite love interest, and speeds around a world capital chasing clues, solving puzzles, and risking his life while dropping cocktail parties' worth of scholarly minutiae. Even the setting, though new, will ...