USA

President Bush named John Negroponte as the new US ambassador to Iraq during a Monday ceremony in the Oval Office. Negroponte, currently serves as the top US diplomat at the UN, where he helped to win unanimous Security Council support for resolutions demanding that Saddam Hussein adhere to UN mandates to disarm. Bush praised Negroponte as "a man of enormous experience and skill" who has been "speaking for the US to the world about our intentions to spread freedom and peace." The appointment has garnered international approval as being "in the interest of the Iraqi population." He is expected to take his post June 30, when the US hands over to Iraqs responsibility for their own affairs.

The Bush administration intends to revamp its proposed overhaul of overtime rules, Labor Secretary Elaine Chao said. A plan released last year calls for fewer white-collar workers to be eligible for overtime pay. Under the revised plan, up to 107,000 such employees would lose overtime protection, mostly those who earn more than $100,000 a year, while 6.7 million workers would be guaranteed eligibility for premium pay if they work more than 40 hours a week. Last year's proposed change to the Fair Labor Standards Act drew criticism from labor activists and some members of Congress, but congressional approval is not needed for the changes to take effect.

Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, prisoners are being kept in a "lawless enclave," their lawyers told the Supreme Court Tuesday. The petitioners, who are among the 600 men from 44 countries being held at the naval base, have lost two lower-court attempts to gain their freedom. Attorney John Gibbons argued that they should be treated like American prisoners. "No other law applies there," he told the court. The appeal to the high court is the first major legal challenge of the Bush administration's war on terror. The Bush administration contends that the detainees are not traditional prisoners and should be held as long as deemed necessary.

Kenyans swept another Boston Marathon Monday, winning both the women's and men's divisions. Timothy Cherigat finished first in the men's race in 2:10:37, beating Robert Chebo-ror by 72 seconds. Kenyans, who have won 13 of the last 14 Boston Marathons, took the first four places in the men's division. Catherine Ndereba won the women's field for the third time, crossing the finish line in 2:24:27 - 16 seconds ahead of Elfenesh Alemu of Ethiopia. No American runner placed higher than 13th.