Same-sex nuptials yield no charges

RICHMOND - A couple who obtained a marriage license and exchanged vows in Virginia before officials realized both were biological men will not face charges. Same-sex marriage is illegal in Virginia, and the pair had faced misdemeanor false information charges. Authorities say 31-year-old Antonio Blount and 18-year-old Justin McCain married in March. Officials realized later that McCain was born a man in North Carolina. Newport News Commonwealth's Attorney Howard Gwynn said that based on the facts of the case, charges were not warranted. (AP)

NEW YORK - The rebuilding of the World Trade Center could cost more than planned and completion dates for some portions are not realistic, a report by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said. The bistate agency, which owns the 16-acre site targeted in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, did not specify completion dates or final costs in a report requested by New York Governor David Paterson. (Bloomberg)

NEW YORK - A Canadian who accused US authorities of violating his rights and illegally deporting him to Syria, where he was tortured, lost an appeal yesterday. Maher Arar, a software engineer born in Syria, sued top government officials in 2004 after he was arrested during a stopover to New York in 2002 and deported to Syria because of suspected links to Al Qaeda. The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, affirming a lower court decision, ruled that Arar failed to establish that the federal court had jurisdiction to hear his complaint. (Reuters)

WASHINGTON - "Compassionate conservatism" is back. President Bush focused attention on that signature phrase last week at a national conference for federal faith-based programs - among his first, and still most controversial, policy initiatives. Despite controversies that have erupted over improper favoritism, the president focused on the positive, casting the faith-based effort as part of a broader agenda to help those in need. (Washington Post)