The insurgency is raising tens of millions of dollars a year from oil smuggling, kidnapping, counterfeiting, corrupt charities and other crimes, a report concluded.
'Tis the season to start shopping. The day after Thanksgiving–called Black Friday because of the oppressive crowds and their encouraging effects on retailers' profits–is shaping up, as always, to be your local mall's most crowded day of the year.
Everyone loves opening a perfectly wrapped package with a shiny bow. But sometimes once you open that gift, it's not exactly what you expected – or even something you want. And after you feign excitement for the obligatory amount of time, what do you do with it? Well, if you're like most Americans, you regift or pass the less-than-stellar present on to someone else who might enjoy it more. A recent Tassimo survey found that a whopping 78 percent of Americans feel that it is acceptable to regift some or most of the time.
AP - A truce meant to end five months of deadly Israeli-Palestinian clashes went into effect throughout the Gaza Strip early Sunday, significantly bolstering hopes of coaxing moribund peace talks back to life.
AP - Police fired 50 rounds Saturday at a car of unarmed men leaving a bachelor party at a strip club, killing the groom on his wedding day in a shooting that drew a furious outcry from family members and community leaders.
AP - Iraq's Shiite prime minister, struggling to prevent sectarian violence from sending Iraq into full-fledged civil war, is facing strong criticism from top Shiite and Sunni Arab leaders alike as he prepares for a summit with President Bush next week.
Sunni gunmen stormed two Shiite homes and killed 21 men from two families north of the Iraqi capital in Diyala province overnight, authorities said. Vehicles are banned from Baghdad's streets and the airport is closed, forcing President Jalal Talabani to postpone a visit to Iran for security talks.