NEW YORK -- A New York state prison inmate sent 10 letters to rights groups, journalists and politicians containing a fine white powder, the FBI said.The letters came to the FBI's attention on Monday in Albany, N.Y., and were easily traced because Keith Lettley listed his inmate number on the letters, the New York Post reported Thursday.The 34-year-old is serving 20 years at the Washington Correctional Facility in Comstock, N.Y., for breaking into a New ... [full story]

PITTSBURGH -- The plight of a Pittsburgh soldier disabled in Iraq highlights the U.S. Army policy of asking for part of signing bonuses back if commitments aren't fulfilled.The issue came to light when Jordan Fox told KDKA-TV, Pittsburgh, his role in Iraq ended when a roadside bomb destroyed his right eye and he was shipped home. He had been paid a $10,000 signing bonus as a sniper, but got a letter from the Department of ... [full story]

CINCINNATI -- A 52-year-old homeless man in Cincinnati was indicted this week on charges he raped a woman who was sleepwalking. Assistant Hamilton County Prosecutor Seth Tieger said it was undoubtedly clear the unidentified 23-year-old victim was sleepwalking when Dexter Ford allegedly attacked her this month, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported Wednesday."If you would see her in that state, you would instantly know something was wrong," Tieger said during Tuesday's hearing. "It's not like she was ... [full story]

BALTIMORE -- Officials in Baltimore were investigating an incident in which a threatening note and a piece of rope were found at a city fire station.Two paramedics said they found the note, which pictured a drawing of a stick figure hanging by a noose, The Baltimore Sun reported Wednesday.Chief Kevin Cartwright, a Fire Department spokesman, said the piece of rope was not a noose but it had a knot in it.Henry Burris, president of the ... [full story]

WASHINGTON -- Thousands of immigrants could miss voting in their first presidential election because of a 16-month logjam in processing U.S. citizenship applications.Immigration officials at the Department of Homeland Security told the Washington Post it can take longer than five months just to acknowledge receipt of applications by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services or USCIS.Officials said they were expecting a surge in applications prior to a July 30 fee increase from $410 to $675, ... [full story]

LAHORE, Pakistan -- Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's new appointees to the Supreme Court Thursday dismissed a final challenge to his running for a third term.Musharraf created a political storm at home and abroad Nov. 3 when he declared emergency rule, suspended the constitution and disabled the high court.Under intense domestic and international pressure, he has since announced he will step down as military leader before parliament votes on the presidency in early January, CNN reported.Wednesday, ... [full story]

PLYMOUTH, England -- A British man has pleaded guilty to breaking his girlfriend's leg -- with her permission -- in an attempt to cheat the local government out of $200,000.Gordon Thomson pleaded guilty to breaking his then-girlfriend Elizabeth Hingston's leg in October 2006 as part of a plan to sue the local government by claiming she was hit by a falling wall, The Daily Mail reported Wednesday.However, the fraud was foiled when police found a ... [full story]

OTTAWA -- The deaths of four people whose bodies were found at an Ottawa residence were a triple murder-suicide, investigators said Wednesday.Police said the bodies of two women and a male were discovered in the morning and the fourth body was found about 1:15 p.m., the Ottawa Sun reported. No reason was given for the time lapse between finding the first bodies and the fourth, the Sun said.A source told the Sun a rifle was ... [full story]

ORANJESTAD, Aruba -- Three men suspected in the 2005 disappearance of an American teenager vacationing in Aruba are back in custody, it was announced Wednesday.Prosecutors said brothers Deepak and Satish Kalpoe were arrested in Aruba, while Joran Van der Sloot was arrested in the Netherlands at the request of Aruban officials, CNN reported. The trio are charged with "involvement in the voluntary manslaughter of Natalee Holloway or causing serious bodily harm to Natalee Holloway, resulting ... [full story]

BEIJING -- China reversed its position Thursday and said the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk would be allowed to dock in Hong Kong for the Thanksgiving holiday.At a regular Beijing news conference, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said issues of sovereignty had been involved in reversing the decision, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported."Such a decision is out of humanitarian considerations, and decided on a case-by-case basis," Liu said.The carrier and five supporting ... [full story]