Car-bomb blast kills 9 in Baghdad
BAGHDAD, Iraq — A massive car bomb exploded today at a checkpoint near an area housing international offices and embassies in Baghdad, killing at least nine people and injuring 20 others, police said.
The car was packed with 1,000 pounds of explosives and was detonated at a checkpoint leading to the parking lot, said Iraqi police Col. Majid Abdel Hamid.
Black and gray smoke poured into the air over the lot. Police cars and ambulances raced to the scene. Nine people died and 20 were wounded, said Maj. Haider Abdel Rida.
"We were gathering outside the convention center seeking jobs," said one witness, Alla Hassan. "We were thrown on the ground. Then I saw many dead people on the ground."
The area was once the headquarters of the U.S. occupation authorities, but now houses the U.S. and British Embassies, as well as the offices of the interim Iraqi government.
Saudi says militants may have fought in Iraq
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef has acknowledged for the first time that Saudi militants may have gone to neighboring Iraq to fight against the U.S.-led occupation force.
Previously, Saudi officials have vehemently denied fighters were leaving the oil-rich desert kingdom and close U.S. ally to join insurgents over the border.
"Surely, there are Saudis (in Iraq)," the prince told reporters late Monday. "But the number, and how (they got in to Iraq) is not available to us now."
Hundreds of such militants are detained in Saudi custody and some have been tried and convicted, Prince Nayef said. He did not say how many were arrested or provide a number for those convicted but said more trials would be held.
Iraqi officials have repeatedly insisted Saudis were involved in the fighting in Iraq. On Monday, Iraq's Human Rights Minister Bakhtiyar Amin said the government had 99 foreign fighters in detention, including 14 Saudis.
Prince Nayef said the Saudi government has not been officially notified of the detention of any Saudis in Iraq.
Saudi newspapers have published obituaries and news of funerals held by Saudi families for at least four Saudis said to have died fighting the U.S.-led occupation in Iraq.
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Blair stands by decision to support U.S. in Iraq war
LONDON — Prime Minister Tony Blair, facing the prospect of another potentially critical report on Britain's participation in the war in Iraq, insisted yesterday he made the right decision and denied it was based on bad intelligence about weapons of mass destruction.
The question was whether the report, to be released today, would blame an overall intelligence failure, or hold Blair accountable.
Asked by reporters whether he had been misled by bad intelligence, Blair replied: "I don't accept that at all." The world, he said, was "better, safer, more secure" with Saddam Hussein out of power.
Blair received the report yesterday, and told reporters he wouldn't comment on it until it was made public 24 hours later.
The prime minister's supporters hope the investigation led by Lord Butler, a retired aide to five prime ministers, will echo last week's U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee report and fault structures and processes rather than individuals.
The Senate report said most of the CIA's claims about Saddam's chemical, biological and nuclear arsenal were overstated or unsupported. It noted the United States was not alone in its beliefs, citing a "global intelligence failure."
Al-Jazeera TV issues code of ethics for reporting
DOHA, Qatar — Arabic satellite television channel Al-Jazeera, accused by the United States of graphic and anti-American conflict coverage, unveiled a code of ethics yesterday it said would ensure balanced and sensitive reporting.
The Qatar-based channel defended its right to report "the ugly face of war" but said the new guidelines would take account of Western and Arab sensitivities when considering whether to broadcast gory images of violence.
Washington has frequently criticized Jazeera's coverage of the invasion and occupation of Iraq last year as inaccurate and anti-American, saying its broadcast of wounded Iraqis, destroyed houses and slain American troops were tasteless or inflammatory.
The channel pledged to treat its audience "with due respect and address every issue or story with due attention to present a clear, factual and accurate picture."
It said it would also respect "the feelings of victims of crime, war, persecution and disasters, their relatives, viewers and individual privacy."
Also ...
U.S. Marine Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun, who surfaced in Lebanon after he was feared kidnapped by Iraqi insurgents, was flown to Germany last week and admitted to the U.S. military's Landstuhl Regional Medical Center.
Since then, the 24-year-old Marine has been debriefed by intelligence specialists, psychologists, physicians and a Muslim chaplain, while also working on getting back in shape, said hospital spokeswoman Marie Shaw yesterday.
The crew of a Hong Kong-registered oil tanker refused to dock in the Iraqi oil terminal of Basra out of fears of terror attacks, the company that owns the ship said yesterday.
Chief Executive George Chao of Wah Kwong Shipping said he went along with the crew's decision because he was worried about the security situation in Iraq and a recent terror threat against several shipping companies.
The incident comes after South Korean intelligence officials said on Saturday that Islamic militants posted an online message threatening attacks against ships carrying U.S. military goods in the Middle East.
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