BEIJING -- U.S. and North Korean negotiators met in China Tuesday on the communist nation's delay in declaring its nuclear programs required under the six-party talks.The meeting between Christopher Hill and his North Korean counterpart, Kim Kye Kwan, was held in Beijing to revive North Korean denuclearization talks, which also include Russia, China, Japan and South Korea, the Voice of America reported.North Korea's declaration of all its nuclear programs was to have been completed by ... [full story]

CORNWALL, Ontario -- Canadian authorities said they arrested a trucker for driving a trailer with $1.5 million worth of contraband cigarettes in southeastern Ontario.In a joint operation involving the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Border Security Agency and the Ontario Provincial Police, the unidentified 47-year-old man was pulled over on a highway Sunday, the Ottawa Sun reported Tuesday.There were more than 900 cases of cigarettes in the trailer valued at $1,526,250, which under the Excise ... [full story]

WASHINGTON -- Fidel Castro's resignation as Cuba's leader wouldn't affect the U.S. embargo on the island nation, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte said Tuesday.Castro announced his resignation in a letter published Tuesday in Cuban newspapers, citing health reasons for stepping down.When asked whether Castro's stepping down would change U.S. policy toward Cuba, Negroponte said, "I can't image that happening anytime soon."Tensions between United States and Cuba, which have no formal diplomatic relations, have ... [full story]

MANILA, Philippines -- The body believed to be that of an Indonesian militant wanted in the 2002 bombings in Bali may have been found in the Philippines.The Philippine military said it thinks the body is that of Dulmatin, a member of the Indonesian Islamist group Jemaah Islamiyah who was accused of carrying out the bombing that killed more than 200 people on the Indonesian resort island.The military said it acted on information provided by an ... [full story]

PORTLAND -- The thief who stole a "ghost bike" -- which marks the spot of a fatality -- from a memorial to a Portland, Ore., cyclist returned the bicycle with apologies.In a note that he left with the memorial, the thief, signing himself off as "Bradford (the one who stole the bike)," said that he did not realize what he had taken until later, The Oregonian reported. A ghost bike is a white bicycle placed ... [full story]

OREGON CITY, Ore. -- A Clackamas county, Ore., fifth- and sixth-grade girls basketball game ended in the arrest of one coach after he refused to leave the game when he was ejected.   Jeffery Scott Larsen - CCSO photo The game between the Estacada Fury and Molalla Wildcats started like any other match but before long the Molalla coach got worked up and was ejected by referee Houston Webb, a local high school player, The (Portland) Oregonian reported ... [full story]

SEATTLE -- An Oregon lawyer has been charged with trying to frame her former boyfriend for sexual misconduct by sending explicit pictures of him to his boss.Seattle prosecutors charged Rhonda Lee Antell, 50, of Beaverton, Oregon, with identity theft and cyberstalking after she allegedly used an elaborate series of moves aimed at getting her ex-beau in trouble at work.The Seattle Post-Intelligencer said Antell, a tax attorney, allegedly used prepaid cell phones and phony e-mail accounts ... [full story]

  Photo source: Jefferson Fire District  Fire officials say that combustible materials placed too closely to a heating source was the cause of a fire that destroyed a travel trailer in Albany Monday morning and resulted in minor burns to the occupant’s hands. Jefferson Fire Chief Don Bemrose said that the older model trailer, parked behind Sprayfoam at 37545 Century Drive, was fully engulfed when firefighters responded to an alarm just before 9 a.m. While unable to ... [full story]

EUGENE, Ore. - The IQs of preschool-aged children who belong to low-income families improved after parents took a child-learning course, University of Oregon experts said.Researchers found that the intelligence scores of children ages 3 to 5 whose parents took an 8-week class about parenting techniques improved, The Washington Times reported Saturday. The study included 28 children."Our findings are important because they suggest that kids who are at high risk for school failure can be helped through ... [full story]

PORTLAND, Ore. - Oregon's only moose herd appears to be thriving in the northeast mountains this winter, state wildlife biologist Pat Matthews said.He said the deep snow and occasional sub zero temperatures are to the the animals' liking, The (Portland) Oregonian reported Monday."In the winter when it gets above 23 degrees, they start looking to cool themselves down," he said. "In the summer, anything above 60 degrees is too warm for them." Moose watchers may even ... [full story]