■ Germany
Kohl suffers court defeat
The former German chancellor Helmut Kohl suffered a setback Wednesday night when a court ruled that thousands of secret documents on him compiled by the Stasi, East Germany's notorious secret police, should be released. The federal court said files relating to Kohl's private life -- many of them based on information from illegal phone taps -- should remain classified. But the court said the archives dealing with his political activities could now be released. The files are believed to shed fresh light on a corruption scandal which has haunted him since shortly after his defeat by Chancellor Gerhard Schroder.
■ France
Penalties for sexual remarks
The French cabinet yesterday gave its backing on Wednesday to a bill authorizing penalties of up to a year in jail for anyone found guilty of making an anti-gay or sexist remark. "This law puts the fight against homophobia and sexism on the same footing, legally speaking, as the fight against racism and anti-Semitism," said the justice minister, Dominique Perben. The bill will allow French courts to hand down a fine of 45,000 euros (US$54,500) and up to 12 months in prison for "defamation or incitement to discrimination, hatred or violence on the grounds a person's sex or sexual orientation."
■ United States
Medals awarded
US President George W. Bush honored 13 people -- including the pope, a golf legend and an actress whom the president called the US' "sweetheart" -- with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In the East Room at the White House, Bush and first lady Laura Bush on Wednesday awarded the recipients the highest civilian honor for their accomplishments in culture, politics, science, sports and business. Arnold Palmer, winner of 92 golf championships, including four Masters, two British Opens and the US Open, seemed to be offering Bush a few golfing tips as he received his medal.
■ United States
Saturn moon like a comet
The Cassini spacecraft bearing down on Saturn has confirmed that its farthest moon, Phoebe, is an icy remnant of the solar system's birth more than 4 billion years ago, scientists said Wednesday. Phoebe appears to be more akin to comets than to asteroids and typical rocky moons, the researchers said. The cratered, oval-shaped body, measuring about 220km wide, was apparently captured by Saturn's powerful gravitational field when it wandered close eons ago.
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