UNITED NATIONS (AP) – The United States and Panama are urging the U.N. Security Council to authorize a 5,550-member force with the power to detain gang members in Haiti to help stop the escalating violence.

UNITED NATIONS (AP) – The United States announced Thursday that it is seeking U.N. authorization for a new “Gang Suppression Force” to help tackle the escalating violence in Haiti, where armed groups are expanding their brutal activities from the capital into the countryside.

WASHINGTON (AP) – The United States is boosting its maritime force in the waters off Venezuela to combat threats from Latin American drug cartels with the expected arrival of more vessels next week, an action that will undoubtedly fuel more speculation among Venezuelans, their government and its political opposition.