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WASHINGTON (AP) - Interior Secretary Ken Salazar moved Monday to prepare the nation's parks, refuges and endangered species for the onslaught of global warming. Salazar signed an order setting up a Climate Change Response Council and eight regional response centers to study and respond to such issues as rising sea levels threatening to swamp historic structures and warmer temperatures shifting where wildlife live. The order also commits the Interior Department to develop a plan to reduce its own greenhouse gas emissions, including setting a firm target.

"There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care. These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation. Since we can't keep track of all of them here at the White House, we're asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov." The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) and the Coalition for Urban Renewal and Education (CURE) have filed suit in...

McLEAN, Va. - The Bureau of Prisons says it reversed course months ago to allow some of the country's most dangerous prisoners to read two books written by President Barack Obama. Court papers filed Thursday show that prison officials twice rejected requests by inmate Ahmed Omar Abu Ali to read "Dreams from my Father" and "The Audacity of Hope."

KENT, N.Y. --A school principal received a surprise delivery of 12 pounds of marijuana from a mysterious sender whose address was traced to a vacant lot in California, police said. The package was addressed to Joan "Pinserton," a misspelling of the principal's name, Pinkerton. It was delivered Thursday to the Kent Primary School by Federal Express. Pinkerton was immediately suspicious because of a strong order from the box. The principal had the box moved to the rear of the school property and an X-ray taken by the bomb squad determined the package wasn't a threat, police Lt. Alex DiVernieri said....

GETTYSBURG, Pa. - A woman admitted to smoking marijuana daily with her 13-year-old son to reward him for completing his homework. Amanda Lynn Livelsberger, 30, pleaded guilty to several charges Monday and will be sentenced Nov. 27. Livelsberger, of Conewago Township, admitted in Adams County court that she had been smoking marijuana with her son since he was 11, and that she often gave it to him as a reward. The boy told police that he was required to do his homework as soon as he got home from school, and then was allowed to smoke marijuana with his mother,...

LOS ANGELES - Ronald Isley has been sentenced to three years and one month in prison for tax evasion. The 65-year-old R&B singer was also ordered to pay $3.1 million in back taxes to the Internal Revenue Service, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Conte. Isley was convicted last year of five counts of tax evasion and one count of willful failure to file a tax return. During Friday's hearing, defense attorney Anthony Alexander argued that Isley should receive probation instead of prison time because of complications from a stroke and a recent bout with kidney cancer. Alexander also pleaded for...

Training Academy Gets 36 New Motorcycles Vehicles will give Afghan National Police more mobility to track down insurgents. By Army Sgt. Mayra Kennedy 345th Mobile Public Affairs Detachmen KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, Aug. 11, 2006 -- The Afghan National Police in Regional Command South received 36 new motorcycles here Aug. 8 to support local authorities. Regional Command South police commander, Gen. Esmatullah Dawlatzai, accepted the motorcycles, knowing the new equipment will improve the efficiency of the police in the south. “The motorcycles will help us follow insurgents and Taliban, and it will be good for our men to do their...

The Al Wathba Water Treatment Plant has undergone a $22 million upgrade to bring more fresh, potable water to Baghdad residents. The facility serves the Rusafa area in northeast Baghdad. Courtesy photo Al Wathba Water Treatment Plant Gets Upgrade Renovations include state-of-the-art pumps, pipes, filters and a new chlorination system. By Norris Jones Gulf Region Central District US Army Corps of Engineers BAGHDAD, Aug. 9, 2006 -- For nearly two years, the Al Wathba Water Treatment Plant has been undergoing a $22 million upgrade to bring more fresh, potable water to Baghdad residents. That facility serves the Rusafa area...

WASHINGTON, July 16, 2006 – U.S. and Iraqi soldiers killed two terrorists and captured seven others during a joint operation conducted in a rural area northwest of Baghdad late last week, officials in Iraq reported. The Iraqi soldiers and Multinational Corps Iraq soldiers from 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, participated in the July 13 firefight. Four local citizens gave information that led to the terrorists' capture. The Iraqis told the soldiers about some men carrying an RPK machine gun and a mortar tube in the neighborhood and provided possible locations. The soldiers observed...

