NEW DELHI, Oct. 30 (UPI) -- The death toll from a series of nine explosions in four districts in the Indian state of Assam rose to 57 Thursday, while 250 were wounded, officials said.

UPI Almanac for Thursday, Oct. 30, 2008.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- A report on private security companies that have received U.S. contracts in Iraq lists 310 companies, including ones based in Uganda and Romania.

FALLUJAH, Iraq, Oct. 27 (UPI) -- A wastewater treatment plant meant to symbolize U.S. efforts to rebuild Iraq's infrastructure is over-budget and behind schedule, officials say.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 27 (UPI) -- The U.S. Army has set up a special task force to counter the theft of sensitive data about cutting-edge defense technology by hackers who are breaking into the computer networks of military contractors.

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Oct. 17 (UPI) -- An inspector general's report charges that three former Ohio Transportation Department officials accepted hunting trips and lap dances from vendors.

MIAMI, Oct. 15 (UPI) -- A fraud case against Bear Stearns dropped by the Securities and Exchange Commission's Miami office has the SEC inspector general seeing red, sources said.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 13 (UPI) -- The agency overseeing security at U.S. airports failed to track security passes of former employees, creating vulnerabilities, a federal report says.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- A federal appeals court in Washington Monday agreed to a delay in the testimony of White House aides in a probe of the firing of nine U.S. attorneys.