Alleged al-Qaida leader slain in Iraq
BAGHDAD, Oct. 4 (UPI) -- A man alleged to be one of al-Qaida In Iraq's chief terrorist leaders has been slain In Baghdad, military officials say.
Mahir Ahmad Mahmud Judu al-Zubaydi, also known as Abu Rami and Abu Assad, was killed after U.S.-led coalition forces surrounded a house in Baghdad's Adhamiya neighborhood Friday and engaged in a firefight, CNN reported Saturday.
Abu Rami was blamed by U.S. intelligence for masterminding numerous car bombings, including an Oct. 2 suicide car bombing that killed eight people and wounded more than 30, as well as a November 2006 bombing targeting Shiites that killed more than 200 people.
Military officials told CNN that after they determined Abu Rami was in the building, several children were evacuated and a small explosive was detonated, setting it on fire.
In addition to the alleged terrorist leader, a female was also killed in the raid, military officials said.
O.J. Simpson back in custody after verdict
LAS VEGAS, Oct. 4 (UPI) -- O.J. Simpson remained in custody in Las Vegas Saturday after being found guilty on all 12 counts in his armed robbery and kidnapping trial.
Attorneys for the former NFL great say they will appeal the verdict, in which Simpson, 61, is facing a possible life sentence stemming from a Las Vegas hotel room confrontation with two sports memorabilia dealers last year.
Clark County District Judge Jackie Glass set sentencing for Simpson and co-defendant Clarence "C.J." Stewart for Dec. 5.
The jury returned the verdicts late Friday night after one full day of deliberation and 13 years after his Oct. 3, 1995 acquittal of criminal charges in the deaths of his ex-wife, Nicole, and her friend, Ron Goldman.
Simpson and Stewart were convicted of stealing memorabilia from dealers Bruce Fromong and Alfred Beardsley in the Palace Station hotel Sept. 13, 2007. Simpson says he was trying to retrieve property stolen from him.
"We may quibble with how it was done, what was done," Simpson attorney Galanter in his closing argument, the Los Angeles Times reported. "You may all say he didn't use common sense. But the real issue is whether he had criminal intent to commit a crime."
15 Turkish soldiers slain in Kurd attack
ANKARA, Turkey, Oct. 4 (UPI) -- Fifteen Turkish soldiers have been slain by Kurdish separatist rebels in the country's restive southeast, officials said Saturday.
The soldiers were killed during an attack by the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, which launched a raid from northern Iraq, the BBC reported.
Turkish military officials told the broadcaster that their troops managed to kill 23 rebels during the confrontation, which was described as a surprise strike on a military outpost by guerrillas using heavy weapons.
The BBC said Turkey has begun to stage military incursions across the border into northern Iraq to battle Kurdish separatists since the start of this year.
Death toll from Haiti storms reaches 800
PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti, Oct. 4 (UPI) -- The death toll from four major storms hitting Haiti in August and September has reached 800 people, International Red Cross officials say.
Tropical Storm Fay and Hurricane Gustav hit the impoverished Caribbean nation in August, bringing heavy rains and mudslides to the island. Then in September Tropical Storm Hanna and Hurricane Ike passed through Haiti, bringing the death toll from the spate of strong storms to 800, Red Cross officials told CNN Saturday.
U.S. humanitarian aid to Haiti has totaled $30 million while the United Nations' Central Emergency Response Fund has dedicated at least $4 million for post-hurricane help, the broadcaster said.
U.S. military help to Haiti has included the arrival of the USS Kearsarge, delivering more than 1,400 metric tons of relief supplies in support of USAID and the World Food Program.
Mbeki to continue Zimbabwe mediation role
HARARE, Zimbabwe, Oct. 4 (UPI) -- Thabo Mbeki says he will continue his political mediation efforts in Zimbabwe despite being recalled from the South African presidency.
Mbeki has the backing of interim South African President Kgalema Motlanthe in his efforts to help Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe and Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai break a negotiations deadlock on a new unity government for the African nation, the BBC reported Saturday.
Mbeki resigned last month amid controversial claims of political interference in a corruption case against African National Congress party leader Jacob Zuma.
Meanwhile in Zimbabwe, where Mbeki last month brokered a deal for a government that would see Mugabe retain the presidency and Tsvangirai become prime minister, negotiations have stalled because Mugabe's ZANU-PF party is demanding to control all key ministries, MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa told the BBC.
ZANU-PF is insisting that no outside mediation is needed in the dispute.
