 Scripps Howard News Service December 10, 2005
In a rowdy court session in Baghdad, Saddam Hussein told the judge at his trial that "I am not afraid of execution." Saddam also appeared to threaten the judge. "When the revolution of the heroic Iraq arrives," he said, "you will be held accountable." The first witness testified that Saddam's agents carried out random arrests, torture and killings. The trial was later adjourned until Dec. 21 after Saddam refused to attend to protest his treatment in prison. 9/11 Commission cites inadequate security steps The 9/11 Commission reported that the government is taking inadequate actions to fight terrorism. The report came a year after the panel issued its recommendations to prevent more attacks like the ones on Sept. 11, 2001. The panel gave failing grades for the U.S. response to its urgings to "improve airline passenger prescreening" and to create "standards for terrorist detention." It said the U.S. strategy "makes it harder to build the necessary alliances" to work against global terror networks.
Bush touts improved Iraq economy President Bush gave the second in a series of four speeches to try to bolster public support for the U.S. presence in Iraq. The president conceded that reconstruction has proceeded with "fits and starts," but contended that economic progress is spreading. "In places like Mosul and Najaf, residents are seeing tangible progress in their lives," Bush said. Air marshal kills passenger A federal air marshal in Miami shot and killed a passenger who claimed to have a bomb in a carry-on bag. The passenger was running off an American Airlines plane that had arrived from Colombia and was shot when he reached into the bag. There was no bomb. It was the first time since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that an air marshal shot at a passenger or suspect. The passenger's wife said her husband was mentally ill. Lennon remembered on anniversary of murder In New York, hundreds of people gathered in Central Park's Strawberry Fields to remember John Lennon on the 25th anniversary of his murder. Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, went to the park and stopped at a flower-covered mosaic paying tribute to her husband. Jetliner skids off runway A Southwest airliner skidded across a snowy Chicago runway, crashed through a fence and hit two vehicles in the street. A 6-year-old boy in one car was killed, and 10 people were injured. The airport had about 7 inches of snow when Flight 1248 from Baltimore touched down, but aviation officials said conditions were acceptable. Coca-Cola to launch coffee drink Coca-Cola Co. announced it will sell a coffee-infused soft drink called Coca-Cola Blak in various places around the world in 2006. The new drink will be first sold in France in January, then rolled out in the United States and other markets during 2006, Coca-Cola said. Coca-Cola Blak will be a mid-calorie drink, and the formula for the new beverage is expected to vary based on local tastes.
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