Iraq Toll Rises; Shiites Warn of Government Withdrawal  —  As the death toll from a series of devastating car bombs in a Shiite district here rose today to more than 200, a powerful legislative bloc loyal to firebrand Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr threatened to withdraw from the government …

Spy 'Poisoned By Radiation'  —  A large quantity of radiation, probably from a substance called Polonium 210, has been found in the body of dead ex-Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko.  —  The "major dose" of alpha radiation was detected in his urine, said Government experts, who added that Polonium 210 is only dangerous if ingested.

Is the L.A. Times Repeating Enemy Propaganda?  Or Is There Another Reason The Paper Is Getting Basic Facts Wrong and Failing to Report the Military's Side?  —  Is the L.A. Times reporting unconfirmed enemy propaganda from an Iraqi stringer with ties to the insurgency?

Briefly: Hamas cameraman killed by Israeli troops  —  Israeli troops killed a Hamas militant Friday who was filming the group's operations in Gaza, Palestinian medical officials said.  —  The governing Hamas movement often films its battles and operations against the Israeli Army …

An Electronic Canary  —  Americans can be grateful that Sarasota County is in Florida and not in Montana or Virginia.  —  There's nothing wrong with Sarasota, a lovely place.  But if the voting snafus in the contest for Florida's 13th District had hung up either of this year's two closest Senate races …

The real Kramer: That's not me  —  NEW YORK - The first call came from the Midwest.  Before long, the phone was ringing, and ringing, and ringing again: Satellite radio.  Fox News.  Extra.  —  Yada, yada, yada.  —  For Kenny Kramer, role model for the "Seinfeld" character who shared his surname …

Man with submachine gun arrested after standoff at Miami Herald  —  A 3 ½-hour standoff at The Miami Herald building ended without violence this afternoon as Miami police officers arrested a man — dressed in camouflage and carrying a submachine gun — who barricaded himself in the office of the top editor of El Nuevo Herald.

Just an Anti-Semitic Laugh?  Hardly.  —  "Borat" is many things: a sidesplitting triumph of slapstick and scatology, a runaway moneymaker and budding franchise, the worst thing to happen to Kazakhstan since the Mongol hordes, and, as columnist David Brooks astutely points out …

Empty Seats Defy The Realists  —  In the last few months, many in the US have been urging the Bush administration to open direct talks with Syria and Iran on security issues in Iraq, among other issues.  They have stated that we have to engage with Syria in order to stabilize Lebanon as well as Iraq.

Senate Democrats Revive Demand for Classified Data  —  Seeking information about detention of terrorism suspects, abuse of detainees and government secrecy, Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee are reviving dozens of demands for classified documents that until now have been rebuffed …

Drug Industry Is on Defensive as Power Shifts  —  Alarmed at the prospect of Democratic control of Congress, top executives from two dozen drug companies met here last week to assess what appears to them to be a harsh new political climate, and to draft a battle plan.

Tolls could cut congestion, test shows  —  For about eight months, drivers in 275 Seattle-area households agreed to pay for something the rest of us get for free: The right to drive on the region's freeways and streets.  —  They were guinea pigs in a pioneering study that explored …

Policeman kills PSG fan in post-match racist violence  —  A French police officer — a black man in plain clothes — shot dead a Paris-Saint Germain football fan after being turned on by a mob during racist violence that followed the team's defeat by Israeli side Hapoel Tel-Aviv.