WASHINGTON, June 28, 2006 – Operation First Response, an organization dedicated to supporting the nation's wounded servicemembers and their families, got a little support of its own recently. The nonprofit group found itself on the receiving end of a $50,000 grant from the Military Order of the Purple Service Foundation in late May. Both organizations share a similar goal of helping veterans and wounded servicemembers, Dick Gallant, executive director of the foundation, said. "That's our only reason for being," he said. "If anybody doesn't have that reason, they shouldn't be in this field." The grant means a lot to...

FRANKFURT AN DER ODER, Germany - A woman was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced Thursday to 15 years in prison for killing eight of her newborn babies in the 1990s and burying their bodies around her parents' home in a case that shocked Germany. Sabine Hilschenz, 40, was given the maximum sentence after the court found her guilty of eight counts of manslaughter. She also was suspected in the death of a ninth child in 1988, but the statute of limitations does not allow for that case to be tried. Hilschenz was arrested after the remains of the infants were...

U.S. Army Dr. (Maj.) Steven Bauer (right), brigade surgeon, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, instructs Iraqi Lt. Ceasar Hamed Hassan on how to close and open his newly received prosthetic hand, May 4, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Edgar Reyes Injured by Vehicle Bombs, Iraqi Gets Prosthetic Hand The Iraqi soldier lost his left hand when his vehicle collided with two separate vehicles loaded with bombs during a routine patrol. By U.S. Army Pfc. Edgar Reyes 2nd Brigade Combat Team 4th Infantry Division FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq, May 24, 2006 —...

NEW YORK (AP) - The Dixie Chicks' Natalie Maines apologized for disrespecting President Bush during a London concert in 2003. But now, she's taking it back. "I don't feel that way anymore," she told Time magazine for its issue hitting newsstands Monday. "I don't feel he is owed any respect whatsoever." As war in Iraq loomed, Maines told the London audience: "Just so you know, we're ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas." The remarks led to death threats and a backlash from other country stars, including a high-profile spat with Toby Keith. It also stalled...

FORT HUACHUCA — One of the soldiers who returned from Kuwait Thursday was Spc. Carlos Smith, of the 269th Signal Company. While the majority of the returning 142 soldiers were members of the 69th Signal Company who spent most of a year in Iraq, Smith was stationed in Kuwait for six months during his second deployment. The troops were on a civilian airliner that first touched down on U.S. soil in Bangor, Maine. Unknown to Smith was that he was going to be honored by a group of greeters, local residents and veterans who have been welcoming military people back...

WASHINGTON, May 10, 2006 – The police athletic leagues of Fort Pierce and Port St. Lucie, Fla., have teamed with America Supports You member organization "Cell Phones for Soldiers" to help servicemembers and their families stay connected. America Supports You members Brittany Bergquist (left) and her brother, Robbie, recently spent three days aboard the USS Cape St. George at sea. They were invited by Capt. James Yohe (center) as a thank you for providing a calling card to each person aboard the ship. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The PALs create and fund programs for youngsters...

Pizza maker gets ready to quit the Iraq coalition By Oliver Poole in Nasariyah (Filed: 02/05/2006) The election of Romano Prodi as Italy's prime minister is not good news for Signore Ciano, a pizza maker flown to Iraq by the Italian military more than two years ago to ensure that its troops there ate in a style their mothers would approve of. Since he established his Neapolitan-style restaurant on a base near Nasariyah, it has served about 150 pizzas a day - a number that partly reflects its popularity with dozens of female American troops from an adjacent camp who...

4/28/2006 - KIRKUK AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) -- A new weapon system in the Air Force arsenal takes Airmen out of the gun turret and into the safety of a fully up-armored Humvee. The 506th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron operates the only Common Remote Operated Weapon Station, or CROWS, in the Air Force inventory. As one of three security forces squadrons in Iraq with an outside-the-wire combat patrol mission, CROWS offers an additional capability for the unit. The CROWS sensor unit includes a daylight video camera, a thermal imager for night operations and a laser rangefinder. It is furnished with...

