The Iraqi connection
The week's news at a glance.
Houston
Two Houston oilmen were formally charged this week with paying “secret kickbacks” to Saddam Hussein’s government in exchange for the right to sell Iraqi oil. The payments should have helped pay for food and medicine for ordinary Iraqis under the United Nations oil-for-food program, which operated from 1996 to 2003 to help Iraqis weather hardships caused by economic sanctions against the regime. But the kickbacks helped Saddam turn the program into a “cash cow masquerading as a humanitarian venture,” said John Klochan of the FBI’s office in New York, where the men, David Chalmers Jr. and Ludmil Dionissiev, were charged. Both pleaded not guilty.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
6 sun-drenched homes by the sea
Feature Featuring a large patio overlooking the ocean in Laguna Beach and a marble rainfall shower in Norwalk
-
Is China winning the AI race?
Today's Big Question Or is it playing a different game than the US?
-
5 refreshing podcasts you may have missed this spring
The Week Recommends Exploring the cultural impact of Jerry Springer, a look at contemporary spending habits and more