President Francois Hollande defends his decision to end France’s military mission in Afghanistan early, during an unannounced visit to Kabul.

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Hollande defends Afghan exit plan

Bank of England policymakers voted by 8-1 this month against pumping more money into the economy, but the decision was “finely balanced” for some.

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Bank eyed case for more stimulus

Health secretary Andrew Lansley is defending the decision to veto a Freedom of Information order to publish the risk assessment of the NHS overhaul.

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Lansley defending NHS risks veto

Portugal adds to its austerity measures with the decision to suspend four of its 14 public holidays for five years.

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Crisis-hit Portugal axes holidays

The Obama administration has told government agencies that a court decision allowing health benefits for the same-sex spouse of a federal employee applies to no one else. The directive from the Office of Personnel Management is not surprising. After a federal district court ruling in February, OPM told Blue Cross Blue Shield to provide benefits to the wife of Karen Golinski, a court employee in California. But the OPM letter also said the decision “has no effect on enrollments requested by other same-sex spouses.” Read full article > >

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For Uncle Sam, issues of same-sex bias, transgender equality

Finance minister Sammy Wilson has criticised the Attorney General John Larkin over his decision to take contempt of court proceedings against the former Secretary of State Peter Hain.

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Minister criticises John Larkin

Gay rights activists vowed Thursday to step up political pressure on the White House over President Obama’s refusal to sign a nondiscrimination executive order, with some decrying the decision as an attempt to avoid controversy before the November election. Read full article > >

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Gay rights groups vow more pressure on Obama to sign nondiscrimination order

Sean Payton is scheduled to begin a one-year suspension Sunday for his role in the team’s bounty system, but he will be allowed to keep working while the decision is being reached.

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Saints’ Payton Appeals Suspension

Man Utd boss Sir Alex Ferguson laughs off criticism from Man City over his decision to bring Paul Scholes out of retirement.

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Ferguson dismisses Man City jibe

Tracie Hunter is a Democrat whose still-unsettled 2010 election contest with her Republican opponent will be decided by a legal battle over a batch of disputed and uncounted votes. Irony alert: One of her legal lifelines is the decision that still enrages some of her fellow party members — the Supreme Court’s 2000 ruling in Bush v. Gore . Read full article > >

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Will Bush v. Gore make an election-year return?

CHARLOTTESVILLE — George Huguely V will not take the stand in his murder trial after waiving that right during a rare Saturday session as a judge pushes to finish the case. Huguely answered quietly that he understood that he had a right to testify, but not an obligation, and that he had discussed his decision with his two attorneys. The defense rested its case soon after. Read full article > >

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George Huguely will not take stand in murder trial

A top official of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation who was involved in the controversy over the group’s funding of Planned Parenthood resigned Tuesday. Karen Handel, vice president for public policy, acknowledged that she had supported Komen’s decision to pull funding for Planned Parenthood in a resignation letter obtained by The Atlanta Journal Constitution. However, she said the decision-making process began before she joined the organization last year, and the policy change was thoroughly vetted at every level within the organization and unanimously agreed to by the board at a November meeting. Read full article > >

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Komen vice president Karen Handel resigns

In a somewhat confusing news release responding to the firestorm concerning the decision to cut off grants to Planned Parenthood, the Susan G. Komen Foundation announced that it is backing off its decision not to defund groups under investigation, as is Planned Parenthood for allegations of illegally using federal money to pay for abortions. (“We will amend the criteria to make clear that disqualifying investigations must be criminal and conclusive in nature and not political. That is what is right and fair.”) But what is not clear is whether an alternative justification for the cut-off, namely that Planned Parenthood doesn’t actually provide breast cancer services, only referrals, will result in a cut-off of future funds. Read full article > >

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Jennifer Rubin: Susan G. Komen Foundation vs. Planned Parenthood bullies

Forget the whole kerfuffle in which the Susan G. Komen Foundation stopped its donations to Planned Parenthood , an organization that provides 4 million breast exams annually . I’m sure it had good reasons for that. Good, non-political reasons, having to do with the way the organization was “evolving,” or something. This decision is not transparently political in any way. Read full article > >

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Alexandra Petri: Komen Foundation’s lamentable choice

THE OBAMA administration infuriated women’s groups and reproductive-health advocates last month when it rejected a request backed by its own Food and Drug Administration to let girls younger than 17 obtain the Plan B emergency contraceptive without a prescription. This was a difficult call involving issues of policy judgment as well as science, but we disagreed with the decision by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, backed by President Obama. Read full article > >

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Editorial Board: Respecting religious exemptions