Violence in Iraq is now at its deadliest level in half a decade, raising fears the country is returning to the widespread bloodshed that pushed the country to the edge of civil war. More than 2,800 people have been killed since the start of April.

Police said Monday's deadliest attack was a mortar barrage near a group of people trying to escape the blistering summer heat by swimming in the Tigris River near Samarra, about 95 kilometers (60 miles) north of Baghdad.

Four people were killed in the mortar shelling, including the boy, and 11 others were wounded, according to police.

Temperatures in Baghdad soared above 45 degrees Celsius (115 degrees Fahrenheit).

In the northern city of Kirkuk, a car bomb went off near a passing security patrol, killing a policeman and wounding 11 other people, including four civilians.

The blast left a crater two meters (six feet) wide near the side of the road, and the charred hull of the blue police pickup truck lay mangled in the street.

Hours later, a suicide bomber slammed his explosives-laden car into an army checkpoint near Kirkuk, killing two soldiers, according to Lt. Gen. Mohammed Khalaf, a senior military commander in the city.

More than 140 people have been killed since Muslims in Iraq began observing Ramadan on Wednesday.

The American and British Embassies each issued statements Monday condemning the daily rash of attacks.

"That these attacks have taken place during the holy month of Ramadan, a time for charity and compassion is especially disturbing," said Britain's charge d'affaires in Iraq, Robert Deane. "This continued violence is clearly intended to fuel sectarian strife and destabilize the country."

Pious Muslims go without food, drink, smoking and sex in the daytime during the holy month, when feelings of spiritual devotion are high. In the years following the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, the start of Ramadan often also brought a wave of insurgent attacks a pattern being repeated this year.

In other violence on Monday, police said gunmen sprayed a security checkpoint with bullets just south of Baghdad, killing two soldiers and wounding four others.

Hospital officials confirmed the death toll. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters.

Monday's attacks came a day after a wave of coordinated bombings in mostly Shiite cities and other attacks left at least 38 dead and scores wounded.

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Associated Press Writers Qassim Abdul-Zahra and Adam Schreck contributed.

During almost three weeks of testimony, they listened to 56 witnesses 38 for the prosecution and 18 for the defense. A number of items have been the source of conflicting testimony, and jurors will have to sort out those contradictions in the deliberation room.

Zimmerman pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder. He says he fatally shot Martin in a scuffle at the townhome complex where Zimmerman was a neighborhood watch volunteer and where Martin was visiting his father's fiancee. Martin was black and Zimmerman identifies himself as Hispanic. Some civil rights activists argued that the delay in charging Zimmerman was influenced by Martin's race, and protests were held around the nation in the 44 days before Zimmerman was arrested.

Here are five questions jurors weighed during their deliberations.

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WHOSE SCREAMS ARE ON 911 CALLS?

Convincing jurors about whose voice is screaming for help on 911 calls that captured audio of the fight was the primary goal of prosecutors and defense attorneys. Martin's mother, father and brother testified it's the Miami teen screaming for help on recordings of the 911 calls made by Zimmerman's neighbors. Zimmerman's mother, uncle, father and five friends told jurors it was the neighborhood watch volunteer's voice. One of Zimmerman's neighbors, Jayne Surdyka, says the screams were those of a boy.

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WHO WAS ON TOP?

Zimmerman was wearing a red jacket, and Martin had on a dark hoodie. Zimmerman's former neighbor Jonathan Good, perhaps the witness with the best view of what happened, says he saw a person in dark clothing straddling someone in red or white clothing and making downward movements with his fists in a mixed-martial arts maneuver known as "ground and pound." Neighbors Selma Mora and Surdyka say the person on top got up after the shooting. Zimmerman's attorneys say Zimmerman had been on the bottom but got on top of Martin after he fired his gun.

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HOW DID POSITION OF MARTIN'S ARMS CHANGE?

Zimmerman told investigators that Martin was on top of him, pounding his head into the pavement. After he fired his gun, he says, he got on top of Martin and spread his arms. However, a photo taken moments later by Zimmerman's neighbor shows Martin's arms under his body. Defense expert Vincent DiMaio testified Martin could have moved his arms in the 10 to 15 seconds he would have been conscious after being shot in the heart.

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DID ZIMMERMAN ACT IN SELF-DEFENSE?

