The trial of Saddam Hussein resumed on Thursday, but the former Iraqi leader failed to show up for a second day after his defense team said they would not return to court unless the new chief judge resigns. His seven co-accused were also not present but chief judge Raouf Abdel Rahman carried on with the trial. "Because of the insistence of Saddam Hussein, Barzan al- Tikriti, Taha Yassin Ramadan and Awad al-Bandar not to attend, the court has decided not to call them for this session and to review their opposition," said Abdel Rahman. "The rest were present but were causing chaos," he added, referring to Saddam's co-defendants who are minor Baath party officials, according to a report of Reuters.
