University of Illinois president at center of admissions scandal submits letter of resignation

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — University of Illinois President B. Joseph White resigned Wednesday following reports that the school admitted politically connected applicants over more qualified ones at its Urbana-Champaign campus.

Honduran interim gov’t extends curfew after night of violence; deposed leader hunkers down

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — Honduras’ interim government extended an already long curfew through most of Wednesday after police skirmished with backers of ousted President Manuel Zelaya throughout the night and arrested more than 100 people for vandalism and looting.

Governor says University of Illinois president at center of admissions scandal to resign

CHICAGO — The president of the University of Illinois plans to resign following reports that the school admitted politically connected applicants over more qualified ones, Gov. Pat Quinn said Wednesday.

Jailed former Taiwanese president petitions US, demands release

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Former Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian has been indicted on new embezzlement charges just weeks after being sentenced to life in prison, and has filed a lawsuit claiming that the U.S. legally controls Taiwan and should release him from detention, officials and a lawyer said Wednesday.

SKorean court upholds conviction for late president’s brother, reduces prison term

SEOUL, South Korea — A South Korean court Wednesday upheld the conviction of the older brother of the late President Roh Moo-hyun for influence-peddling, but reduced the sentence he had received just days before the former leader’s suicide.

Deposed Honduran leader hunkers down in embassy after security forces scatter supporters

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — Diplomats and activists streamed out of the increasingly isolated Brazilian Embassy in Honduras where ousted President Manuel Zelaya holed up with a shrinking core of supporters and relatives, prompting Brazil to urge the U.N. Security Council to guarantee the compound’s safety.

Prosecutors: Source of nearly $10K cash deposited in Baltimore mayor’s accounts is a mystery

BALTIMORE — Investigators looking into Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon’s finances can’t determine the source of nearly $10,000 in cash that was deposited into her bank accounts in 2004, according to court documents.

South Africa police: Murders dip to 50 per day but rapes, robberies and hijackings rise

CAPE TOWN, South Africa — South Africa’s murder rate — one of the world’s highest — has dropped slightly, but the country faces a distressing rise in rapes, robberies and hijackings, South African police said Tuesday.

Jenny Sanford, wife of scandalous SC Gov. Mark Sanford, is writing a memoir

NEW YORK — The wife of South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, who separated from her husband in the wake of his affair with an Argentine woman, is writing a memoir.

Honduras’ exiled President Zelaya returns to capital, defying threats of arrest

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — Deposed President Manuel Zelaya made a dramatic return to Honduras’ capital Monday, taking shelter from arrest at Brazil’s embassy and calling for negotiations with the leaders who forced him from the country at gunpoint.

Judge denies Ex-US Rep. Jefferson’s request for a new trial on federal corruption charges

WASHINGTON — A federal judge has denied the request for a new trial by a former Louisiana congressman convicted on corruption charges.

Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel: a man with many friends and many ethics issues

WASHINGTON — Rep. Charlie Rangel, the latest congressional titan with ethics problems, is described by a longtime House colleague as the guy who would make sure everyone put on oxygen masks during a flight emergency, but would have to be told to put on his own.

Iran’s top leader urges end to postelection accusations in mass trials of protesters

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s Supreme Leader warned government supporters on Sunday against accusing opposition members of wrongdoing without proof, an indication that the Islamic government may be easing up on critics of the June presidential election.

Grand jury in Calif. drops charges against former Laotian general in government overthrow case

FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury in California investigating an alleged plot to overthrow the government of Laos has dropped charges against a leading figure in the nation’s Hmong community, the U.S. attorney’s office in Sacramento said Friday.

Hartford, Conn., councilwoman pleads not guilty in probe involving mayor

HARTFORD, Conn. — A city councilwoman has pleaded not guilty to a charge in the Connecticut state corruption investigation of Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez and the city’s government.

