New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg renounced his Republican party affiliation today and registered as an independent. The move is widely seen as possible precursor to an independent platform presidential bid. Bloomberg was once a Democrat, but switched to the Republican party when running for mayor.

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A court in Alexandria, Egypt convicted one of its own citizens for writing anti-Islam statements on his blog and making negative statements about Egyptian President
Hosni Mubarak. The blogger, Abdel Kareem Nabil Suleiman, was convicted of defaming the president of Egypt and spreading malicious information that incites hatred of Islam because of content on his blog www.karam903.blogspot.com. The judge sentenced Suleiman to three years in prison for insulting Islam and another year for his slurs against the president.

Suleiman, age 22, was taken into custody in November 2006 and detained while on trial. After the verdict was read, he was prevented from speaking to reports.

Reporters without Borders and other civil rights groups have been following the case closely, noting that it sent a strong message to bloggers in Egypt to be careful in expressing their opinions. Egypt has been added to the Reporters without Borders list of nations most culpable in suppressing Internet freedom. There are 13 nations in all on the list.

New Jersey's civil union law, a result of a lawsuit of seven same-sex couples who wanted the right to marry, will take effect today. New Jersey is the third state to offer same-sex civil unions as a compromise to the much more difficult political move to legalize marriage.

Couples who apply for civil union licenses in New Jersey must wait 72 hours after applying to legalize the union, the same rule that applies to straight couples who marry.

Same-sex couples who are married elsewhere will retain all rights as a married couple, although New Jersey will only recognize the legal relationship as a civil union. Couples can also apply for domestic partnership in the state, which assigns less responsibilities and less benefits than marriage.