1.   A federal judge in Manhattan ruled on Monday that a city policy banning large groups from holding news conferences or rallies on the steps of City Hall was unconstitutional.

2.   After five militant groups were banned, many of their members reorganized under new names.

3.   But China has banned the group and detained many of its members, saying it is cultlike and has a political agenda.

4.   But this display of organizational power frightened authorities, and the group was banned in July.

5.   But, he said, he did not believe Germany would ban the group, as is being debated there.

6.   Concerts by Marilyn Manson in South Carolina and Utah have been canceled after legislators introduced resolutions banning the group from performing on state property.

7.   Conservative state lawmakers are quietly preparing legislation that would ban gay groups from high school and university campuses and make sodomy a felony.

8.   In late July, the government banned the group and issued an arrest warrant for its founder, Li Hongzhi, who lives in New York.

9.   It would not ban special interest group spending on issue ads but would require stricter disclosure of the spending.

10.   It would ban groups larger than three.