WASHINGTON, April 24, 2006 – Community members welcomed a new playground for the children of the Al Shrooq primary and secondary school in Taji, Iraq, April 19. Iraqi children from the Al Shrooq primary and secondary school, in Taji, Iraq, help disperse gravel April 19 at the new playground donated by Iraqi and U.S. companies. Iraqi army and Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers, along with children at the school, pitched in to help make the school a better place. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Brent Hunt, USA   The playground was a result of hard work and determination by a combined...

BASE CAMP ADDER (ALI BASE), Iraq, April 20, 2006 — The Iraqi Army 2nd Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 10th Infantry Division conducted an official ribbon cutting ceremony March 26 at their new Army barracks in Thi Qar Province. The Iraqi Army move into their new quarters represents another major milestone in standing up Iraq’s independent self-defense force. The construction project was completed on March 20, at a cost of $9.9 million. The modern, self-contained complex for 800 Iraqi soldiers features perimeter security protection, sanitation, water, air conditioning and an electric generator system. Special facilities include weapons storage and a two-pump fuel...

LONDON: "Send me your health-care horror stories," reads the appeal. The stark request heads a letter published on his website this month from Michael Moore, the controversial filmmaker, asking for examples of people's bad experiences of hospitals, insurance companies and drug manufacturers. Moore, who is best known for his documentary Fahrenheit 9/11, in which he took on the Bush Administration over the war in Iraq, is now targeting the health-care industry. Work on the film, Sicko, has been in progress since 2004 and it is expected to be premiered later this year. Already speculation about its content has put the...

FORT HUACHUCA — Although news reports indicate the Army is having a hard time enlisting first-time soldiers a recruiter in Pennsylvania got a two-for-one deal when Cassandra and Calista Walker joined together. When the 23-year-old twins walked into the recruiter’s office “His eyes bulged, I bet he earned a big bonus for us,” said Cassandra, the older of the two by five minutes. Calista said, “We didn’t know if the Army could handle the two of us. We were a package deal.” The younger twin, Calista, notes she is a half-inch taller than her sister, and then sheepishly adds sotto...

PHOENIX — There won’t be any National Guard troops in Southern Arizona — at least not yet. As vowed, Gov. Janet Napolitano vetoed a $10 million appropriation for the Guard because it ordered her to put the troops on the border. In a five-paragraph letter to legislators, Napolitano cited a state constitutional provision that makes her commander-in-chief of the Guard. “The Legislature has no constitutional or other authority to control when or how the Guard is deployed,” she said. But Napolitano insisted she remains interested in putting troops in Southern Arizona and promised that if lawmakers send her a bill...

NEW YORK (AP) -- Gambino crime family scion John A. "Junior" Gotti dodged a legal bullet for the second time in eight months Friday when a federal jury deadlocked on racketeering charges against him, leading to a mistrial. U.S. District Court Judge Shira Scheindlin excused the jury after they said they were at an impasse despite less than two full days of deliberations. Prosecutors quickly said they intended to try Gotti, 42, for a third time.

From left to right, Polish Maj. Gen. Edward Gruszka, commander of the Multinational Division Central-South, U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Peter Chiarelli, commander of Multinational Corps Iraq, and Polish Maj. Gen. Piotr Czerwinski, former commander of Multinational Division Central- South, salute the guidon during a change-of-command ceremony at Camp Echo in Diwaniyah, Iraq, Feb. 4, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jason T. Bailey Central-South Division Gets New Commander The key priority of Multinational-Division Central-South staff will be cooperation with the 8th Iraqi Army Division for the training and development its combat capabilities. By Multinational Force-Iraq CAMP ECHO,...

Weather gets even weirder By Philip Eden (Filed: 21/01/2006) On the face of it, the catalogue of extraordinary weather events culled from around the world during the last year suggests that the global climate is in turmoil. But do a clutch of catastrophes and a ragbag of records represent anything unusual? Moscow: A man ventures out as temperatures reach minus 30 Climatologists look for evidence of underlying change and are particularly interested in events which are clearly outside previous experience. We should remember that we live in a world where natural disasters can be brought to our television screens as...

Bird flu battle gets $1.9 billion boost 18:22 18 January 2006 NewScientist.com news service Roxanne Khamsi The pledge comes from an international meeting in Beijing, China to secure funds for fighting the spread of avian influenza, which experts fear could turn into a human pandemic form. “The success of the Beijing meeting is a great step forward and has shown that the international community has understood how crucial it is to control avian influenza at source in birds,” says Bernard Vallat, director general of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) in Paris, France. The majority of the pledged money...

