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 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 …

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 …

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 …

US Navy misses chance to rescue American captain held hostage by pirates  —  The US Navy missed a chance to rescue the American captain held by Somali pirates on a lifeboat in the Indian Ocean when he tried to escape by jumping into the sea.  —  Captain Richard Phillips fled through a back door …

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.

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.

Gov. Bobby Jindal clinches deal to write book  —  BATON ROUGE — In a move almost certain to fuel fresh speculation about his national ambitions, Gov. Bobby Jindal said Friday that he has agreed to write a book for a conservative publishing house about his life and policy ideas.

Future of the District's School Voucher Program Looking Grim  —  EDUCATION SECRETARY Arne Duncan has decided not to admit any new students to the D.C. voucher program, which allows low-income children to attend private schools.  The abrupt decision — made a week after 200 families had been told …