Zimmerman has argued all along he acted in self-defense, although he passed up chance for a self-defense "stand your ground" hearing in which a judge could have thrown out the case without it going to a jury if the judge was convinced there was enough evidence to support it. Zimmerman's community college instructor, Alexis Francisco Carter, told jurors that a person can claim self-defense if they have a reasonable fear of death or great bodily harm. In their jury instructions, jurors were told self-defense is justified in using deadly force if Zimmerman reasonably believed that such force was necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to himself.

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DID ZIMMERMAN ACT WITH ILL WILL, HATRED, SPITE OR EVIL INTENT?

To get a second-degree murder conviction, prosecutors needed to show that Zimmerman acted with ill will, hatred, spite or evil intent. Prosecutors argued that profanities Zimmerman uttered under his breath while he watched Martin walk through his neighborhood were evidence of ill will and hatred. But when asked by prosecutors and defense attorneys, no witness said Zimmerman acted with these traits. The judge presiding over the case also allowed jurors to consider the lesser charge of manslaughter. To get a manslaughter conviction, prosecutors were required to show that Zimmerman killed without lawful justification.

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Follow Mike Schneider on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MikeSchneiderAP .

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The announcement appearedyesterday, in a post titled, "Feds, We Need Some Time Apart."

When it comes to sharing and socializing with feds, recent revelations have made many in the community uncomfortable about this relationship.

The post, written under the pseudonym The Dark Tangent (a.k.a. Jeff Moss, ), then suggests a "time-out" so that both sides can "think about what comes next."

RELATED:

Federal officials—not just from the NSA—generally attend with the goal of finding new recruits. Hiring hackers is a necessarily fraught venture, but hiring hackers to work for the government is trickier still. Those who take a practiced interest in getting around technical boundaries may not do well under the regimented structure of a division of the Department of Defense. If you need an example of the risks, consider the NSA's most famous recent hacker: .

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Just a year ago, the scene was different. NSA chief Keith Alexander made his first appearance, even sporting a T-shirt bearing the logo of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. He did his best to cultivate those in attendance.

I knew I should have stopped talking to him before we started dating, but he was such a mess I thought I could help him -- and I did. He's no longer an alcoholic. He went to jail for seven months because of our age difference, but I refused to testify, so he got out. While he was in there I thought he had changed and wouldn't hit me anymore, but he still does.

Anyone in their right mind would get up and leave, but the one time I did, he pretended he didn't care and I attempted suicide. I don't know what to do. I love him, but I know I shouldn't. -- ABUSED TEEN IN CALIFORNIA

DEAR TEEN: I'm glad you wrote. Richard may no longer be drinking liquor, but cough medicines contain alcohol, which means he's still an alcoholic. His violence toward women will probably never stop unless he is incarcerated for it, and even then there is no guarantee.

Regardless of how much love you give him, you can't fix what's wrong with him or make him love you back because he isn't capable of it.

Because you are so emotionally fragile, you should seek refuge with relatives who can help you heal physically and emotionally from this experience. If that's not possible, then contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline. Its website is www.thehotline.org, and the toll-free phone number is 800-799-7233. Ask for a referral to a women's shelter where you can receive counseling and support.

Help is available for you if you are open to it. Staying where you are is not an option because if you do, this man could kill you.

DEAR ABBY: While riding with my new boss to a sales appointment, he needed some information from his company-issued iPad. He asked me to turn it on and gave me the passcode. When I did, up popped a porn site. He almost wrecked the car grabbing the iPad from me.

Not another word was said until we arrived at the appointment and he looked up the item prior to going in. Nothing has been said about this incident since.

Every time I think about my boss having gone to that porn site before I touched the iPad, I get sick to my stomach. He makes me sick. Do I resign or stay? -- GROSSED OUT IN OHIO

DEAR GROSSED OUT: If the nausea is affecting your ability to perform your job, you should quit. But before you do, be sure you have another one lined up. And when you interview, as tempting as it may be, refrain from saying anything negative about your boss because to do otherwise will reflect poorly on you.

