The four women and two men walked silently to their red leather armchairs in Room 110 of the Federal District Court Building in lower Manhattan. As dozens of reporters and spectators listened intently, the clerk asked Jury Foreman Richard Zug, an IBM computer specialist, if the panel had come to a decision. "We have," replied Zug. Reading carefully from the verdict form, Zug announced, "On actual malice: to the question, Has the plaintiff proved by clear and convincing evidence that ...

First, the city was frozen in fear. Then came a day of fierce and hot battle, with a scorching chaos. Now, Abidjan, afloat on watery lagoons, is parched, its citizenry athirst yet fearful of stepping out into the streets, where bodies lie uncollected and the smell of death emanates. The showdown between the rival claimants to the Ivory Coast's presidency have brought the country's richest city and de facto capital to a civil collapse. The two men aren't ...

The United States on Friday sought clarification from Iran in response to its counter-offer involving shipping low-enriched uranium for refining abroad, senior administration officials said.Clinton told CNN that Western officials were working to determine what the Iranians are willing to do -- whether Tehran's decision is final or an interim statement. Iran sent its response Thursday to the IAEA, the U.N. nuclear watchdog. The agreement was designed to reduce the amount of material Iran has to possibly make a nuclear ...

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert proclaimed his innocence in a Jerusalem court as proceedings began Friday in his high-profile corruption trial. "For the past three years, I have been subject to an almost inhumane system of smearing and investigations, and have naturally paid a heavy price for this period of time," Olmert said in a prepared statement. "Now is the time for facts, and only facts. I have come here as an innocent man, and I believe I'll come ...

The International Monetary Fund's executive board has approved the sale of up to one-eighth of its gold holdings -- about 403.3 metric tons -- with proceeds going toward a new income model and financing for low-income nations. Such gold sales would be done in a "responsible and transparent" manner to avoid disruptions of the international gold market, Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn said, according to a statement from the IMF on Friday. The 186-member institution is the third largest official holder ...

Fernando Alonso refused to comment on Renault's upcoming hearing about alleged race-fixing at last year's Singapore Grand Prix as he chose to focus on this weekend's race in Monza. The Spaniard's Renault team face a probe from world motorsport's governing body the FIA on September 21 over claims that Nelson Piquet Jnr crashed on purpose, making it easier for his teammate to win the race due to the introduction of the safety car. Piquet, who was sacked by Renault after ...

An interview with a choreographer for the Miss Universe pageant spurred controversy Wednesday over alleged claims that Donald Trump personally selects some of the finalists. The Q&A with Michael Schwandt, which appeared on Guanabee.com, quotes him as saying that "it's just kind of common knowledge that [Trump] picks six of the top 15 single-handedly." "And, his reason for doing so, as he told me and he's told the girls before, is that he left it all up to preliminary judging ...

The Los Angeles County coroner has ruled that Michael Jackson's death was a homicide. The coroner concluded that Jackson died from "acute propofol intoxication," a statement from the coroner's office said. "Other conditions contributing to death: benzodiazepine effect," the statement said. The coroner announced two weeks ago that he had completed the autopsy report but would withhold the conclusions at the request of the Los Angeles Police Department, which has been conducting a criminal investigation of the pop ...

Pop singer Chris Brown was sentenced Tuesday to serve five years probation and more than 1,400 hours in "labor-oriented service" for assaulting his pop star girlfriend, Rihanna. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Patricia Schnegg said in the sentencing she wants to see Brown conduct "actual physical labor, as opposed to some type of community service." The sentencing was delayed earlier this month because documents detailing Brown's proposed community service plan in Virginia, where he maintains a legal residence and ...

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton headed to Luanda, Angola, on Sunday on the third leg of a journey that is taking her to seven African nations in 11 days. In a statement released to the Basque newspaper Gara, ETA said the attacks were in retaliation to a government initiative to aggressively go after the group. "When Spain responds with weapons, we will answer with weapons," the statement said. "The only thing that has been proven to be frustrated and ...