The Palestinian film "Paradise Now," which explores the lives of a pair of suicide bombers and just won the Golden Globe for best foreign film, got two thumbs down Tuesday in this tough West Bank city where it was filmed. Although the film which snared the Golden Globe in Los Angeles on Monday has never been screened in Nablus, residents here said the clips they saw on satellite television portrayed the bombers as godless and less than heroic. "This movie doesn't help the Palestinian cause," said an armed Palestinian militant who would not give his name because he's on the...

Chef gets Bronze Star for convoy rescue Chief Warrant Officer 3 David J. Longstaff, manager of the U.S. Army culinary team, has been awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Valor for rescuing five Soldiers pinned down in an ambush. Longstaff was serving as Division Support Command food service technician for the 1st Armored Division, when he went on a procurement mission in the Al Rasheed district of Baghdad on Aug. 7, 2003. It was early afternoon with temperatures reaching 113 degrees fahrenheit. During his first five months in Iraq, Longstaff had participated in more than 150 convoys into Baghdad. This...

W. Douglas Pritchard just wanted to send a book as a Christmas gift for a friend serving in Iraq. Now, it looks as if Pritchard could be helping to send potentially hundreds of books to service personnel in Iraq in the coming months, with the support of a Central Tucson bookstore. The project, tentatively dubbed the "Tucson Book Caravan," began to germinate a few weeks ago when Pritchard asked his friend Mark Ballis what he could send as a gift to Ballis' son, 19-year-old Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Morgan Ballis, who is serving in Ramadi. Pritchard, 66, a retired University...

Holland gets its sunken treasure back By David Keys, Age Correspondent, London December 13, 2005 Ingots lost at sea 266 years ago have been recovered from a wreck in the English Channel. The DUTCH Government has started taking possession of tens of thousands of dollars worth of silver bullion that it last saw 266 years ago. The silver had been on a Dutch East India Co. ship that vanished in a storm in the English Channel in 1739. Although wreckage was found at the time on Britain's south coast, nobody knew precisely where it had sunk. The disaster meant that...

SAN BRUNO, Calif. - A woman who used a butcher knife to beat a Jehovah's Witness who knocked on her door on Christmas Day was sentenced to three months in jail. Cathy Infusino, 52, was also ordered Thursday to spend three months in a work program and serve three years of probation. She pleaded no contest to assault with a deadly weapon. Infusino was paranoid and was being harassed by neighbors at the time of the attack, said her lawyer LeRue Grim. "She wasn't mentally well enough to understand the situation," Grim said. "She thought someone was trying to harm...

Capitol Tree Gets Christmas Moniker Back Friday December 9, 2005 12:46 AM By ELIZABETH WHITE Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - Lighting up the chilly night with a resolute flick of a switch, House Speaker Dennis Hastert on Thursday night illuminated this year's Capitol Christmas - not ``holiday'' - Tree, reinstating its religious title for the first time in years. Known as the Capitol Holiday Tree since the 1990s, the Engelmann spruce towering over the Capitol's West Lawn became a symbol of the Republican-led Congress's resolve on the matter of holiday wishes. The issue touched the White House when some...

Politically connected consultant gets 12 months The Associated Press November 29. 2005 4:52PM Raymond Reggie, a media consultant and son of a politically prominent former Louisiana judge, was sentenced Tuesday to 12 months in prison for bank fraud. Reggie pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of bank fraud and one count of bank fraud conspiracy involving a scheme to cheat banks in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier gave Reggie 12 months on each charge, and ordered the sentences to be served at the same time. Reggies also was ordered to serve three years...

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Nov. 11) - Critics have dubbed it "Bald Ego," "Murky's Turkey" and "Incontinental Airlines," but Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski finally has the sleek executive jet he says he and other state officials need. The $2.6 million Westwind aircraft, equipped with a leather sofa, burgundy carpeting and a flush toilet, arrived this week in Anchorage and will replace a no-frills turboprop used by previous Alaska governors for official business. Critics say Murkowski's jet is unusable in much of rural Alaska, where runways are too short and made of gravel or nonexistent. Murkowski press secretary Becky Hultberg defended the purchase,...