Colombia’s president says he favors eliminating scandal-plagued domestic spy agency

BOGOTA — President Alvaro Uribe says he is in favor of eliminating Colombia’s scandal-plagued domestic intelligence agency and transferring its functions to the police.

House votes to deny all federal funds for ACORN in GOP-led strike on embattled group

WASHINGTON — The House voted Thursday to deny all federal funds for ACORN in a GOP-led strike against the scandal-tainted community organizing group that comes just three days after the Senate took similar action. “ACORN has violated serious federal laws, and today the House voted to ensure that taxpayer dollars would no longer be used to fund this corrupt organization,” said second-ranked House Republican Eric Cantor of Virginia.

House votes to cut off all federal funds to ACORN

WASHINGTON — The House voted Thursday to deny all federal funds for ACORN in a GOP-led strike against the scandal-tainted community organizing group that comes just three days after the Senate took similar action.

AP INVESTIGATION: SC Gov. Sanford’s charter jet use in Europe cost state more than $63,000

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, already facing scrutiny for expensive taxpayer-funded flights, relied on charter jet services costing more than $63,000 when traveling in Europe on two state business trips, an Associated Press investigation has found.

PROMISES, PROMISES: Much lobbyist fundraising still off the books despite ethics law

WASHINGTON — Few members of Congress are disclosing that lobbyists are helping them raise campaign cash despite a new law that was supposed to shed light on the ties between lawmakers and the capital’s influence brokers, an Associated Press review found.

Blagojevich seizes on friend and fundraiser’s apparent suicide to question prosecutors

CHICAGO — To hear ousted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich tell it, his war with federal prosecutors now has a casualty.

House ethics panel defers investigation of Jesse Jackson Jr. at request of law enforcement

WASHINGTON — The House ethics committee said Wednesday it will put off for now an expanded investigation into whether Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. or his representatives tried to buy President Barack Obama’s former Senate seat.

Police: Fake officer with flashing red light arrested after stopping mayor of Shreveport, La.

SHREVEPORT, La. — Police say a man impersonating an officer with a flashing red light in his car has been arrested after he pulled over the wrong driver — the mayor of Shreveport, La.

Yugoslav war crimes tribunal authorizes early release of former Bosnian Serb President Plavsic

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The Yugoslav war crimes tribunal announced Tuesday it has approved the early release from prison of former Bosnian Serb President Biljana Plavsic after she served two-thirds of her 11-year sentence for persecution.

Investigation into death of ex-Ill. governor’s former fundraiser focuses on drugs in car

CHICAGO — The investigation into the death of the former chief fundraiser for ousted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich intensified on Sunday as medical examiners completed an autopsy and detectives looked into whether drugs found in the trusted aide’s vehicle might have factored into his death.

Honest service law used to indict Blagojevich called too vague, faces Supreme Court challenge

CHICAGO — Among the corruption charges faced by former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is a statute of just 28 words with enough pop to send big names to prison for corruption, but it’s under attack by those who consider it vague and unfair.

91 former attorneys general support convicted Alabama governor, cite First Amendment issues

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Ninety-one former attorneys general from U.S. states and territories asked the U.S. Supreme Court Friday to hear former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman’s appeal of his federal bribery conviction, claiming it raises important issues on political speech.

Ring becomes first member of Abramoff lobbying team to put influence-peddling case to jury

WASHINGTON — Prosecutors on Friday called a former deputy to imprisoned lobbyist Jack Abramoff the “sugar daddy” of a conspiracy to corrupt government.

Months after affair disclosed, SC governor virtually marooned in fight to stay in office

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Republican Gov. Mark Sanford is no stranger to going it alone — and nearly three months after calling his mistress his “soul mate,” he’s been virtually marooned.

Hartford mayor pleads not guilty to corruption charges; prosecutors want to combine 2 cases

HARTFORD, Conn. — Hartford, Conn., Mayor Eddie Perez has pleaded not guilty to allegations that he tried to extort $250,000 from a real estate developer.