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The US Senate has approved legislation to strengthen ethics rules by forbidding lawmakers from buying stocks based on information they gather while performing their duties.
After several weeks of discussions, the Senate approved the bill Thursday by a vote of 96-3, paving the way for President Barack Obama to sign it into law. The House approved its version of the bill last month by 417-2.The bill forbids not only elected...

Japan yesterday readied its missile defence systems to shoot down a North Korean rocket if it threatens the country, as the UN chief warned that next month's launch could jeopardise food aid.
"I have ordered officials to prepare to deploy the PAC-3 and Aegis warships," Japan's Defence Minister Naoki Tanaka told reporters, referring to surface-to-air missiles and destroyers carrying missiles....

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the nuclear watchdog at the heart of the growing Iranian crisis, has been accused by several former senior officials of pro-western bias, over-reliance on unverified intelligence and of sidelining...

Investigators have found no signs the suspected gunman behind a deadly string of attacks in southern France was under orders from al-Qaeda or any militant group, a top French official said Friday — disputing Mohamed Merah's claim of terrorist ties...