AR RAMADI, Iraq (Oct. 20, 2005) -- For many, getting a four-year degree from a college or university is the path to accomplishing their career goals. However, for a number of people, the cost of attending those schools is prohibitive. Private First Class David Shellito Jr., found a way to pay for his school, as well as gain valuable leadership skills when he joined the Marine Corps. The Edgewood, Iowa native chose the Marine Corps when he decided to attend college, but still needed time to decide on what career path he would take. “I joined to get help paying...

CAMP FOSTER, OKINAWA, Japan (Oct. 11, 2005) -- Last July, when the doctors diagnosed his wife with gastric cancer, all the other problems in Sgt. Devin Mitchell’s life no longer seemed to matter. His main concern immediately turned to the health of his wife, Hisano. In September, when the cancer got so bad that doctors had to remove Hisano’s stomach, life became even more complicated. She would now need daily shots and extensive check-ups with her doctors on Okinawa to try and keep her well. But just when life seemed to be getting back under control, orders for a permanent...

SACRAMENTO -- "Great Hair!" That's the headline on a political Web page over a photo of Bakersfield Assemblyman Kevin McCarthy's distinctive coiffure. But McCarthy would just as soon do without the compliment on the Web site of the ultra-conservative Young Americans for Freedom. "Sadly," the YAF message continues, "that's about the only nice thing Republicans are saying about Kevin McCarthy these days." With the YAF's typically humorous touch, it's the latest example of grumbling about McCarthy's leadership of the Assembly Republican Caucus. Fairly or not, McCarthy is being held largely responsible by some Republicans for the overwhelming defeat of the...

I was really, really hoping that Bush would start a big fight and pick Janice Rogers Brown for the supreme court nomination. He didn't. He picked a woman that he trusts and believes will represent a judicial constraint, conservative position. I am disappointed. But........ I am not going to trash the woman. I am not going to whine and cry that the Republican Party is doomed. I am not going to play into the hands of the Democrats who would love to see Republicans tear their own person down. {like the anti-war folks who trash our troops because they are...

AL ASAD, Iraq (Sept. 28, 2005) -- Army soldiers have been getting defensive around Marines in the Al Anbar province of Iraq, but only for a good cause. Soldiers from the 1st Battalion of the 109th Infantry (Mechanized) took over force protection operations in and around Al Asad, Iraq, in August. The Scranton, Pa., Army National Guard unit assumed responsibilities for interior and convoy security from the Provisional Security Battalion Marines of 2nd Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion. “It has been an interesting deployment so far,” said Army Staff Sgt. Brian Hagy, a squad leader and Lexington, Ky., native. “This...

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A man who bilked companies out of tens of millions of dollars in equipment by pretending he was recruiting business for a secret NATO project was sentenced to 80 months in prison. Errol Anthony Marsden, listed in court papers as Jourdan Mars, had pleaded guilty in March to a count of wire fraud in a plea agreement with prosecutors. He said at his sentencing Friday that his actions were unacceptable. "At the time, I was not a rational person," the British national said. "For the first time in my life, I see the consequences," One of...

8/18/2005 - ALI BASE, Iraq (AFPN) -- An Airman here recently gained the distinction of being addressed as both a staff sergeant and a lieutenant. Staff Sgt. Gregg Magi, a 407th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter, was promoted to the rank of lieutenant in the Fire Department City of New York via telephone during an Aug. 16 ceremony in New York. “It feels good to be promoted,” said Sergeant Magi, who is deployed from the New York Air National Guard’s 105th Airlift Wing. “I’ve always wanted to be involved in public service.” During the ceremony, he and two of his...

The London bombings were fueled by oil Friday, July 8, 2005 - Page updated at 12:00 AM Froma Harrop / Syndicated columnist It is oil's fault. The London bombings are almost surely al-Qaida's work, which means oil paid for them. Oil keeps the Mideast backward. It funds the madrassas that fill heads with anti-West poison. And it pays the terrorists who plant bombs on European trains and fly airplanes into American buildings. It is time we did something about oil. The United States accounts for 25 percent of the world's oil consumption. We could crush oil's power to hurt us...

