AMMAN, Jordan – Two lawyers for Saddam Hussein said Monday that the former Iraqi president’s half brother claims U.S. officials offered him a ranking government position in Iraq if he testified against Saddam but he rejected a deal. Barazan Ibrahim purportedly made the claim Thursday during a closed-door hearing by …

NEW YORK – U.S. regulators told Refco Securities LLC they may take action against the broker-dealer if it does not provide customers immediate access to their accounts and property, its bankrupt parent Refco Inc. (RFXCQ) said in a court filing this week. In a Monday filing with the U.S. bankruptcy …

HOUSTON – Nurses, police officers, firefighters and other public servants who came to Houston because of Hurricane Katrina will be offered a year of rent-free living in 68 foreclosed houses and condominiums. Fannie Mae, one of the nation’s largest mortgage lenders, and the Harris County Housing Authority also will give …

SAN FRANCISCO – Among the companies whose shares are likely to see active trading on Wednesday are Veritas DGC Inc., WellPoint Inc. and Time Warner Inc. Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. (HOV) is expected to report fiscal fourth-quarter earnings of $2.42 a share, according to analysts surveyed by Thomson First Call. Pall …

RALEIGH, N.C. – A man who killed his wife and father-in-law awaited lethal injection Friday in the nation’s 1,000th execution since capital punishment resumed in 1977. Kenneth Lee Boyd, set to die at 2 a.m., spent the day receiving visitors, including two sons who watched him gun down their mother …

WASHINGTON – About one in four Internet users is hit with e-mail scams every month that try to lure sensitive personal information from unsuspecting consumers, a study says. Of those receiving the phony e-mails, most thought they might be from legitimate companies — seven in 10, or 70 percent, were …

MADRID, Spain – Police have arrested at least seven people suspected of financing and giving logistical support to an Islamic extremist group with links to Al Qaeda, officials said Friday. Interior Minister Jose Antonio Alonso said police who made the arrests late Thursday and early Friday in the Costa del …

BEIRUT, Lebanon – The funeral for a leading newspaper editor slain in a car bomb turned into a massive protest against Syria on Wednesday, drawing more than 100,000 Lebanese who blamed Damascus for the latest in a string of politically motivated killings. Tens of thousands of flag-waving mourners marched behind …

SEASIDE, Ore. – A man was attacked by a shark while surfing off the northern Oregon coast Saturday, authorities said. The 30-year-old surfer, Brian Anderson, was bitten on the ankle and calf and suffered a laceration, said Joe Dotson, chief of the Seaside Fire Department. Witnesses said Anderson was able …

WASHINGTON – House lawmakers opened the way for oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and approved $29 billion for hurricane relief during an all-night session Monday bringing their legislative year to a close. The House also narrowly passed a plan to cut deficits by almost $40 billion over …