OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert came under heavy criticism Tuesday for announcing the creation of a committee of inquiry to examine the failures of the Lebanon war rather than a powerful independent commission.

ALGIERS (Reuters) — Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika will decide soon whether or not to extend a six-month amnesty expiring on Monday for Islamist rebels who have fought for years to overthrow the government, state radio reported.

BAGHDAD — Starved of entertainment in their violence-racked city, many Baghdad residents are turning to food as one of their few remaining pleasures, and paying the price as they pile on the pounds.