DEAR ABBY: My boyfriend wants to open the door for me when I am the one driving. I'm thrilled that he wants to be a gentleman, and I love when he opens the door for me when I am in the passenger seat or in front of any other door, as he always does. I am just not comfortable with it when I'm the one who's driving. It seems awkward to me. Your thoughts? -- AT A LOSS IN COLORADO

DEAR AT A LOSS: Your boyfriend may do this because he wants to please you, or he was raised this way. Personally, I think what he's doing is endearing. However, because it makes you uncomfortable, explain that it "isn't necessary" and you would prefer he not do it when you are the driver.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Write Dear Abby ator P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

To order "How to Write Letters for All Occasions," send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $7 (U.S. funds) to: Dear Abby -- Letter Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. Shipping and handling are included in the price.

Travis, 54, one of country music's best-selling artists who had a string of hits in the 1980s, is suffering from viral cardiomyopathy, which he recently acquired, Travis' publicist said in a statement.

Cardiomyopathy weakens and enlarges the heart, making it more difficult for the muscle to pump blood and can lead to heart failure.

The "Forever and Ever, Amen" singer was admitted to hospital on Sunday.

Travis, best known for hits "Three Wooden Crosses" and "Diggin' Up Bones," made headlines last year after Texas State Troopers found the singer lying naked near his crashed car and his booking photo showed his face covered in cuts and bruises.

He pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated and was sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to serve at least 30 days at an in-patient alcohol treatment facility.

(Reporting by Eric Kelsey; editing by Piya Sinha-Roy and Sandra Maler)

The posthumous trial of Magnitsky was a macabre chapter in a case that ignited a high-emotion dispute between Russia and Washington that has included U.S. sanctions against Russians deemed to be human rights violators, a ban on the adoption of Russian children by U.S. citizens and calls for the closure of Russian non-governmental organizations receiving American funding.

Magnitsky was a lawyer for U.S.-born British investor William Browder when he alleged in 2008 that organized criminals colluded with corrupt Interior Ministry officials to claim a fraudulent $230 million tax rebate after illegally seizing subsidiaries of Browder's Hermitage Capital investment company.

He subsequently was arrested on tax evasion charges and died in prison in November 2009 of untreated pancreatitis at age 37.

His death prompted widespread criticism from human rights activists and the presidential human rights council found in 2011 that he had been beaten and deliberately denied medical treatment.

Announcing his verdict Thursday, Judge Igor Alisov said "Magnitsky masterminded a massive tax evasion scheme in a ... conspiracy with a group of people," according to the ITAR-Tass news agency.

Browder, a strident critic of the lack of transparency at top Russian companies who has been banned from Russia since 2005 as a security threat, was also found guilty in absentia along with Magnitsky of evading some $17 million in taxes. He was sentenced to nine years in prison.

"Today's verdict will go down in history as one of the most shameful moments for Russia since the days of Joseph Stalin," Browder said in a statement. "The worst part of today's verdict is the malicious pain that the Russian government is ready to inflict on the grieving family of a man who was killed for standing up to government corruption and police abuse."

Sen. Robert Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Magnitsky's posthumous conviction was "nothing short of a message to Russia's activist community of the repercussions of opposing the state."

"The trend toward authoritarianism in Russia and the accompanying escalation in violations of human and civil rights is reason for grave concern," Menendez said in a statement.

Russia's top court ruled in 2011 that posthumous trials are allowed, with the intention of letting relatives clear their loved ones' names. But Magnitsky's relatives said they had no desire for such a proceeding. Instead, the trial of Magnitsky underlined Russia's strong resentment of foreign criticism of its human rights record.

The court said the verdict ends the case against Magnitsky, and his lawyer Nikolai Gerasimov said he had no authority to try for an appeal. Kirill Goncharov, the court-appointed attorney for Browder, told ITAR-Tass that "undoubtedly, today's verdict will be appealed."

Russia's top investigative body in March closed its probe into Magnitsky's death, finding that no crimes were committed. A prison doctor charged with negligence in his death was acquitted in December.

BOSTON (Reuters) - The annual Def Con hacking convention has asked the federal government to stay away this year for the first time in its 21-year history, saying Edward Snowden's revelations have made some in the community uncomfortable about having feds there.

"It would be best for everyone involved if the Feds call a 'time-out' and not attend Def Con this year," Def Con founder Jeff Moss said in an announcement posted Wednesday night on the convention's website.

An irreverent crowd of more than 15,000 hackers, researchers, corporate security experts, privacy advocates, artists and others are expected to attend the Las Vegas convention that begins August 2.