WASHINGTON - Vice President Dick Cheney got good news Friday during his annual heart checkup, with a pacemaker detecting no irregular heartbeat, his office said. Cheney has had four heart attacks, and a pacemaker was placed in his chest in June 2001. The checkup determined that the pacemaker, called an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, was working fine and never had to be activated. The device is designed to activate automatically if needed to regulate the patient's heartbeat. Cheney underwent the routine exam at George Washington University Medical Center. It included a physical exam, an electrocardiogram, an echocardiogram and a stress test....

SACRAMENTO - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's plans to put money into "hydrogen highways" caused a hiccup in the otherwise smooth passage of the new $117.5 billion state budget Thursday. Lawmakers raised questions about one spending item– $6.5 million for leasing 12 hydrogen-powered vehicles for the state fleet, three hydrogen fueling stations and hydrogen technology research – at a time when other programs are being cut. "Even as an environmentalist, it's really hard to put $6.5 million into anything when you haven't got any money," said Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg, D-Los Angeles, who ultimately voted for the legislation. --snip-- After that, the state...

WASHINGTON - Big Bird and National Public Radio won a reprieve Thursday as the House restored $100 million that had been proposed as a budget cut for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting The 284-140 vote demonstrated the enduring political strength of public broadcasting, whose supporters rallied behind popular programs such as “Sesame Street,” “Postcards From Buster” and “The NewsHour With Jim Lehrer.” The Public Broadcasting Service undertook a high-profile campaign to rescind the proposed cut. Lawmakers were flooded with letters and phone calls.

NEW YORK (June 20) - A father and son are both going to prison for one of the largest frauds in corporate history. Adelphia Communications founder John Rigas has been sentenced to 15 years in prison. His son, Timothy, has been given a 20-year sentence. The New York judge says John Rigas' age and health kept him from imposing a stiffer sentence. Rigas is 80 years old. The cable company collapsed into bankruptcy in 2002 after it disclosed a staggering two (b) billion dollars in debt that had been kept off the books. Prosecutors say the Rigas family also stole...

Hillary gets a pass, DeLay is assailed Posted: May 14, 2005 1:00 a.m. Eastern WorldNetDaily.com It's really a good thing that Sen. Hillary Clinton is a Democrat. If she were a Republican, she would have been the topic of dire front-page headlines in the New York Times and at the forefront of "CBS Evening News" broadcasts over the past several days with her name being connected with a shadowy political fund-raising imbroglio. What's that? You say you weren't aware that Mrs. Clinton was at the center of a significant controversy? No surprise there. Like I said, she's a Democrat. So...

If nothing else, Ted Nugent isn't going to have to relinquish his "Motor City Madman" nickname any time in the near future. In a speech given to the National Rifle Association's national convention in Houston, Nugent brandished a pair of assault rifles while urging NRA members to recruit other gun-packing nuts into the gang. He went so far as to urge NRA members not to associate with non-members, and to become "hardcore, radical extrimists." Siezed by a Second Amendment furor, Nugent then whipped up the crowd condoning shoot-to-kill vigalante justice. The spectacle, urged members to pull their heat and kill...

...the World Health Organization's tobacco control treaty comes into force on Sunday. It is regarded as smoking's answer to the Kyoto agreement - only with teeth. Ratified by 57 countries, including the UK, the document sets out a programme to reduce the number of people smoking across the world. Under its terms governments have promised to introduce smoking bans, tobacco advertising restrictions and health warnings on cigarette packets, draw up anti-smuggling strategies and agree to increase tax on tobacco sales. More than 100 other countries have also signed the treaty, but will not be bound by its restrictions until they...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger appeared with Bob Hertzberg on Friday to endorse the Los Angeles mayoral candidate's plan for education reform, giving Hertzberg a televised boost as he struggles to keep pace with two better-funded rivals in the campaign's final stretch. In a hastily arranged event at Schwarzenegger's Santa Monica office, the governor — who already had expressed generalized support for Hertzberg's proposal to break up the Los Angeles Unified School District — held a private, 20-minute meeting with the former state Assembly speaker. At a news conference afterward, the governor did not endorse Hertzberg, a longtime friend; instead, he reiterated...