SEOUL, South Korea – The United States has proposed a meeting of North Korea’s neighbors and other regional powers on the sidelines of the upcoming meeting of U.N. General Assembly, South Korea’s top nuclear envoy said Monday. Such a meeting could put more pressure on North Korea as the communist …

SAN`A, Yemen – Suicide bombers tried to strike two oil facilities in Yemen with explosives-packed cars, but authorities foiled the attacks and four bombers and a security guard were killed, the government said Friday. The attempts came ahead of this week’s presidential elections, in which President Ali Abdullah Saleh faces …

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The F-14 Tomcat, the dogfighting Cold War fighter jet immortalized in the movie “Top Gun,” made its ceremonial final flight Friday in a display that suggested the timing was right for retirement. Pilot Lt. Cmdr. David Faehnle and radar intercept officer Lt. Cmdr. Robert Gentry gave …

WASHINGTON – Most Americans can get a chance at an extra hour of sleep this weekend; clocks fall back to standard time. It’s the last time this will happen in October. Because of a law passed last year, daylight-saving time will start earlier and end later beginning in 2007. It …

BAGHDAD – Saddam Hussein‘s chief lawyer walked out of court Monday shortly after ending a monthlong boycott, but the chief judge immediately appointed other attorneys to defend the former president and the trial went on. Four Kurdish witnesses testified about atrocities committed under Saddam’s regime, involving alleged chemical attacks against …

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho – Federal prosecutors will seek the death penalty for registered sex offender Joseph Edward Duncan III for the abduction of two children last year, the U.S. Attorney’s office said Tuesday. Jean McNeil, spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney Tom Moss in Boise, said prosecutors have received permission from the …

MIAMI – Hurricane Isaac strengthened slightly and turned north Sunday in the Atlantic, forecasters said, and a tropical storm watch was issued for southeastern Newfoundland. At 11 a.m. EDT, Isaac had top sustained winds near 80 mph, up from 75 mph on Saturday, when it became the fifth hurricane of …

NEW YORK – When Jon Bon Jovi told former President Bill Clinton about a new plan to restore homes in one of Philadelphia’s most blighted neighborhoods, his pal was all ears. Clinton “was intrigued enough that he offered his services, and said, ‘If I can help you in any way, …

WASHINGTON – A closely watched gauge of future economic activity rose in September following two consecutive declines, as consumer expectations improved, an industry-backed research group said Thursday The Conference Board said its Index of Leading Economic Indicators edged up 0.1 percent to 137.7 last month. The index had slipped 0.3 …

WASHINGTON – Presidential assailant John Hinckley’s four-day visits away from a mental hospital every six weeks should be expanded, his lawyer said Monday, declaring “there is just no need” to supervise the man who shot Ronald Reagan. In U.S. District Court, attorney Barry Levine countered contentions by federal prosecutors that …