Taha al-Amiri, formerly a chief judge at Basra's highest criminal court under Saddam Hussein, was assassinated by two gunmen on his way to work Saturday. Al-Amiri is one of several former Baath party figures to be killed in the last 18 months. Shiite extremists seeking revenge are suspected in the attack; Hussein's regime oppressed Iraq's [...]

Reuters is reporting that the Iraqi election commission has just issued final results from the January 30 vote and that the Shiite Alliance, a grouping of Islamic parties, has come out on top, garnering 47.5% of the vote. Meanwhile, AP has calculated that only 3,775 valid votes were cast in the violence-wracked Sunni province of [...]

A spokesman for the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq said in Baghdad Saturday that the final tally of results from the January 30 election will be announced at 4 PM Sunday local time (8 AM ET); it is expected that they will be published online here. Partial results released previously give the lead to a [...]

Israeli officials Saturday announced plans to repatriate more than 55 Palestinians accused of terror activities who had been deported to the Gaza Strip and Europe during the Palestinian uprising. The announcement follows a Tuesday truce agreement between Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that ended four years of fighting in the [...]

Tens of thousands of Russians returned to the streets Saturday to demand the return of the Soviet system of state benefits. Protesters oppose a January 1 law that replaced the medical, housing and transportation benefits traditionally received by millions of Russian pensioners with cash payments. Opponents of the new law, including many Communists , say [...]

The US Department of Labor announced Saturday that retail giant Wal-Mart will pay $135,540 to settle 24 federal child labor law violations. The charges involve teenage workers who used hazardous equipment while working at Wal-Mart stores in Arkansas, Connecticut and New Hampshire. With few exceptions, current federal law prohibits any person under the age of [...]

One day after the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court announced it would hear arguments challenging its decision to legalize same-sex marriage, Massachusetts Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly told reporters Friday that he now supports the ruling. He had previously opposed the unions, and initially spoke out against the court's November 2003 ruling . Reilly, who is [...]

At least two people were killed Saturday in Lome, the capital of Togo as thousands protesting the unconstitutional succession of Faure Gnassingbe to the country's presidency clashed with the Togolese riot police. The Togo government said no one could gain by the violence . Meanwhile a government delegation arrived in Niger, where it had been [...]

Fast-food giant McDonald's has agreed to pay $8.5 million to settle a lawsuit over unhealthy trans fats in its cooking oils used to make french fries and other foods. The settlement is the result of litigation brought by the non-profit advocacy group BanTransFats.com which alleged that McDonald's did not adequately inform the public of delays [...]

Four priests of the Roman Catholic Boston Archdiocese accused of sexually abusing minors have been defrocked by the Vatican. Robert D. Fay, Kelvin Iguabita, Bernard Lane, and Robert Ward are no longer permitted to perform as priests and will be denied diocesan benefits and financial support. The Boston Archdiocese has issued this statement. Several other [...]