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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Vatican blocks Caroline Kennedy appointment as US ambassador  —  The Vatican has blocked the appointment of Caroline Kennedy as US ambassador, according to reports.  —  Vatican sources told Il Giornale that their support for abortion disqualified Ms Kennedy and other Roman Catholics President Barack Obama had been seeking to appoint.

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.

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 …

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.