ST. PETERSBURG, Russia – Leaders of the Group of Eight major industrial countries on Sunday recommended a two-week extension for a deadline aimed at breaking the impasse over long-stalled global trade negotiations. “We welcome the decision to ask the WTO director general to consult members intensively in order to promote …

SACRAMENTO – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s image and job rating appear to be rebounding with voters, according to a new poll released Tuesday that shows the Republican governor leading Democratic state Treasurer Phil Angelides by 8 percentage points. The Field Poll found 45 percent of likely voters surveyed favored Schwarzenegger, with …

NEW YORK – Cingular Wireless, the No. 1 U.S. cellphone service, said on Wednesday that cable channel HBO has produced a special mobile mini-series based on the popular show “Entourage” that extends the story beyond what is shown on television. Cingular, a venture of AT&T Inc. (T) and BellSouth Corp. …

ALONG THE GUNFLINT TRAIL, Minn. – Firefighters continued to make good progress on the Boundary Waters Canoe Area wildfire Sunday, as they were helped by continued moderate weather. The fire was 30 percent contained, said Peter D’Aquanni, public information officer with the Minnesota Interagency Fire Center, late Sunday afternoon. Officials …

LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan – A suicide bomber struck outside the compound of a southern Afghan governor on Tuesday, killing 18 people, including several Muslim pilgrims seeking paperwork to travel to Mecca, officials said. The attacker detonated his suicide vest when Afghan soldiers stopped him at the compound’s security gate, said …

SAN`A, Yemen – At least 41 people were killed and dozens 70 injured Tuesday in a stampede during a campaign rally for the president, medical and security officials said. Most of the victims were schoolchildren and teenagers. The stampede occurred in a small stadium in the southern province of Ibb, …

SAN FRANCISCO – In an effort to boost U.S. workers’ retirement savings, the Labor Department has proposed new rules making it easier for companies to enroll employees automatically in 401(k) and other retirement plans. The proposed rules would relieve plan sponsors of liability if their automatic-enrollment options had poor investment …

MUNICH, Germany – Greeted by a thunderous chorus of church bells, Pope Benedict XVI began a pilgrimage to his native Bavaria on Saturday, a six-day visit laden with meaning for him and the future of his increasingly liberal Roman Catholic flock in Germany. Tens of thousands poured into the narrow …

LA PLATA, Md. – A Charles County commissioner is being criticized for remarks that some say are laced with racial overtones. Al Smith, a Republican who is running for president of the Board of Commissioners on an anti-crime platform, has said he does not “want to see Charles County become …

LOS ANGELES – First, there was the war between eight-track tapes and cassettes. Then there was Betamax versus VHS. Now a new battle for the future of home entertainment is once again forcing consumers to choose. High-definition DVDs are supposed to provide sharp, wide-screen images to fill the more than …