AFP - A US senator said Monday the weak dollar was to blame for the takeover by Belgian-Brazilian brewer InBev of rival Anheuser-Busch for 52 billion dollars (33 billion euros).

Reuters - The U.S. government would withdraw 500,000 barrels of oil a day from an emergency reserve over six months to help lower retail gasoline prices under legislation being sought by a key Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

AP - A foreclosure aid plan that was facing a sluggish trip through Congress has a powerful new engine behind it: the Bush administration's urgent request to rescue mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

AP - The American flag has many labels: Stars and stripes. Old Glory. And sometimes, made in China.

AFP - Republican John McCain's camp has charged that his Democratic foe Barack Obama would trade defeat in Iraq for an election win, as a fierce new row over the war rocked the White House race.

AP - Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura halted his political comeback before it began, using a national TV platform to announce that he won't launch a third-party bid for the U.S. Senate "at this moment."

AFP - Miss USA has no idea whether she'll take the crown at the Miss Universe contest on Monday, but she's already decided who's got her vote in the White House race -- Barack Obama.

AP - U.S. Rep. John Barrow is working the lunch crowd outside a barbecue shack when he grabs the hand of a woman who says she recognized him instantly.

AFP/File - In the political white heat of the US presidential race, the truth cannot set a candidate free, it can only get them into trouble.

AFP - In the political white heat of the US presidential race, the truth cannot set a candidate free, it can only get them into trouble.