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WASHINGTON (AFP) – The US is expected this week to announce plans to dispatch more federal agents to its border with Mexico in a bid to combat drug cartel operations there, US officials said. Washington appears poised to bolster its customs and border protection forces along the 3000-plus kilometer (2000 mile) frontier, in what would be President Barack Obama's first major domestic security initiative. The announcement is expected to come "in the next few days" a Department of Homeland Security official told AFP ahead of the announcement. The impending plan comes as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton prepares to visit...

ZURICH (AFP) – Two of Switzerland's largest banks, UBS and Credit Suisse, are set to announce combined losses for 2008 of 29 billion Swiss francs later this week, the Sonntag newspaper reported Sunday. According to the report, UBS will announce an annual loss of 21 billion Swiss francs (14 billion euros, 18 billion dollars) on Tuesday, the largest in Swiss history and reflecting the fact the company was one of the banks hardest hit by the US subprime loan crisis. Last November, UBS posted a net profit of 296 million Swiss francs for the third quarter following a year of...

WASHINGTON - President Bush will tell the nation this week he plans to reduce the American troop presence in Iraq by about 30,000 by next summer, but will condition those and further cuts on continued progress, The Associated Press has learned. In a prime-time television address, probably Thursday, Bush will endorse the recommendations of his top general and top diplomat in Iraq, following their appearance at two days of hearings in Congress, administration officials said. The White House plans to issue a written status report on the so-called "surge" on Friday, they said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity...

SAN DIEGO – Federal authorities Wednesday arrested dozens of individuals across the country suspected of bringing 18 tons of illegal drugs into the United States, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales said in an afternoon news conference here. Members of the Victor Emilio Cazares-Gastellum drug trafficking ring were awakened in the early morning hours by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies who served simultaneous arrest warrants as part of a 20-month-long investigation into the ring's operations, Gonzales and other federal officials said. Gonzales said the Mexico-based organization acquired drugs from Colombia and Venezuela to Central America, then smuggled them into...

WASHINGTON, May 22, 2006 – It's still too soon for the Defense Department to announce troops withdrawals from Iraq, particularly with Iraq's defense and interior ministers yet to be named, a defense spokesman told Pentagon reporters today. Bryan Whitman, deputy assistant secretary of defense for public affairs, lauded this weekend's inauguration of Iraq's first democratically elected, permanent parliamentary government as "a big event" and "significant milestone" for Iraq. Whitman expressed optimism that Iraqi's government will name the defense and ministers "in short order" to help round out the cabinet. "These are important ministries," critical to the country's long-term security, and...

WASHINGTON (ARMY NEWS SERVICE, March 23, 2006) – Army and Air Force officials announced March 17 that a new Joint Cargo Aircraft, designed to enhance the combat readiness of both services, will be developed by a combined team. Fielding of the new aircraft is expected within two years. The Request for Proposals was released March 17 after the Acquisition Strategy Report was signed that morning, according to Pentagon officials. A Joint Program Office, comprised of personnel from both branches of service, will open Oct. 1 in Huntsville, Ala., with the Army taking the lead. “This is a big day for...

The California Democratic Party said Friday it will ask government regulators to investigate Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sen. John McCain for allegedly violating campaign-finance law. The allegations center around a scheduled March 20 fundraiser in Beverly Hills, in which donors have been asked to contribute up to $100,000 for Schwarzenegger and the state Republican Party. McCain, R-Ariz., is the featured speaker. Katie Levinson, a spokeswoman for the governor's campaign, called the complaint "nothing more than frivolous nonsense." Trevor Potter, a former Federal Election Commission chairman who advises McCain, said the senator "is in full compliance with federal law." At issue...

Dems Ready Proposal on Code of Conduct By DAVID ESPO, AP Special Correspondent Sat Jan 14, 8:23 PM ET Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., emerges from the French Cafe' restaurant in Omaha's Old Market, following a news conference in Omaha, Neb., Thursday, Jan. 12, 2006. Reid called for more ethics in Washington during a visit to Omaha, part of a tour that took him to rural, Republican-voting states this week. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik) WASHINGTON - Democrats intend to unveil a sweeping plan this week to tighten Congress' code of conduct, officials said Saturday night, including a ban on lobbyists'...

Judicial society announces Greensboro location Michelle Cater Rash The Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area - 3:09 PM EST Monday The American Judicature Society formally announced Monday that its new Institute of Forensic Science and Public Policy will be coming to downtown Greensboro. Close to 100 city leaders, attorneys and judges gathered in the former City Club on the top floor of the Jefferson Pilot building for the announcement. The institute will be a think tank to look at forensic science standards for use by law enforcement agencies, attorneys and courts. The institute will be advised by the society's...

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) - Saudi authorities on Friday announced the arrest of 41 suspected militants, including those captured during a series of simultaneous raids earlier this month in which al-Qaida's leader in Saudi Arabia was killed. An Interior Ministry statement outlined the Aug. 18 operation in Riyadh and Medina, which killed al-Qaida's Saudi chief, Saleh Mohammed al-Aoofi, and two other militants. Authorities identified, for the first time, two other militants slain during raids in both cities. One was Majed Hamed Abdullah al-Haasiri, a 29-year-old Saudi who was No. 14 on a list of 36 most wanted terrorists sought for...

