Pirates seize U.S.-owned, Italy-flagged tugboat  —  Source: Reuters  —  Pirates seized a U.S.-owned and Italian-flagged tugboat with 16 crew on Saturday in the latest hijacking in the busy Gulf of Aden waterway, a regional maritime group said.  —  Andrew Mwangura, of the Mombasa-based …

Obama and habeas corpus — then and now  —  It was once the case under the Bush administration that the U.S. would abduct people from around the world, accuse them of being Terrorists, ship them to Guantanamo, and then keep them there for as long as we wanted without offering them any real due process …

Chinese Bias for Baby Boys Creates a Gap of 32 Million  —  BEIJING — A bias in favor of male offspring has left China with 32 million more boys under the age of 20 than girls, creating “an imminent generation of excess men,” a study released Friday said.  —  For the next 20 years …

Volcker Assumes Smaller-Than-Expected Role With Obama  —  WASHINGTON — As an early supporter of Barack Obama, Paul Volcker gave the young presidential candidate gravitas and advice.  He frequently sat by Mr. Obama's side at key economic events, and started carrying a cellphone for the first time …

Obama Team Mulls Aims Of Somali Extremists  —  Seeing Potential Terror Threat, Officials Debate Their Options  —  Senior Obama administration officials are debating how to address a potential terrorist threat to U.S. interests from a Somali extremist group, with some in the military advocating strikes against its training camps.

Islam ‘insulted’ by alleged child killer's mug shot, says husband  —  The police booking photo of alleged child killer Nour Hadid released Tuesday is an “insult against our religion,” says Hadid's husband, Alaeddin.  —  Orland Park police detectives say the 26-year-old Muslim woman was treated …

Showdown Seen Between Banks and Regulators  —  WASHINGTON — As the Obama administration completes its examinations of the nation's largest banks, industry executives are bracing for fights with the government over repayment of bailout money and forced sales of bad mortgages.

Washington Churches Eye the Obamas  —  WASHINGTON — The invitations have come in neatly typed letters, whispered entreaties and please-join-us blogs.  They have come from predominantly white churches and predominantly black churches, venerable churches with distinguished lineages and smaller …

From Pennsylvania Ave. to the Lone Star State  —  After 8 Years in White House, Bushes Easily Adapt to a Simpler Life  —  DALLAS — The new couple at 10141 Daria Place accepted an invitation to a neighborhood dinner party last month.  The guest list totaled eight.  The main dish was chicken potpie.