WASHINGTON – Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged North Korea on Thursday to heed international calls to return to stalled six-nation talks on its nuclear program. During a meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon, Rice emphasized the importance of efforts to break a deadlock in negotiations and persuade …

WASHINGTON – The government issued cleanup standards Tuesday for a “dirty bomb” terrorist attack that would in some cases be far less rigorous than what is required for Superfund sites, nuclear power plants and nuclear waste dumps. After such an attack, long-term radiation exposure could remain at levels that would …

OTTAWA – Conservative Stephen Harper pledged to quickly carry out his campaign promises to cut taxes, get tough on crime and repair strained ties with Washington after his party won national elections and ended more than 12 years of Liberal Party rule in Canada. That may be easier said than …

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Hank Williams Jr. visited the lone survivor of the West Virginia coal mine disaster Wednesday and recalled his own long recovery after tumbling off a mountain in the 1970s. Williams visited privately with Randal McCloy Jr. and his family at Ruby Memorial Hospital. McCloy, who remained in …

AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn turned her back on the Republican Party and announced Monday she will run for governor as an independent. The move allows Strayhorn to escape a potentially ugly primary battle against Gov. Rick Perry. The GOP primary is set for March 7. Strayhorn, …

NEW YORK – Motorola Inc., after nearly a year of vague pronouncements, unveiled Tuesday an ambitious music radio service for cell phones that also plays over car and home stereos. Motorola iRadio, featuring 435 channels, would be sold by wireless service providers to their subscribers for between $7 and $10 …

LAS VEGAS – Casino operator Station Casinos Inc. (STN) said Monday it received a $4.7 billion acquisition offer from a group including its chief executive and president. Las Vegas-based Station said it created a special committee of independent directors to evaluate the offer and review any rival buyout proposals but …

LOS ANGELES – A Romanian national was indicted on charges of hacking into more than 150 U.S. government computers, causing disruptions that cost NASA, the Energy Department and the Navy nearly $1.5 million. The federal indictment charges Victor Faur, 26, of Arad, Romania with nine counts of computer intrusion and …

WASHINGTON – President Bush on Monday opened three days of intensive consultations on Iraq, saying the United States and countries across the Middle East have a vital stake in helping the fragile government in Baghdad succeed. Bush went to the State Department to review diplomatic and political options — the …

You’ve got to hand it to the Brits — they sure know how to insult people with flair. Part of the appeal is, of course, that offensive statements simply sound more appealing when accompanied by, say, a South London accent, but the British are also just amazingly direct in ways …