Saddam is buried in home village

Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, hanged for crimes against humanity on Saturday, has been buried in the village where he was born 69 years ago.

In a sparsely attended ceremony in Awja, in the Tikrit region north of the capital, the former Iraqi leader was laid to rest in a family plot.

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Bush defends Iraq strategy delay

US President George W Bush has said he will not be rushed into deciding how to change his Iraq policy.

He said he was receiving advice, but would reject implementing "ideas that would lead to defeat" - such as "leaving before the job is done"

Rumsfeld makes surprise Iraq trip

Outgoing US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has made a surprise visit to Iraq, saying US forces should not quit the war until the enemy is defeated.

Mr Rumsfeld addressed 1,200 US soldiers and marines at a military base in Anbar province - an insurgent stronghold.

Second day of clashes in Somalia

Somali government forces backed by Ethiopian troops have clashed with Islamists for a second day in western Somalia, officials and witnesses say.

The fighting took place in villages about 80km (50 miles) south-west of the government base in Baidoa, they say.

Radiation find in British embassy

Small traces of a radioactive substance have been found at the British embassy in Moscow following a precautionary check, the UK Foreign Office has said.

But officials said the levels of radiation found would not pose a risk to public health.

Controversial US envoy quits post

The controversial US ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, is to leave his post, the White House says.

Mr Bolton looked unable to win the necessary Senate support for him to continue in the job, which he had obtained on a temporary basis.

Lawyers lodge Saddam death appeal

Lawyers for Saddam Hussein have lodged an appeal against the former Iraqi president's death sentence for crimes against humanity, court officials say.

The appeal was lodged just two days before the expiry of a deadline and a month after the sentence was imposed.