Deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, his defense team and several co-defendants have walked out of court in protest, following heated exchanges with the new presiding judge.
Chaos erupted in the courtroom almost immediately after the resumption of Saddam's trial early today (Sunday).
Former intelligence chief Barzan Ibrahim Hassan al-Tikriti, a co-defendant and Saddam's half brother, was led away by court guards after defying the judge's order to stop delivering a lengthy statement about his health. Shortly afterward, Saddam, his defense team and two other co-defendants walked out to protest the proceedings.
Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal says his Palestinian militant organization, which swept to power in elections last week, is ready to merge all armed factions into an army to defend the Palestinian territories.
Meshaal spoke Saturday from Syria, as thousands of Fatah activists and police held protests across the West Bank and Gaza for a second straight day.
The protesters demanded that Fatah leaders resign, and warned against letting Hamas take control of Palestinian security forces.
Officials in southern Poland say the death toll from a roof collapse at a packed exhibition center has climbed to 65, with at least 140 injured.
Hope of finding more survivors in the extreme cold is fading as authorities say no one has been found alive in the wreckage since the hours immediately following the mishap Saturday evening in the city of Katowice.
They say the rescue work could turn into a recovery operation using heavy equipment in the coming hours. Until then, searchers will continue digging through the wreckage by hand to protect any survivors.
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