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Air regulators said Monday that dairies are the number one source of smog-producing pollution in the San Joaquin Valley, producing more than even cars and light trucks. In a much-disputed report released Monday, the San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District determined that a cow annually emits 19.3 pounds of volatile organic compounds, the gases that contribute to smog. That's 50 percent more than currently thought. At that new rate, dairies in the San Joaquin Valley produce more than 50 tons of VOCs a day, exceeding the amount released by cars and light trucks in the...

MEXICO CITY - Mexico, the United States and Canada will announce a special alliance to improve security while protecting the flow of trade across their borders, a Mexican official said Monday. The alliance represents "a big step" toward promoting economic development in the three countries, which belong to the North American Free Trade Agreement, and making their markets more competitive with Europe and Asia, Geronimo Gutierrez, Mexico's deputy secretary for North America, told reporters. President Vicente Fox (news - web sites) also hopes to broach immigration reform during Wednesday's meeting in Waco, Texas, although he has said previously that chances...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Four leading GOP House members and senators announced a joint effort Thursday to rewrite the Endangered Species Act to toughen up habitat and scientific provisions. Environmentalists immediately criticized the plan as the latest attempt to gut the landmark law. The lawmakers said it was the first time members of the House and Senate had banded together at the beginning of a congressional session to amend the 1973 act. Previous attempts to change the law have failed, but they said this time they hoped to produce a single Endangered Species Act reauthorization bill that could be introduced in...

Braving bullets and bombs, millions of Iraqis cast their ballots yesterday in Iraq's first free elections in half a century. First reports suggested turnout in excess of 70%. While the Independent Election Commission of Iraq will not announce the official results for another two weeks, the encouragingly high voter turnout undercuts the cynicism of a press corps that questioned the election's legitimacy before the first ballots were even cast. The Associated Press, for example, opined, "If the vast majority of the Sunnis shun the polls--either out of fear or lack of confidence in the process--it would undercut the new government's...

NEW YORK - The Rev. Al Sharpton (news - web sites) and his wife, Kathy Jordan Sharpton, have announced their separation after 23 years of marriage. The Sharptons said in a statement Friday that they "will remain on the best of terms." The pair "have extremely active careers and their separation allows them to continue pursuing their work interests," the statement said. "They will continue to work together in their civil rights work and in their other business ventures, including those in the entertainment industry." "Together they have successfully raised two daughters, one of whom started college this year, and...

Astronomers have discovered four new planets in a week's time, an exciting end-of-summer flurry that signals a sharper era in the hunt for new worlds. While none of these new bodies would be mistaken as Earth's twin, some appear to be noticeably smaller and more solid — more like Earth and Mars — than the gargantuan, gaseous giants identified before. Planet-hunting is the hottest field in astronomy, with hundreds of researchers joining a race that just a decade ago was reserved for a few dreamers. This past week has been a dizzying one with three teams in the United States...

SANTA FE, N.M. - Governors of U.S. and Mexican states announced an agreement Monday to improve security along their borders. "One of the best ways to secure our individual homelands is by working together — sharing information, technology and personnel," New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson said at a news conference opening a two-day border governors' conference. Richardson is chairing the conference, which drew governors from four U.S. states and six Mexican states. The governor of the Mexican state of Baja California, Eugenio Elorduy Walther, said law enforcement agencies in each border state would create units to improve the exchange of...

Kerry to Announce Running Mate in E-Mail 22 minutes ago CLOQUET, Minn. - Democrat John Kerry plans to announce his vice presidential running mate in an e-mail to the 1 million subscribers to his campaign Web site. But he didn't say when. Kerry is expected to make the announcement before the July 26-29 Democratic National Convention. Typically, a presidential candidate announces a running mate at a carefully crafted campaign event. But Kerry told KSTP, an ABC affiliate in Minneapolis, that his Web site would be the first vehicle. "The folks who are going to learn first about my choice are...

Four people have been killed and 20 injured in a grenade attack on a shop in south Baghdad said to be selling alcohol on the Muslim day of rest during the holy fasting month of Ramadan. More later...

<p>LOS ANGELES — Potential candidates in California's Oct. 7 recall election are eyeing one another nervously, waiting for someone to break the tension over who will run to succeed Democratic Gov. Gray Davis if voters oust him. With Saturday's deadline to file for a spot on the ballot approaching fast, "this reminds me of the scene in Gunfight at the OK Corral right before the first shot is fired," Republican campaign consultant Dan Schnur says. "As soon as the first one draws, there'll be bullets flying in every direction."</p>

Who Is Joe Lieberman? “The Lieberman persona is so inventive, has been so creative, has been so gymnastic in its many shapes and forms, that only he can even begin to explain it. . . . Many politicians look a bit oily, a bit uncomfortable moving across and around the political spectrum, but our Joe looks as comfortable as if he’s merely changing clothes.” (Laurence D. Cohen, Op-Ed, “The Chameleon Who Came To Dinner,” The Hartford Courant, November 3, 2002) The Facts About Joe Lieberman (D-CT) On School Vouchers, Lieberman Betrayed His Beliefs To BECOME GORE’S RUNNING MATE In The...

U.S. TREASURY AND FEDERAL RESERVE ANNOUNCE PLANS FOR REDESIGNED NOTESNexGen notes are latest in series to add anti-counterfeiting features In keeping with their strategy of maintaining the security of Federal Reserve notes by enhancing the design of U.S. currency every seven to ten years, the Department of the Treasury’s Bureau of Engraving and Printing (Bureau) and the Federal Reserve Board today announced plans to release the next generation of redesigned notes, with improved security features to deter counterfeiting. The new design, referred to as NexGen, affects the $100, $50, and $20 notes. Circulation of the NexGen series could begin...