[TexKat]

Halliburton Iraq Oil Work May Last Longer

WASHINGTON - Halliburton's contract to restart Iraq's oil production has doubled in cost over the past month, and the no-bid work may last longer than expected, the Army says.

The expanded role awarded to Vice President Dick Cheney's former company cost taxpayers $184.7 million as of last week, up from $76.7 million a month ago, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers confirmed this week.

The Corps, which issues noncompetitive work orders under the contract, initially had estimated that a replacement contract would be awarded through competitive bidding by August. It now is backing off that estimate.

[TexKat]

Powell Defends Intelligence on Iraq Weapon

WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Colin Powell says the intelligence around which the United States built its arguments for war in Iraq "isn't a figment of somebody's imagination," and Iraqi nuclear scientists could hold the key to proving the information is accurate.

In an interview Thursday with The Associated Press, Powell said the Bush administration believes Saddam Hussein had both deadly weapons and programs to develop them. He suggested that the United States would help Iraqi scientists if they share what they know about Saddam's weapons.

"Saddam Hussein kept them together so that if the opportunity ever presented itself, he could create nuclear programs. We want to make sure those scientists are no longer kept together in a cell ... but that they go on to find other things to do," Powell said.