Saddam Hussein stormed out of the courtroom at his war crimes trial Sunday after a new chief judge had his half brother forcibly removed from the proceedings by four guards. The trial's new chief judge, Raouf Rasheed Abdel-Rahman, wielded a heavy hand in trying to establish order in the courtroom, resulting in the expulsion of one defendant -- Barzan Hassan -- and a defense attorney. Full Article

The future of the Middle East entered a new era of uncertainty Thursday, as the militant Palestinian opposition group Hamas snatched power from the ruling old guard and made skeptics of many key players in the peace process.
In conceding Fatah's defeat, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas urged Hamas to keep negotiations moving forward, but the U.S. seemed doubtful and Israel responded by demanding that the Palestinian Authority disarm the new ruling party 'and the other terrorist organizations.' Full Article

RAMALLAH, West Bank (CNN) -- Palestinian voters loosened the dominant Fatah movement's hold in their first election in a decade, but the ruling party remains No. 1, according to an exit poll late Wednesday. The militant Islamic group Hamas is projected to snare about 40 percent of the parliamentary posts and to block Fatah from gaining a majority in the 132-seat Palestinian Legislative Council. Full Article

Centre-left candidate Michelle Bachelet becomes Chile's first female leader, taking 53% of the vote.
Her rival, conservative businessman Sebastian Pinera, has conceded defeat.
Giving a victory speech to cheering suporters, Ms Bachelet said: "Who would have said, 10, 15 years ago, that a woman would be elected president?" Full Article