Bush man to quit

WASHINGTON, the United States: Top White House economic adviser Allan Hubbard is expected to leave his post at the end of this year, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday in its on-line edition.

Bomb kills 16

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka: A bomb exploded yesterday outside a clothing store in a busy Colombo suburb, killing at least 16 people and wounding more than 20 others, the military said.

Blackwater lawsuit

WASHINGTON, the United States: A federal grand jury investigating Blackwater Worldwide heard witnesses Tuesday as a private lawsuit accused the government contractor’s bodyguards of ignoring orders and abandoning their posts shortly before taking part in a Baghdad shooting that left 17 Iraqi civilians dead.