SPB news for Saturday.

Iraqis accuse Blackwater of shredding documents, destroying evidence Families of Iraqis who died in a shooting involving Blackwater Worldwide mercenaries accused the company Friday of shredding documents and destroying evidence. Lawyers for the families made the accusations in court documents but identified the source of the information only as former employees. They said officials at the company's North Carolina compound shredded documents related to ongoing investigations sometime around March 18.

U.S. Weighing Readiness for Military Action Against Iran The nation's top military officer said yesterday that the Pentagon is planning for "potential military courses of action" as one of several options against Iran, criticizing what he called the Tehran government's "increasingly lethal and malign influence" in Iraq. Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said a conflict with Iran would be "extremely stressing" but not impossible for U.S. forces, pointing to reserve capabilities in the Navy and Air Force. "It would be a mistake to think that we are out of combat capability," he said at a Pentagon news conference.

Iran denies any clash with US vessel in Persian Gulf Iran on Friday denied any confrontation between Iranian boats and a US vessel in the Persian Gulf, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Navy said on Friday. Reuters news agency said on Friday that a cargo ship hired by the US military opened fire at a boat that may be Iranian.

Pakistan, India close to finalizing accord on gas pipeline from Iran An official says Pakistan and India are close to finalizing an agreement to build a pipeline to import natural gas from Iran. The South Asian countries' petroleum ministers concluded the latest round of talks on the three-nation project Friday in Islamabad.

NY police cleared in 50-bullet wedding day shooting Three New York City police officers were found not guilty of all charges on Friday in the shooting death of an unarmed black man killed in a hail of 50 bullets on his wedding day. A New York state judge cleared two officers of manslaughter and other charges and a third of reckless endangerment in the death of Sean Bell, 23. Bell was shot, along with two friends, after a bachelor party at a strip club in November 2006.