A prominent Afghan lawmaker escaped a suicide attack Tuesday, aides said, on the day that the handover of security from NATO to Afghan forces was to be announced. "The suicide attack was against Haji Mohammad Mohaqiq. It was in front of the Independent Human Rights Commission office. He is unhurt," a senior aide who declined to be named, told AFP. An AFP photographer reported there were casualties at the scene.

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court ruled Monday that deals between pharmaceutical corporations and their generic drug competitors, which government officials say keep cheaper forms of medicine off the market, can be sometimes be illegal and therefore challenged in court. The justices voted 5-3 to allow the government to inspect and challenge what it calls "pay-for-delay" deals or "reverse payment settlements."

By Francesca Trianni NEW YORK (Reuters) - The 89-year-old son of late New York socialite Brooke Astor on Monday lost a final plea that because of old age and illness he should avoid prison time for his conviction on charges he cheated his ailing mother before her death.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Virginia Governor and possible Republican presidential candidate Bob McDonnell used taxpayer money to pay for sunscreen and dog vitamins, the Washington Post reported on Monday, adding to other improper spending the paper says the FBI is investigating. McDonnell and his wife also used state employees to run personal errands for their adult children and billed the state for deodorant, shoe repairs and a digestive system "detox cleanse," the newspaper said, citing spending records it obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.