GUANTANAMO BAY NAVY BASE, Cuba — Soon after Osama bin Laden's driver got here in 2002, he told interrogators the identity of the al Qaeda chief's most senior bodyguard — then a fellow prison camp detainee.

But, inexplicably, the U.S. let the bodyguard go.

This startling information was revealed in the fourth day of the war crimes trial of Salim Hamdan, 37, facing conspiracy and material support for terror charges as an alleged member of bin Laden's inner circle. » read more

MOSCOW — The Russian newspaper Izvestia reported Thursday that crews from Russian strategic bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons have surveyed sites in Cuba for possible refueling stopovers.

The newspaper reported on Monday that Russia was considering the move.

The Russian defense ministry said Thursday that there was no plan to deploy bombers to Cuba and called the earlier anonymous allegations carried by Izvestia "disinformation" and a "media hoax," according to state news service Interfax. However, Izvestia, which is controlled by Gazprom, a state-owned gas company that many consider a mouthpiece of Russia's ruling elite, didn't withdraw its initial report. » read more

LONDON — Not so long ago, David Lammy seemed destined to become Britain's first black prime minister.

He has much in common with Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, and counts him as a friend. Both are sons of immigrants, raised by single mothers, and both are interested in social justice issues. Both attended Harvard Law; they first met at an alumni gathering in 2005.

Able and articulate, Lammy "shot through the bottom ranks of government, hit the middle ranks of government and stayed there ever since," said Lester Holloway, the editor of New Nation, the leading black newspaper in Britain. Now in his mid-30s, Lammy is currently Skills Minister, a relatively minor cabinet position. » read more

BAGHDAD — Five Iraqi athletes invited to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games have been barred from competing in August, the International Olympic Committee said Thursday.

"We suspended (the Iraqi National Olympic Committee) back in June because of the clear interference of the government," spokeswoman Emmanuelle Moreau said. "When we did that we also invited the Iraqi government to discuss possible solutions, but we haven't received any positive response from them."

The athletes -- one each in judo, archery and weightlifting, and two in rowing -- had been training with financial support provided by the IOC, according to an IOC spokeswoman. But as of Wednesday, the entry deadline for most Olympic events, Iraq had no recognized Olympic committee to enter a team. » read more

BERLIN — In a highly unusual move for an American presidential candidate, Barack Obama staged a foreign policy speech Thursday before a huge overseas audience, implicitly criticizing President Bush and calling for renewed transatlantic cooperation to rein in Iran, fight religious extremism and terrorism, and address global warming and poverty.

"People of Berlin, people of the world, this is our moment, this is our time," the Democratic hopeful told an enthusiastic outdoor crowd, which local authorities estimated at more than 200,000.

Turning a critical eye on the United States with phrasing he uses on the stump at home to humanize himself, Obama said, "I know my country has not perfected itself" and "we've made our share of mistakes and there are times when our actions around the world have not lived up to our best intentions." » read more