Former newspaper tycoon Conrad Black’s racketeering and fraud trial is getting under way in the US.

Attorneys for convicted former vice presidential aide Lewis “Scooter” Libby began working on a request for a new trial today as the Bush White House tried to knock down speculation about a possible pardon in the CIA leak case.

The man who was once US vice president Dick Cheney’s closest adviser is facing up to 25 years behind bars after being convicted of lying and obstructing a media leak investigation that shook the top levels of the Bush administration.

FORMER White House aide Lewis “Scooter” Libby was convicted yesterday of obstruction, perjury and lying to the FBI in an investigation into the leak of CIA operative Valerie Plame’s identity to reporters.

Former White House aide I Lewis “Scooter” Libby was convicted today of obstruction, perjury and lying to the FBI in an investigation into the leak of a CIA operative’s identity.

A juror was today dismissed from the trial of former White House aide Lewis “Scooter” Libby after court officials learned she had been exposed to information about the case over the weekend.

Attorneys and a federal judge today began privately questioning each juror in the Iraq-related CIA leak trial after one juror apparently saw or read something about the case over the weekend.

A Washington jury is moving into its second week of debate on whether former US White House aide Lewis “Scooter” Libby obstructed the investigation into who leaked the identity of a CIA operative married to a prominent Iraq war critic.

Five weeks and 19 witnesses into the CIA leak trial, US jurors are today set to begin deciding the fate of former White House aide Lewis “Scooter” Libby.

Prosecutors have just three hours left to convince US jurors in the Washington CIA leak case.

Lewis “Scooter” Libby abandoned plans to testify in his own defence and decided against calling his former boss, Vice President Dick Cheney, to help defend him in the CIA leak trial.

A television journalist deflected criticism of his ethics and credibility as the prosecution rested its case in the CIA leak trial of former White House aide Lewis “Scooter” Libby.

The White House today declined to challenge assertions that President George Bush authorised the leaks of intelligence information to counter US administration critics on Iraq.

The US Justice Department has opened another investigation into leaks of classified information, this time to determine who divulged the existence of President George Bush’s secret domestic spying programme.

MOST Americans say they aren’t impressed by the ethics and honesty of the Bush administration, already under scrutiny for its justifications for an unpopular war in Iraq and its role in the leak of a covert CIA officer’s identity.

US President George Bush’s public support has eroded to its lowest level yet, with the Iraq war dragging on, a top White House aide facing felony charges and the administration rushing to replace a failed Supreme Court nominee.

SENATE Democratic leader Harry Reid yesterday said US President George W Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney should apologise for the actions of their aides in the CIA leak case.

President George Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney should apologise for the possible involvement of their aides in the alleged illegal disclosure of a CIA undercover agent’s identity, Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid said today.

SPECIAL Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald met yesterday with the grand jury investigating the leak of a CIA officer’s identity, putting the finishing touches on a two-year criminal probe that has ensnared two senior White House aides.

The 2,000th US military death in Iraq could not have come at a worse time for President George Bush.

Karl Rove, US President George Bush’s chief political adviser, will step down if indicted in connection with the leaked identity of a CIA agent, it has been claimed.

NEW York Times reporter Judith Miller testified before a grand jury yesterday, ending her silence in the investigation into whether White House officials leaked the name of covert CIA operative Valerie Plame.

After nearly three months behind bars, New York Times reporter Judith Miller was released after she agreed to testify about the Bush administration’s disclosure of a covert CIA officer’s identity.