Five U.S. troops killed in Iraq

In the deadliest attack against U.S. forces in Baghdad since last summer’s U.S. troop surge, five soldiers were killed by a suicide bomber while on patrol March 10. Three others and an Iraqi interpreter were also injured in the attack. The bombing came hours after a leader of a Sunni group fighting al-Qaeda was killed in a suicide bomb attack at his home in northern Iraq. Sunni militias have been credited with helping to bring down the level of violence in Iraq in recent months.The strike takes the number of U.S. troops killed since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 close to 4,000.

Venezuela forgives, forgets?

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced all diplomatic ties with Colombia will be restored and its embassy in Bogota, Colombia will be reopened. This announcement came just a few days after condemning Colombia for its cross-border attack against rebels in Ecuador. After Colombian President Alvaro Uribe officially apologized, Uribe, Chavez and Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa signed a declaration to ease tension between their countries. The crisis started when Colombian soldiers carried out a deadly attack that killed 25 people, including a rebel leader, inside Ecuador. Some skeptics see the deal as a superficial resolution of deeper problems because it is a quick fix that avoids conflict. For now, Colombia has promised to never carry out a rebel attack in another country again.

New York governor caught in the act

According to an affidavit filed in federal court in Manhattan, New York Governor Eliot Spitzer was caught on a federal wiretap arranging to meet with a high-class prostitute at a Washington hotel last month. Federal investigators identified Spitzer as the man in the wiretapped phone conversation known as Client 9. In the phone call, Client 9 confirms plans to have a woman travel from New York to Washington, where he had reserved a hotel room. According to court papers, the investigation involves an exclusive prostitution ring called the Emperor’s Club VIP, which operates in cities across the United States, as well as in London and Paris. Spitzer, a first-term Democrat, made a brief public appearance March 10, during which he apologized for his behavior and described it as a “private matter.” He did not, however, address his political future.

Vatican condemns new behaviors

Drugs, pollution and genetic manipulations, as well as social and economic injustices, have been listed as new areas of sinful behavior by a Vatican official March 9. In an interview with the Vatican’s daily paper, Monsignor Gianfranco Girotti said known sins increasingly manifest themselves as behavior that damages society as a whole. The Vatican also updated the list of mortal sins to be relevant in the age of globalization. Catholic teaching distinguishes between lesser, so-called venial sins, and mortal sins. Girotti is the leader of the Apostolic Penitentiary, which issues decisions on matters of conscience and grants absolutions. He said that while sin used to concern the individual mostly, today it has a mainly a social resonance, due to the phenomenon of globalization.

Pakistan opposition parties connect

The leaders of the two major political parties in Pakistan showed sudden unity against President Pervez Musharraf March 9, agreeing to reinstate the judges fired by the president. The restored judges could act on petitions challenging the validity of Musharraf’s re-election last October when he was still head of the army. Some contend he dismissed the judges last November because he was fearful they would invalidate his presidency. The deal dashed the hopes of the Bush administration that the Pakistani Parliament would work harmoniously with Musharraf. While largely unpopular in Pakistan, the White House considers Musharraf a favored ally in the fight against al Qaeda and Taliban militants who have regrouped in Pakistan.

World News Compiled from: http://cnn.com, http://bbc.com, http://times.com.