United States

In New Orleans, five months after Hurricane Katrina's devastation, the city is going ahead with its 150th year of celebrating Mardi Gras.

The UN report said that the United States government should "expeditiously bring all Guantánamo Bay detainees to trial" without further delay, and called upon the U.S. to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility

President Bush is campaigning for support for his plan to cut America's reliance on foreign sources of energy. During a stop in the state of Wisconsin, the president stressed it is a matter of national and economic security.

The US govenment expressed concerns about the new abuse pictures being published. BBC quotes John Bellinger of the state department saying "We felt that it was an invasion of the detainees themselves to have these photographs come out" and that the publication could also "fan the flames around the world and cause potentially further violence".

With the situation in New Orleans continuing to deteriorate and reports of violence and looting increasing, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff announced Thursday thousands more National Guard forces are being deployed to the area.

U.S. law enforcement authorities say Vladimir Kuznetsov was arrested Thursday. He is a senior Russian foreign ministry official and chairman of the committee that oversees the U.N. budget.

Thousands of refugees stranded in city of New Orleans are growing increasingly desperate, and in some cases angry, as local, state and federal officials try to cope with enormity of disaster.

Many refugees say they have been without food, medicine and water since storm hit Monday.

The state of Massachusetts unveiled plans to officially end use of Microsoft Office, instead switching to an open document format currently implemented by many open source groups.

With many members of Congress still in their home districts, lawmakers agreed to use unanimous consent procedure, which allows for expedited approval of legislation that does not face opposition.

Fires are raging in New Orleans following a series of explosions along the waterfront. The cause and the effects of the blasts are not known.

The California State Senate voted on Thursday to allow homosexuals to marry, therefore becoming the first legislative body in the United States to embrace the controversial issue.

National Guard troops streamed into New Orleans Thursday as the once-proud city slipped further into chaos in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Legendary R&B singer Fats Domino has been accounted for, three days after Hurricane Katrina hit in his hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana.

Army engineers say some neighborhoods were under six to nine meters of water on Wednesday.