US, Iraq sign deal to settle claims

US, Iraq sign deal to settle claims

BAGHDAD

Iraq has agreed to pay $400 million to Americans who say they were abused by Saddam Hussein’s regime, U.S. and Iraqi officials said Friday.

The agreement, recently signed by U.S. and Iraqi officials, represents a significant step forward for Iraq and could bring an end to years of legal battles by Americans who claim to have been tortured or traumatized under Saddam’s regime.

But the deal is likely to anger Iraqis who consider themselves the victims’ of both Saddam and the 2003 U.S. invasion.

Congress pressured to repeal ‘don’t ask’

NEW YORK

Elated by a major court victory, gay-rights activists are stepping up pressure on Congress to repeal the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy this month. They want to avoid potentially lengthy appeals and fear their chances for a legislative fix will fade after Election Day.

The House voted in May to repeal the 17-year-old policy banning openly gay service members.

National gay-rights groups, fearing possible Democratic losses Nov. 2, urged their supporters Friday to flood senators’ offices with phone calls and e-mails asking that the Senate vote on the measure during the week of Sept. 20.

Castro: Remarks misinterpreted

HAVANA

Fidel Castro says his comments about Cuba’s communist economic model were misinterpreted by a visiting American journalist.

Appearing at the University of Havana on Friday, the 84-year-old ex-president said he meant “exactly the opposite” of the quote contained in a blog by Atlantic magazine reporter Jeffrey Goldberg.

Goldberg wrote Wednesday that he asked Castro if Cuba’s economic system was still worth exporting to other countries. He said that Castro replied: “The Cuban model doesn’t even work for us anymore.”

FAA plan addresses fatigue in pilots

WASHINGTON

Work hours would be shortened for pilots who fly at night, and some pilots who fly during the day could spend more time in the cockpit under a government proposal to help prevent dangerous fatigue.

The Federal Aviation Administration plan, which the agency has spent 15 months drafting, is an attempt to overhaul pilot work rules to reflect current scientific understanding of how fatigue impacts human performance and prevent errors that cause accidents. Most of the rules date back to the 1940s.

Huge drill arrives at Chilean mine

SAN JOSE MINE, Chile

Chile is sparing no expense to rescue its 33 trapped miners, mounting three separate drilling efforts to carve escape tunnels through nearly a half-mile of solid rock and collapsed mine shafts. The latest — an oil-well drill so big it takes 40 trucks to carry it — began arriving Friday.

The drill will be nearly 150 feet tall when assembled at the gold-and-copper mine where the main shaft collapsed Aug. 5.

Feds: Ariz. violates students’ civil rights

PHOENIX

Two federal investigations have found that Arizona is violating the civil rights of some students who are not native English speakers by denying them access to special programs for English learners.

Arizona could lose millions in federal funding if officials don’t fix the system to address investigators’ concerns.

Associate Press