WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Concern about airline relief included in a final bill to overhaul the U.S. private pension system will soon be discussed by key senators, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said on Monday.

AP - Conservative Republicans who approved new classroom standards that call evolution into question lost control of the State Board of Education in Tuesday's primary election.

AP - The Pentagon will try to convince lawmakers that the war in Iraq is not breaking the Army and that extending the tours of some troops just before election season is necessary to quell increasing violence in the region.

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Reuters) - Tennessee Republicans chose a well-financed former mayor on Thursday to face off against a well-known black Democrat bidding to take back the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Republican Bill Frist.

AFP - A senior United Nations official urged Nepal's new government and rebel Maoists to work to build trust after the two sides failed to reach agreement on disarmament.

AFP - A senior US State Department official urged Bangladesh to uproot the terror network that still exists despite the recent capture of top Islamic militants.

AP - The Bush administration continues to insist Iraq is not heading toward a civil war, even as some senators and military leaders have expressed concerns that such a conflict may be inevitable.

SEOUL (Reuters) - A former U.S. cabinet member who has held discussions with North Korean officials in the past over the North's nuclear ambitions may be planning a fresh trip to Pyongyang, Yonhap news agency reported on Tuesday.

AP - Republican Rep. Joe Schwarz lost his district's nomination Tuesday, falling to a staunchly conservative challenger in a race dominated by a struggle over GOP principles that attracted more than $1 million in spending by outside groups.

AP - The Iowa State Fair is a showcase for turkey calling, prized sheep, 600 pounds of butter carved in the shape of heifer and another breed lurking this year — 2008 White House hopefuls.

AP - Republicans determined to win in November are up against a troublesome trend — growing opposition to President Bush.

CQPolitics.com - Change is in the air, and Republicans are threatened even in traditional geographic strongholds in the South.

AP - Nearly a year after Hurricane Katrina submerged Xavier University's campus under eight feet of water, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama on Saturday joined the school in celebrating one of its largest graduating classes.

AP - President Bush will huddle with top diplomats and military advisers Monday on the inaugural day of a Mideast truce, with a list of challenges spreading far beyond the fighting between Hezbollah and Israel.

AP - A state senator was found guilty Monday on charges that he misused taxpayer money by having state employees work to support his re-election campaign in 2004.

AFP - The evacuation of Filipinos trapped inside war-torn Lebanon will be stepped up after the United Nations ceasefire comes into effect, the Philippine government said.

AP - Republicans will play defense in this fall's state legislative races to avoid a 'tsunami' that could alter the political landscape in statehouses around the country, the head of the GOP's legislative campaign committee said Wednesday.

AP - High energy prices, a slowing economy and upcoming congressional elections frame President Bush's annual meeting with his top economic advisers, held this year in a cooler clime.

AP - Come 2008, Democrats don't want their presidential candidates spending the entire month of January in high boots and barn jackets.

AP - Democrats shook up tradition on Saturday by vaulting Nevada and South Carolina into the first wave of 2008 presidential contests along with Iowa and New Hampshire — a move intended to add racial and geographic diversity to the early voting.

AP - Voters are clearly unhappy with the war in Iraq and increasingly pessimistic about its prospects, polls indicate. And they're uneasy about abandoning that country to terrorists and chaos.

Reuters - U.N. and European peacekeepers on Monday rescued a group of foreign ambassadors in Congo trapped by fierce fighting between soldiers loyal to President Joseph Kabila and supporters of an election rival.

AP - Early results in Tuesday's gubernatorial primary showed incumbent Gov. Frank Murkowski trailing in his bid for the GOP nomination following a campaign in which opponents tried to blame him for the partial shutdown of the nation's largest oil field.

AP - Bemoaning a 'culture of corruption' in the Republican Party, Democrats are convinced they have a winning election-year issue. The GOP claims it's a wash.

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - The United States and 10 Southeast Asian nations signed a trade and investment agreement on Friday that opens the door to possible free-trade talks.

AP - A defeated U.S. House candidate said Friday she would seek to toss out the results the Republican primary, citing errors in the voting process, in hopes of getting another shot at the nomination.

AP - Federal emergency officials claim New Orleans levee system is ready for another major hurricane, despite the less-optimistic views of other political leaders and engineers.

AP - Investigators examining Sunday's plane crash in Kentucky will transcribe the pilots' last words from the cockpit voice recorder and download crucial information from the flight data recorder on Day 2 of the investigation.

AP - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Monday he is deeply troubled by the success of terrorist groups in 'manipulating the media' to influence Westerners.

AP - A former aide to Rep. Lloyd Doggett was sentenced to 30 days in jail after pleading guilty Tuesday to stealing $168,000 from the congressman's campaign.

AP - Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Green must return $468,000 in campaign cash he had raised as a member of Congress, Wisconsin's Election Board ruled Wednesday.