Moss, who is an advisor on cyber security to the Department of Homeland Security, told Reuters that it was "a tough call," but that he believed the Def Con community needs time to make sense of the recent revelations about U.S. surveillance programs.

"The community is digesting things that the Feds have had a decade to understand and come to terms with," said Moss, who is known as The Dark Tangent in hacking circles. "A little bit of time and distance can be a healthy thing, especially when emotions are running high."

He said that the move was not designed to create tension, but to defuse it. "We are not going on a witch hunt or checking IDs and kicking people out," he said.

In previous years the conference has attracted officials from federal agencies including the CIA, National Security Agency, FBI, Secret Service and all branches of the military.

Last year, four-star General Keith Alexander, head of the National Security Agency, was a keynote speaker at the event, which is the world's largest annual hacking conference.

The audience was respectful, gave modest applause and also asked about secret government snooping. Alexander adamantly denied that the NSA has dossiers on millions of Americans, as some former employees had suggested before the Snowden case.

"The people who would say we are doing that should know better," Alexander said. "That is absolute nonsense."

Alexander is scheduled to speak in Las Vegas on July 31 at Black Hat, a smaller, two-day hacking conference that was also founded by Moss. It costs about $2,000 to attend and attracts a more corporate crowd than Def Con, which charges $180.

Moss said that he believes Alexander will still speak at Black Hat and that his call for a "time out" only applies to Def Con. Officials with the National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security could not be reached for comment late on Wednesday.

The Feds have previously always been welcome at the event.

Moss says he invited them the first year because he figured they would come anyway. They politely declined, then showed up incognito, he said. And they have attended every year since.

"We created an environment where the Feds felt they could come and it wasn't hostile," Moss said in an interview a year ago. "We could ask them questions and they wanted to ask the hackers about new techniques."

Some Feds have even worked among the motley crew of Def Con volunteers who run the conference and walk around wearing T-Shirts that identify them as "goons."

It has also become a fertile ground for recruiting. The U.S. military, intelligence agencies and law enforcement typically compete with corporations to find new talent at Def Con.

(Editing by Susan Fenton)

Scherzer remained unbeaten and Victor Martinez hit a two-run double in the 10th inning as the Tigers extended their lead in the AL Central with a 4-2 win over the second-place Cleveland Indians on Monday night.

Martinez doubled off Matt Albers (2-1) as the Tigers won three of four in the series and moved 3 games ahead in the division.

Scherzer, attempting to become the first pitcher since Roger Clemens in 1986 to open a season 14-0, finished with a no-decision. He allowed two runs and seven hits in seven innings. The presumed AL starter in next week's All-Star game will take his unblemished mark into a start on Saturday against Texas.

"I don't want to focus much on that (being 13-0)," he said. "This was our best win of the year, and I was proud to be a part of it. The Indians battled so hard tonight and brought their 'A' game, and we did, too.

"It was just a great team win, our best of the year."

Drew Smyly (4-0) worked out of a jam in the ninth and Joaquin Benoit pitched the 10th for his seventh save, striking out Mike Aviles with runners at first and third to end the game.

Matt Tuiasosopo homered for the Tigers, now 9-3 against the Indians.

Detroit was able to widen its lead over Cleveland by two games on this visit, but manager Jim Leyland knows champions aren't crowned in July.

"We came in and had a very good series against a very good team, but I'm not really concerned about the standings," Leyland said. "Of course, I'd rather leave here up 3 games than up 1 games. But trust me, the Indians are not going anywhere, and we're not going anywhere, I don't think."

Albers got two quick outs in the 10th before walking Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder. Martinez followed with a drive over the head of center fielder Michael Bourn. The ball caromed off the wall, far enough away for two of Detroit's slowest runners to score. After Fielder slid across the plate, he popped up from the dirt and swung his arm in celebration.

The Indians had been 5-0 in extra-inning games.

Cleveland came in with a reputation for beating Cy Young Award winners. The Indians have defeated seven former recipients this season, including Detroit's Justin Verlander. Scherzer is clearly the midseason favorite to win the AL honor in 2013, and while the Indians didn't hand him a loss, they did prevent him from beating them for the third time this year.

