BAGHDAD, Iraq – Saddam Hussein, the iron-fisted dictator who ruled Iraq for nearly a quarter of a century, was found guilty of crimes against humanity Sunday and sentenced to death by hanging. The so-called Butcher of Baghdad, who was president of Iraq from 1979 until he was deposed by Coalition …

NEW YORK – Courtney Love, who has been sober for 15 months, says Mel Gibson helped her on the road to recovery. Love, the former leader of the band Hole and widow of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, said Gibson had showed up at a Beverly Hills, Calif., hotel room while …

MISSOULA, Mont. – A 24-year-old Hamilton man has been charged with aggravated assault after a woman was attacked with a claw hammer at a Missoula motel. Investigators say the woman suffered severe head injuries and broken bones in her jaw. Thomas Allen was jailed on $50,000 bail and was expected …

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Tennis great Jimmy Connors has been charged with a misdemeanor for an altercation last week before a basketball game between UC Santa Barbara and top-ranked North Carolina. Connors, an eight-time Grand Slam champion, was charged Wednesday in Santa Barbara Superior Court with disrupting campus activities and …

MOSCOW – The Russian navy says Russian and British ships have repelled a pirate attack off Somalia in the Gulf of Aden. The navy press service says the Russian frigate Neustrashimy and the British frigate Cumberland foiled pirates who fired automatic weapons toward a Danish ship and twice tried to …

BAGHDAD – Bombs exploded at a bus station and a small market in Baghdad, killing 15 people and wounding 29 others Tuesday, police and hospital officials said. A bomb hidden under a car exploded at a bus depot in the predominantly Shiite neighborhood of Mashtal on the capital’s east side, …

The winner of “Dancing With the Stars”‘ first season and a former Spice Girl are starring in a new Vegas show about taking it all off. Scary Spice Mel B and “General Hospital” actress Kelly Monaco star in “Peepshow,” slated to open at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las …

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Everyone seems to want one, but apparently a lot of Americans aren’t sure exactly what a “bailout” is. People looked it up so often on Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary that the Springfield-based publisher says “bailout” was an easy choice for its annual Word of the Year honor. The …

LONDON – The opposition Conservative Party expressed outrage Friday over the arrest of a key lawmaker as part an investigation into the leak of secret government information. Damian Green, who is the party’s spokesman on immigration issues, was taken into custody Thursday and released nine hours later in an operation …

As one historic duel — the presidential race between Barack Obama and John McCain — ends, another is heating up. The stakes are high: nothing less than the soul of rock ‘n roll. The competition is fierce. And you will decide — with your wallet. In one corner is “Guitar …