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Several top Iraqi officials have fled to neighboring Syria, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld said, increasing pressure on a state that the Bush administration previously accused of supplying war materiel to the regime of Saddam Hussein. "We certainly are hopeful Syria will not become a haven for war criminals or terrorists," Rumsfeld told CBS-TV's "Face the Nation" Sunday, while declining to say what action, if any, the US might take. Busloads of Syrians have been intercepted in Iraq by coalition forces, he added, including one vehicle carrying a large sum of money and leaflets allegedly offering rewards for killing Americans.

The House approved a $79 billion emergency funding package for the war in Iraq Saturday, a day after the Senate gave its OK. The measure provides the $62 million President Bush had requested for war costs, but imposes restrictions on how the money is spent. It also includes $2.5 billion for Iraq's postwar reconstruction; $8 billion in foreign aid for coalition allies such as Turkey; $4 billion for homeland security; and $3.5 billion to help beleaguered airlines weather a drop in travel since the war began.

The International Monetary Fund and World Bank are ready to assist in Iraq's reconstruction, but only once the UN Security Council approves a new resolution on the matter, they agreed Saturday in Washington. The Bush administration has maintained that a UN resolution isn't needed. The decision came after a gathering of the Group of Seven finance ministers pledged to consider reducing Iraq's up to $100 billion foreign debt load - as the Bush administration wants - while also backing a UN resolution.

Waving flags and chanting "U-S-A! U-S-A!" a few thousand people attended a rally in support of US troops, while collecting donated supplies for them on the National Mall in Washington Saturday. But a few blocks away, a similarly sized antiwar march ended in scuffles with police, with at least three demonstrators reportedly arrested. There and at protests in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and other cities, demonstrators urged the Bush administration to bring US troops home and criticized news coverage of the conflict.

New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer filed lawsuits against to two work-at-home companies Friday, arguing that more than 70 consumers statewide had complained they didn't earn the big weekly paychecks promised in ads that recruited them. The suits accuse Magnum Marketing & Promotions of Syracuse, N.Y., and National Marketing Network of Rome, N.Y., of false advertising, deceptive practices, and other misdeeds.

Presenters were doused with green "slime" and spaghetti at Nickelodeon's 16th annual Kid's Choice Awards ceremony in Santa Monica, Calif., Saturday. Justin Timberlake was named favorite male singer, Amanda Bynes won favorite movie actress, and actor/rapper Will Smith received the "wannabe" award for lifetime achievement. The youth-oriented cable channel's awards honor kids' favorites in movies, television, music, sports, and literature. Winners are chosen by an online poll.

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