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The Obama administration tightened rules on hydraulic fracturing Friday, requiring the disclosure of chemicals used in the process when done on federal and American Indian lands. The new rules will also require additional testing of oil and gas well construction and require the industry to have a management plan for the water used in the process. "This proposed rule will strengthen the requirements for hydraulic fracturing performed on federal and Indian lands in order to build public confidence and protect the health of American communities, while ensuring continued access to the important resources that make up our energy economy," the...

WASHINGTON — Nine days after a four-star general was relieved of command for comments made to Rolling Stone magazine, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates issued orders on Friday tightening the reins on officials dealing with the news media. The memorandum requires top-level Pentagon and military leaders to notify the office of the Defense Department’s assistant secretary for public affairs “prior to interviews or any other means of media and public engagement with possible national or international implications.” Just as the removal of Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal from command in Afghanistan was viewed as President Obama’s reassertion of civilian control of...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The freeze that lingered over much of the nation Wednesday was expected to be followed by strong winds and more bitter cold through the Midwest and deep into the South. The unusually persistent Southern cold snap has been blamed for at least six deaths and threatened to freeze Florida citrus crops. The cold was expected to continue through the weekend. The National Weather Service predicted the heaviest snow from the fast-moving system would fall on Iowa, Missouri and Illinois, with 4-6 inches predicted along with some locally heavier amounts through Thursday. In a rare turn for the...

WASHINGTON (AP) - For the first time in nearly 30 years, the Environmental Protection Agency plans to strengthen standards for water pollution from coal-fired power plants. The agency said Tuesday that equipment required to reduce air pollution has increased the harmful contaminants in water discharged by power plants. It also said that existing regulations are not enough to protect water quality and wildlife.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Police manned roadblocks and rounded up supporters of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who left London Sunday after seven years in exile to return to Pakistan and lead a campaign to topple the country's U.S.-allied military ruler. Before leaving London, Sharif warned that President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's government might try to arrest or deport him. At the last minute, he asked his brother Shahbaz Sharif to remain in Britain so that he can lead the party in case anything happens to the former prime minister. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information....

LOS ANGELES Embarrassed by revelations that some executives got pricey perks on the quiet, University of California board members are tightening their grip on the system's finances. UC regents exhibited a new, more activist approach this week as they met at UCLA, asking pointed questions about the budgeting process and voting Thursday to take control of UC President Robert C. Dynes' office budget. Dynes, who has accepted responsibility for the compensation irregularities, is voluntarily giving up a raise this year because of the controversy, saying "the buck stops on my desk." Despite the problems, board Chairman Gerald Parsky said Dynes...

Islamists' grip tightens on Somalia By Mike Pflanz, East Africa Correspondent (Filed: 05/08/2006) The African front line in the West's war on terrorism has collapsed as mass resignations from Somalia's fragile government have all but handed power to hard-line Islamists. Twenty senior officials quit the United Nations-backed transitional administration this week. That brought to 39 - a third of the government - the number who have abandoned the struggle to stabilise the country and ward off the threat of an Islamist regime giving succour to al-Qa'eda in east Africa. Islamic militants control much of southern Somalia All have left office...

BEIJING - Sixteen years after the bloody crackdown at Tiananmen Square, China's grip on dissent has tightened. From religion to the media, political activism to the Internet, Hu Jintao's regime watches all - and silences any challenge to the Communist Party. Members of non-sanctioned churches risk detention, potentially incendiary chat rooms are shut down, newspapers are kept on a short rein and employees of foreign news organizations have been arrested and accused of spying. Last month, an international conference on democracy planned for Beijing was canceled. When Hu came to power in 2002, many had hoped that the new president...

Democrats to Debate As Iowa Race Tightens 1 hour, 56 minutes ago By MIKE GLOVER, Associated Press Writer DES MOINES, Iowa - The Democratic presidential candidates shift focus to minority issues Sunday in the final campaign debate before Iowa opens the nominating season with the Jan. 19 caucuses, considered too close to call. Iowa's largest newspaper endorsed North Carolina Sen. John Edwards for the Democratic presidential nomination while three other Iowa newspapers went for Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry in weekend editions. Eight of the nine Democrats have agreed to participate in Sunday's debate, with only retired Gen. Wesley Clark staying...

Terror in the sky: the net tightens By David Usborne in New York and Kim Sengupta in London 03 January 2004 A week of terrorist alerts that has caused disruption on a scale not seen since 11 September 2001 culminated in dramatic scenes at Heathrow airport yesterday, when a British Airways flight to Washington DC was barred from taking off, for the second successive day, because of a specific terrorist threat. BA flights to and from the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh, were also cancelled after warnings from British intelligence services. BA 263, which was to take off from Heathrow at...

Brazil tightens screws on drug flights By Raymond Colitt in Manaus Last Updated: October 30 2003 21:18 Brazil plans to step up the battle against drug flights crossing its airspace from Colombia en route to customers in North America, Europe and at home. The air force and federal police will in coming weeks be tracking incoming drug flights to their destination using aircraft and helicopters from the Tabatinga air base on the Colombian border. A ground crew will then confiscate the cargo and capture the pilot, a Brazilian police official said. "We hope to cut off one of the main...