SADDAM CROSS-EXAMINED FOR FIRST TIME

ByABC News
April 5, 2006, 1:02 PM

April 5, 2006 --

Saddam Says Shiites Were Involved in Plot
Saddam Hussein was cross-examined for the first time in his 6-month-old trial Wednesday, saying he approved death sentences against Shiites in the 1980s because he believed the evidence had proven they were involved in an assassination attempt against him. (The Guardian)

Video Claims to Show Pilot Being Dragged
Internet Video Group Claims to Show Iraq Insurgents Dragging Burning U.S. Helicopter Pilot's Body. (AP)

I Will Not Be Forced Out By US and UK, Says Iraqi PM
Leader's first interview since Rice and Straw's move to break deadlock . (The Guardian)

Kidnap victims freed; professor found dead in Basra
US and Iraqi troops in the north have freed three Iraqi kidnap victims, and a Sunni professor has been found dead hours after being abducted in the southern city of Basra. (AP)

Democracy In Iraq Not A Priority in U.S. Budget
While President Bush vows to transform Iraq into a beacon of democracy in the Middle East, his administration has been scaling back funding for the main organizations trying to carry out his vision by building democratic institutions such as political parties and civil society groups. (Washington Post)