Reuters - In his first year-end report on the federal judiciary, U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts on Sunday called for better court security to prevent violence and higher salaries to keep a diverse mix of judges on the bench.

AP - It's almost as if Sen. John Kerry never stopped running for president. He still jets across the country, raising millions of dollars and rallying Democrats. He still stalks the TV news show circuit, scolding President Bush at every turn.

AP - Samuel Alito's decision as a federal appeals judge to uphold a 1980s Pennsylvania abortion restriction — later overturned by the Supreme Court — is likely to draw some of the toughest scrutiny at his upcoming confirmation hearing.

AP - LOBBYIST TALKS: Jack Abramoff is telling prosecutors and the FBI about alleged bribes to lawmakers and their aides on issues ranging from Internet gambling to wireless phone services in the House.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - For the second time, President George W. Bush has circumvented Congress to seat two members of the Amtrak board, the White House said on Wednesday.

AFP - An Iranian delegation is to hold talks with the United Nations nuclear watchdog in Vienna to discuss its plans to resume atomic fuel research, a diplomat said.

AP - Germany plans to ask NATO to provide air surveillance during this year's World Cup as part of a broad security plan.

AFP - Vietnam said it was prepared to join some United Nations peacekeeping operations for the first time in a move seen as a major shift in its attitude towards the world body.

AP - After months of preparation, Samuel Alito will face close questioning by senators to determine his fitness to be the nation's 110th Supreme Court justice.

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - New Jersey lawmakers approved a moratorium on the death penalty on Monday, becoming the first U.S. state legislature to block executions since the Supreme Court reinstated the punishment in 1976.

AP - President Bush issued a federal disaster declaration for the state of Oklahoma on Tuesday in the wake of wildfires that have scorched more than 380,000 acres across the state since Nov. 1, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said.

PC Magazine - The Department of Homeland Security is supporting a plan to use technology from Coverity to audit open-source packages for security holes.

AP - California Republican Rep. John Doolittle secured a coveted spot in the House GOP leadership partly on the strength of his ties to Tom DeLay, and he called lobbyist Jack Abramoff a good friend.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.S. Ambassador John Bolton has complained to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan about an annual U.N. event where a map of pre-1948 Palestine, an area that now comprises the state of Israel, is displayed.

AFP - The top United Nations human rights official said the situation in war-ravaged northern Uganda was "extremely grave" with atrocities and abuses committed by both the notorious rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and the Ugandan military.

Reuters - Rep. Robert Ney, under investigation in a lobbying scandal that has roiled the Republican Party, on Sunday temporarily stepped down as chairman of the House of Representatives panel that would oversee lobbying reform.

AP - There's a bit of relief because of unusually balmy winter weather, but heating bills — sometimes double what they were a year ago — nevertheless are straining household budgets from New England to the Midwest and Northern Plains states.

AP - President Bush plans to nominate an aide to Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta as the administration's top traffic safety official, the White House said Tuesday.

AP - With a leftist president-elect poised to take office in Bolivia next week, a State Department official said Tuesday that Brazil, Argentina and other nearby countries are "going to determine the success or failure" of Bolivia's new government.

AFP - Officials from India and the United States held talks on closing a landmark deal that would give India access to previously forbidden civilian nuclear technology.

AFP - Australian police have arrested a former Serbian army commander accused of committing war crimes during the Balkan conflict who could now be extradited to Croatia to face trial.

AP - A top Republican lawmaker said Sunday that America must explore alternate energy sources to avoid being held hostage by Iran or by 'wackos' in Venezuela — an apparent reference to Hugo Chavez, Venezuela's populist president.

AP - Three-quarters of foreign aid to Afghanistan does not go to the government, which hinders its ability to plan a budget and set priorities, the World Bank said Monday.

NewsFactor - Microsoft has admitted that it complied with a request from the U.S. Department of Justice to provide information on Internet searches by MSN users.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz says he is willing to withhold funding or halt the approval of loans for some World Bank projects if there are concerns about corruption in a country.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush said General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. should develop more appealing products rather than look to Washington for help with their heavy pension burdens, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats are riding a wave of momentum into November's high-stakes battle for the U.S. Congress, with high hopes for significant gains that could threaten Republican control of the House and Senate.

AP - The U.S. House seat vacated by Robert Menendez's appointment to the U.S. Senate will remain open until the General Election in November, Gov. Jon S. Corzine said Friday.

AFP - Access to abortion could be seriously curtailed in the United States with the confirmation of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court, activists warn.

AP - Some facts and history about the State of the Union address:

AP - President Bush will deliver his fifth State of the Union address Tuesday after arguably the worst year of his presidency, looking to reinvigorate confidence in his leadership and the U.S. role in the world.