WARSAW, Poland -- A U.S. envoy in Warsaw said a missile shield system in Eastern Europe is essential for Poland’s security, Polish Radio reported Monday.Kenneth Hillas, U.S. deputy chief of mission in Poland, told students in the southern city of Katowice, that popular support from Polish citizens would make it easier for the United States to deploy the anti-missile system on Polish territory, the radio said.Washington has been negotiating with Warsaw and Prague over its ... [full story]

BOSTON -- U.S. naval officials say charges against an allegedly abusive former commander of the historic USS Constitution have been resolved, but will not be made public.Cmdr. Thomas C. Graves, 43, of Marblehead, Mass., was relieved of duty in May after several crew members complained he assaulted a petty officer and asked a crew member to lie about it, The Boston Globe reported Monday.At a public naval hearing last month, Graves' lawyer described him as ... [full story]

BERLIN -- A series of scandals is prompting a major overhaul of Germany's foreign intelligence service with Berlin gaining more control over the agency.Reform of the Bundesnachrichtendienst, or BND, which has some 6,000 employees, is scheduled for completion in 2009 just in time for Germany's next parliamentary elections, Deutsche Welle reported Monday."The service will undergo a thorough reform process," BND spokesman Stefan Borchert says. "Antiquated and crusty structures will be broken up."Part of the agency ... [full story]

DENVER -- U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., who has made illegal immigration one of his leading concerns, will give up his seat in Congress at the end of next year.The five-term Denver-area representative didn't announce any immediate plans, although the Rocky Mountain News said Monday there was speculation that Tancredo could be eyeing a challenge for the seat held by U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., in 2010."It's the fact that I really believe I have ... [full story]

WASHINGTON -- A Muslim member of Britain's Parliament is annoyed he was detained for a second time at a Washington airport for an explosives search.International Development Minister Shahid Malik is the country's first Muslim minister, and told the BBC he was detained so his carry-on luggage could be searched at the Dulles International Airport on Sunday before his flight home.He said two other Muslims were also taken aside for extra screening.It was the second such ... [full story]

LAS VEGAS -- A third defendant has entered into a plea agreement in the case of O.J. Simpson and his alleged raid on a Las Vegas hotel room.Michael McClinton agreed Monday to plead guilty to charges of robbery and conspiracy in connection with the Sept. 13 incident at the Palace Station casino.According to KXNT-TV in Las Vegas, McClinton agreed to testify against Simpson and two other defendants who still face several felon charges.McClinton was part ... [full story]

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Monday to take up the issue of damages awarded in the long-running legal battle over the grounding of the tanker Exxon Valdez.The high court will rule on the legality of the $2.5 billion punitive damages award foisted upon Exxon Mobil and its shipping subsidiary after the vessel went aground in Alaska and dumped crude oil into the waters of Prince William Sound.The court said in a statement the ... [full story]

NEW YORK -- Arson charges have been filed against two New York City firefighters accused of starting a blaze at the door of a Manhattan firehouse.Michael Izzo, 30, and Richard Capece, 31, surrendered to authorities after what one investigator described as a "prank gone bad," The New York Post reported Monday.During a court appearance following their surrender, the two were charged with arson, first-degree reckless endangerment and second-degree criminal mischief.Authorities said the incident was taped ... [full story]

LOS ANGELES -- Firefighters in Southern California reported cautious optimism Monday in the battle against week-old wildfires that burned more than 2,000 homes.California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman Bill Peters told the Los Angeles Times if high winds return, the fires could flare up."We definitely are closing in on it," he said. "The bulk of the fires are fully contained or near containment, unless we get some adverse weather to kick us back ... [full story]

MOGADISHU, Somalia -- Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi resigned Monday amid accusations he failed to quell the country's Islamist insurgency.Gedi resigned after meeting Somali President Abdullahi Yusaf Ahmed and traveling to Addis Ababa for a meeting with Ethiopian officials aiding Somalia's interim government, Shabelle Media Network reported.Critics faulted Gedi for failing to stop a resurgence of Islamic militias and for supporting the use of Ethiopian troops in Somalia, Shabelle reported. Copyright © 2007, by United Press ... [full story]