Politicians

In a bizarre turn in a case that has kept this nation in thrall, preliminary blood tests indicate that a child who has been a government ward for more than two years is the son of Clara Rojas, a presidential campaign manager held by leftist rebels who kidnapped her nearly six years ago.

An unusual new coalition of big employers, labor unions and politicians united Wednesday to push for "quality, affordable" healthcare for all Americans by 2012. The proposal adds to growing pressure on Congress, President Bush and statehouses across America where governors including California's Arnold Schwarzenegger are calling for a major overhaul of health insurance coverage. The idea united some bitter adversaries Wednesday and indicates that there is business support for change.

A court sentenced 35 opposition politicians and activists to life in prison, and denied them the right to vote or seek office, for inciting violence in an attempt to overthrow the government. The prosecution had called for death sentences against the defendants, who included Ethiopia's top opposition leaders and five people convicted in absentia.

SACRAMENTO -- Politicians may soon be forbidden to travel the world, dine lavishly or buy gifts with campaign funds without proving publicly that those activities had a political or government purpose, and without disclosing, in many cases, who received the largesse. Under a proposal made Monday by the state's ethics watchdog, detailed public disclosure of who benefited from such spending would be required of state officeholders, if given final approval next month.

Ehud Olmert, who took over as acting prime minister Wednesday after Ariel Sharon was hospitalized, has been the Israeli leader's steadfast ally as the pair shifted over time from ideological hard-liners to advocates for withdrawing from the Gaza Strip and part of the West Bank.

Opposition leaders in Kazakhstan accused authorities Tuesday of responsibility for the slaying of a government critic and former confidant of President Nursultan A. Nazarbayev, the second violent death of a major opposition figure in three months. The execution-style killing of Altynbek Sarsenbayev, his driver and bodyguard came as a severe embarrassment to the government and could raise questions about political stability in the oil-rich Central Asian country of 15 million.

Politicians like to fill their offices with tokens meant to inspire and prod them to greatness. A baseball signed by a sports hero. An inspirational slogan in a golden frame. Pictures of themselves with world rulers and shapers. Mithal Alusi's office is adorned with two paintings of his slain sons. Assassins targeting Alusi, an iconoclastic Iraqi politician who is under consideration to take over Iraq's nascent army, killed them last year.

Being a politician has long been among the most risky of occupations in Iraq. Now, it's become increasingly dangerous just to be related to one. The sister of Tariq Hashimi, one of Iraq's two vice presidents, died in a blast of bullets Thursday, cut down in her SUV along with her bodyguard as she drove to work through a dicey Baghdad neighborhood. The gunmen escaped, leaving a grieving family to wonder who killed 60-year-old Maysoon Hashimi, and on whose orders.

The results of Tuesday's Town Council elections in this small suburban community could serve as a powerful admonition to politicians across the country who favor greater rights for illegal immigrants, according to some residents and local officials. Herndon has been in the national spotlight over a dispute about the town's use of public funds for a facility that helps day laborers, many of whom are in the United States illegally, find employment.