Iraq

A Shiite pilgrim sat on the sidewalk outside a Baghdad shrine, clad in black and holding a brown walking stick. He took off his slippers to rest his scratched and bloodied feet. Abu Zahra had just finished four days and 100 miles of walking, from Baghdad to the holy city of Karbala and back, and his feet were sore. But he had survived. Each year, millions of Shiites make religious pilgrimages such as this one, and each year, the death toll from violence along the way can rise into the hundreds.

Standing near glass -- not to mention sitting in a shop brimming with it -- used to be a death wish in bomb-riddled Baghdad. Just ask Muthanna Jabouri, who had to replace the windows of his chandelier shop five times after explosions tore through the street outside. "The strange thing is, no chandelier was ever damaged," Jabouri said, sounding awe-struck by his good fortune.

Three U.S. soldiers and an interpreter were killed Monday in fighting northeast of the Iraqi capital, the military announced. The statement did not provide details of the incident in Diyala province. According to the independent website icasualties.org, at least 4,250 members of the U.S. military have died in the war since it began in March 2003.

A car bomb exploded at a crowded livestock market south of Baghdad on Thursday, killing at least 13 people in a mainly Shiite Muslim area that the U.S. military has described as one of the safest in Iraq. The blast, which injured 57 people, struck the market at the height of trading, scattering animal carcasses and human remains across the dirt.

Layoff notices, bank failures and plummeting stock markets seem to fill every minute of our newscasts and every corner of our consciences. What a time to be selling a book with this cheery thesis: The disastrous war in Iraq probably must continue to prevent further disaster. You'd have to be hopelessly out of touch, a tad delusional -- or a crackerjack journalist on a mission -- to come out with a winner like that, as Thomas E. Ricks has.

Iraq's minister of state for women's affairs said Monday that she planned to withdraw her resignation after receiving pledges from aid organizations to help women. Nawal Samarai quit last month to protest the lack of resources for women, accusing the government of not making their needs a priority. But the Sunni Arab activist decided to return to her job after getting pledges for funds and support from international aid organizations.

Shiite Muslim clerics Friday called for the release of the Iraqi journalist sentenced to three years in prison for throwing his shoes at then-President George W. Bush. Sheik Suhail Uqabi, a follower of anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada Sadr, said the sentence imposed on Muntathar Zaidi is "a verdict against the Iraqi people who refuse the American occupation" of Iraq. Efforts to release detained Sadr loyalists and others who have opposed the U.S.

Always one to look for the silver lining, Grant Cotting found joy in what would have been unbearable for many teenage boys: trailing his friend to 15 stores on a mission to find the perfect accessory. "He got a real kick out of it and thought it was the funniest thing," said Kelsey Kingston, 19, of their hunt for a gold sweater. "He'd laugh at some of the stuff they were trying to sell. He was one of the few guys I could take shopping with me, and he'd tell me if I looked good or not.