WASHINGTON – Ten states, led by California, sued the federal government Tuesday to try to force the Bush administration to strengthen gas mileage requirements for sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks. The lawsuit contends the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration failed to conduct a thorough analysis of the environmental benefits …

ABUJA, Nigeria – Sudan seems poised to disarm a vicious militia faster and accept more rebels into its security force in U.S.-initiated concessions that meet fighter demands for bringing peace to Darfur, a government spokesman said Wednesday. Abdulrahman Zuma said the concessions, including speedier disarmament of the Janjaweed militia the …

BERLIN – A brown bear that has raised the ire of Bavarian farmers by raiding sheep flocks and chicken coops has been identified — his name is JJ1 and he comes from a project to reintroduce bears to the wild in northern Italy. But Bavaria isn’t backing off a much-criticized …

ROCKVILLE, Md. – Sniper John Allen Muhammad was convicted of six more of the killings Tuesday after a trial in which he acted as his own attorney and the prosecution’s star witness was his young protege and partner in crime. Muhammad, 45, is already under a death sentence in Virginia …

NEW YORK – Grandparents eager to give away assets tax-free have received a boost from a recent IRS decision. Under the rules, you can pay directly for someone else’s schooling or medical bills and avoid the gift tax that normally applies to transfers over $12,000 in a single year. That’s …

WASHINGTON – Clues to Jimmy Hoffa‘s disappearance three decades ago could be buried in the pastures of a Michigan horse farm, but scientists said investigators face plenty of obstacles in finding the remains of the former Teamsters boss. As the search entered its sixth day Monday, forensic anthropologists who have …

HONG KONG – A magnitude 6.1 earthquake rattled parts of eastern Indonesia early Tuesday, the Hong Kong Observatory said Tuesday. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. The epicenter was in the Banda Sea about 120 miles southwest of Ambon, the capital of Maluku province, the observatory said. …

SAN FRANCISCO – Barry Bonds He hit the milestone home run with a two-run shot to center Sunday, moving past Babe Ruth into sole possession of second place on the career list behind Hank Aaron. Bonds homered off Colorado’s Byung-Hyun Kim and before his home fans — where he wanted …

NEW YORK – Wall Street’s interest rate anxiety sent stocks moderately lower Monday after comments from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke compounded investors’ concerns about surging oil prices and a weak U.S. dollar. The Dow Jones industrial average slid 23.85, or 0.21 percent, to 11,343.29. Broader stock indicators declined. The …

You might have thought you had heard the end of the debate about ANWR, the proposal to drill for the billions of barrels of oil in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge. I’ve said it a million times, so let me just do the shorthand version. I’ve been there. I’ve seen …