AFP - A US federal judge ordered the suspension of the trial of accused "Australian Taliban" David Hicks ahead of an anticipated ruling by the US Supreme Court on the legality of post-September 11 special military tribunals.

AFP - Negotiations are afoot in Belgrade on the surrender of Ratko Mladic, one of former Yugoslavia's most wanted war crimes suspects.

AP - Lawmakers are again accusing the Food and Drug Administration of putting politics over science in the long-running saga over whether the morning-after pill should sell without a prescription.

AFP - The US Senate was poised to demand that the administration of President George W. Bush provide regular reports on progress made in Iraq, following the adoption of an amendment offered by Democrats and modified by Republicans.

AP - Mindful that the Iraq war is growing increasingly unpopular, the Senate will call for 2006 to be a period of significant political and military transition in Iraq that will create conditions for a phased withdrawal of U.S. troops.

AP - Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito is lucky that Sen. Arlen Specter, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is not one to nurse a grudge.

USATODAY.com - In a newly released 1985 job application, Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito says the Constitution does not protect abortion rights, and he expresses a conservative fervor on many social issues. This concerned Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, who said Alito should be closely questioned.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Richard Shelby on Tuesday said he expected the nomination of Ben Bernanke to succeed Alan Greenspan as Federal Reserve chairman to 'sail through' the Senate.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury on Tuesday said it was 'concerned' with some provisions of a House bill to extend federal guarantees to cover losses from terrorist attacks, saying parts of the legislation would expand the program and increase taxpayers' risk.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The former chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting appeared to have been motivated by politics in recruiting a new board president, the corporation's inspectors reported on Tuesday.

AP - Mindful that the Iraq war is growing increasingly unpopular, the Senate is calling for 2006 to be a period of significant political and military transition in Iraq that will create conditions for a phased withdrawal of U.S. troops.

AP - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, expected to join the Bush administration's attack on Iraq war critics Tuesday, will quote Clinton administration officials who contended that former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was a security threat based on remarks prepared for delivery at a Pentagon news conference.

AFP - The United Nations warned of human rights violations by all sides in war-torn Iraq and expressed concern at the increasing number of people held on terrorist-related charges.

AP - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld on Tuesday joined the Bush administration's attack on Iraq war critics, quoting Clinton administration officials who contended in the late 1990s that former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was a security threat to the United States and its allies.

AP - Vice President Dick Cheney was heckled by protesters Tuesday as he spoke at the groundbreaking for a public policy center honoring former Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker.

AP - Liberal Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee refused to support President Bush in the last election, opposed the GOP tax cuts and was the only Republican to vote against the use of military force in Iraq, a war he has likened to Vietnam.

AFP - The US Senate voted to require that the George W. Bush administration provide regular progress reports on Iraq, in a sign of hemorraghing congressional support for the US military presence there.

Reuters - The United Nations will launch a major air operation this week to ferry food and other supplies to earthquake survivors high in Pakistan's mountains in a frantic bid to beat the problems of winter.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate unanimously passed legislation on Tuesday authorizing $491.6 billion in defense programs, including policies on treatment of detainees likely to prompt a dispute with the House of Representatives.

KYOTO, Japan (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush sets the tone for a four-nation Asia tour on Wednesday with a speech in Japan lauding the benefits of freedom and talks with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, his closest regional ally.

MIAMI (Reuters) - Louisiana's state legislature strongly backed the takeover by the state of most of the schools in New Orleans that have been shut since Hurricane Katrina, according to legislative data on Tuesday.

ABU DHABI (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Bill Clinton criticized Gulf Arab countries on Tuesday for not spreading their huge oil wealth around the Middle East to push education, fight poverty and find alternative energy sources.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is relying increasingly on financial sanctions aimed at specific people or groups instead of entire countries to fight terrorism and other security concerns, a U.S. Treasury official said on Tuesday.

AP - President Bush is trying to strengthen America's influence in Asia in the face of China's rising economy and military might, asserting the United States will remain engaged in the region and encourage human rights and freedom.

AP - Republicans labored to advance their tax cut agenda on Tuesday, with Senate tax writers unable to muster enough GOP support to extend tax cuts for capital gains and dividends beyond their 2008 expiration.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday advanced a tax-cut package after dropping Republican-backed provisions that would extend lower tax rates for investment income.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. House of Representatives committee was expected to consider a bill on Wednesday that would boost the borrowing authority of the government's flood insurance program to as much as $22 billion from $3.5 billion to cover claims from Hurricane Katrina and other flood disasters.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With the oil industry enjoying record profits from high prices for gasoline and other petroleum products, the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday voted to repeal a $1 billion tax break for big oil companies.

BOSTON (Reuters) - Massachusetts lawmakers rejected on Tuesday a bill that would have revived capital punishment in a liberal U.S. state that has not put anyone to death since 1947, defeating a proposal by its Republican governor.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Budget Committee leaders are seeking to further delay action on legislation to create a $140 billion fund to compensate asbestos victims, saying in a letter released on Tuesday that they are worried the program could run short of money.

AP - Text of President Bush's remarks in Kyoto, Japan, on Wednesday, as released by the White House:

AP - U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris is running far behind incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson in the race for his U.S. Senate seat, according to a poll released Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate Banking Committee will vote on Ben Bernanke's nomination to be chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday, November 16, the panel said on Tuesday.

AP - People injured by a vaccine against bird flu or anthrax would have to prove willful misconduct to bring a claim for damages against drug manufacturers or distributors, according to legislation being drafted behind the scenes by Republicans.

AP - Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, seeking a second term, cruised to victory Tuesday in an election delayed two weeks by Hurricane Wilma.