Gunmen in police uniforms raided bus stations in central Baghdad and seized at least 50 people. No word yet on the fates of those kidnapped. Two days ago gunmen stopped minivans carrying students north of the city, separated Shiites and Sunnis, and killed 21 Shiites.

In his weekly radio address President Bush expressed his support for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. Today the Senate begins debating the measure, which is opposed by all but one (Ben Nelson of Nebraska) of the Senate Democrats.

After weeks of fighting, the leader of the Union of Islamic Courts has declared warlord control of Mogadishu over. The BBC reports that nine of eleven warlords (allegedly backed by the U.S.) have fled the city.

Former Peruvian president Alan Garcia has been elected again with 55.5% of the vote. While Venezuela, Bolivia, and Ecuador have increased state control over energy assets, Garcia has endorsed a free trade accord with the U.S. as part of his pledge to boost international trade.

Today marks twenty-five years since a CDC report first mentioned the disease that would eventually be called AIDS. The New York Times profiles people infected with or working to treat the disease that has infected 65 million people, 25 million of whom have died.