Scherzer wasn't at his best, and he was noticeably agitated on a night when the rain never really stopped. However, the 28-year-old got stronger as the game wore on. He gave up both runs on a two-run single in the second by Lonnie Chisenhall and five hits in the first three innings, and pitched out of a couple of jams he created.

"He used to be a thrower and now he's a pitcher," Indians first baseman Nick Swisher said. "You've got a guy with all those weapons and he starts to figure it out, that doesn't make anybody happy."

After getting out of a first-and-third bind in the fifth, Scherzer got in a groove and struck out four of the final five batters he faced. In the seventh, he gave up a single to Bourn, who was caught stealing. Scherzer then struck out Asdrubal Cabrera and blew a 97 mph fastball past All-Star second baseman Jason Kipnis to end the inning on his 117th pitch.

Scherzer screamed and pumped his fist as he headed to the dugout, slapping hands with catcher Brayan Pena before taking a seat to watch the Tigers hit.

"You can usually judge your outing on the last 15 pitches, and I thought I finished pretty strong," Scherzer said.

Cleveland's Scott Kazmir went pitch for pitch with Scherzer, allowing just two runs and four hits in 5 2-3 innings.

Kazmir held the top four hitters Austin Jackson, Torii Hunter, Cabrera and Fielder in one of baseball's most feared lineups without a hit in 11 at-bats. The only one of the four to reach base was Cabrera, who walked with one out in the third.

With both the Indians and weather threatening in the second, the game was delayed by rain.

Thunder rumbled nearby and lightning flashed above Progressive Field as Scherzer battled Chisenhall with runners at second and third and two outs. The game was halted on a 2-2 count, and when play resumed 20 minutes later, Chisenhall jumped all over Scherzer's first pitch, ripping a changeup to right for a two-run single.

When he returned to the dugout, Scherzer slammed his glove and cap down in disgust. After the game, he said he was upset that umpire Joe West did not let him finish the at-bat to Chisenhall.

He was mad again in the third, when the Indians loaded the bases on a pair of two-out singles and walk. But Scherzer snagged a comebacker by Aviles and carefully underhanded the ball to first for the final out.

The Indians had their chances against Scherzer, and stranded 10 runners in all.

"It's just kind of one of those games," Swisher said. "We left a small village on the sacks. We've got to do a little better job there, but that's how baseball goes."

NOTES: The Tigers have won 12 of the last 16 against the Indians, outscoring them 100-59 during that stretch. ... Tigers 2B Omar Infante (bruised shin) sat out his fifth straight game, but remains day to day. ... Scherzer had his 19th straight start without a loss, passing Bobo Newsom for the franchise record. ... Detroit went 7-4 on its longest trip this season. The Tigers open a three-game series against the last-place White Sox on Tuesday with Verlander (9-5) facing Jose Quintana (3-2).

The University of Reading was the successful of two bidders vying for the manuscript that contains handwritten notes and substantially differs from the finished novel published in 1938.

The university paid 962,500 pounds for the manuscript by the Irish-born Nobel laureate. It was estimated to sell for between 800,000 to 1.2 million pounds.

"This is unquestionably the most important manuscript of a complete novel by a modern British or Irish writer to appear at auction for many decades," said Peter Selley, Sotheby's senior specialist in books and manuscripts, in a statement.

"The manuscript is capable of redefining Beckett studies for many years to come."

Spread out across six notebooks, the manuscript contains multiple revisions, doodles, and sketches of fellow Irish writer James Joyce and British comic actor Charlie Chaplin, both influences on Beckett's work.

It was written between August 1935 and June 1936 whilst Beckett was undergoing psychoanalysis.

Born in Dublin in 1906, Beckett lived and worked for most of his life in Paris, wrote in French and English, and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1969. He died in 1989.

His first novel is described as the most comic of all his works, involving Murphy's attempts to withdraw from the world.

David Bell, vice-chancellor of the University of Reading, said the acquisition of "Murphy" would provide "unparalleled opportunities to learn more about one of the greatest writers in living memory".

Some Beckett scholars disagreed.

Steven Connor, Beckett specialist at the University of Cambridge, said Beckett studies have been overtaken by an cult of "sacred traces" with scholars seeking signs of unmasked revelation.

"It makes me queasy to think that publicly funded institutions should feed this vain frenzy," Connor told Reuters.

(Reporting by Amritha John, Editing by Belinda Goldsmith)