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Mexico: Drug bill boosts laws

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published May 3, 2006

MEXICO CITY - A sweeping drug bill that President Vicente Fox says he will sign would for the first time authorize state and local police, in addition to federal police, to arrest drug dealers. It would close a loophole that has allowed nearly all suspects to avoid prosecution, lawmakers say.

That's been largely lost amid furious U.S. reaction focused on an aspect of the law that defines amounts of drugs that "a consumer" could possess without facing prosecution, the president's office and lawmakers say.

"They are more or less in a state of confusion because they have focused on just this part of the law," said Sen. Jorge Zermeno. "This is a law designed to punish drug dealers more severely."

Berlusconi acknowledges defeat in Italian elections

ROME - Silvio Berlusconi has had a rocky five years as Italian premier: His gaffes, his support for war in Iraq and his legal woes have made him a polarizing personality.

Berlusconi finally stepped down Tuesday to make way for his center-left rival Romano Prodi, after refusing for weeks to concede defeat in parliamentary elections. But it may be too soon to count him out.

"I am not giving up," he said this weekend, promising opposition to Prodi's government.

Crash may have killed 100

MOSCOW - An Armenian plane carrying at least 100 people aboard crashed in bad weather early Wednesday off Russia's Black Sea coast shortly before it was to land, emergency officials said. There was no sign of survivors.

[Last modified May 3, 2006, 06:52:32]