The North, which wants one-on-one talks with the US, said it's open to dialogue and had entered the "completion phase" of developing highly enriched uranium.
A Minnesota bus factory that became a symbol of the stimulus when Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. visited has had to lay off workers after cutbacks in Illinois delayed orders.
The loss of 216,000 jobs in August, which pushed the jobless rate in the U.S. to 9.7 percent, suggested that companies are not aggressively hiring despite signs of recovery.
The crisis has underscored the problems facing Indian agriculture as the population expands at the same time that water resources come under greater pressure.
AP - House liberals pleaded with President Barack Obama on Friday to push for creation of a government-run health care program as the Senate's chief negotiator said he won't wait much longer for Republicans to compromise amid dwindling chances for a bipartisan bill.
AP - Defense Secretary Robert Gates expressed disappointment Friday at news outlets that used a picture taken and distributed by The Associated Press depicting a U.S. Marine mortally wounded in combat in Afghanistan.
AP - A man who told authorities "My whole family's dead!" in a frantic 911 call was charged Friday with killing the eight people attacked in his family's mobile home in coastal Georgia.
The White House is on the defensive over a back-to-school speech to the nation's children. Obama aides say the planned Tuesday address and suggested lesson plans are meant to encourage pupils to study hard and stay in school. But some conservative parents are concerned the president will press a partisan political agenda on young minds.
The man who called 911 to report slayings in a southeast Georgia mobile home last weekend has been arrested on suspicion of murder. Guy Heinze Jr. -- the son of one of the victims -- has been arrested for eight counts of first-degree murder, police said Friday. Seven of the eight victims will be buried Saturday, while a 3-year-old who was injured struggles to survive at a Savannah hospital.
The new college football season didn't last long for LeGarrette Blount. Oregon on Friday suspended the star running back for the rest of the year for punching Boise State's Byron Hout. In their season opener on Thursday, the 14th-ranked Broncos ran over the 16th-ranked Ducks for a 19-8 win. But all didn't end quietly, SI.com reports.