"A little relief for Oregon drivers this week as gas prices here come down slightly, but the national average has set a new record high."   AAA Oregon Public Affairs Director Marie Dodds says, "The statewide average for regular unleaded in Oregon drops two cents this week to $3.41.  But the national average is up three cents to $3.286, and set a record high of $3.287 on March 31.  Oregon's current average is now about five ... [full story]

QUETTA, Pakistan -- Crowds of supporters greeted the Pakistani chief justice in Quetta, Pakistan, for the first time since his release from five months of detention.Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry arrived to a throng of supporters from trade unions, lawyers' groups and various political parties, the Pakistani English daily Dawn reported.The crowds chanted slogans of "Long live the chief justice" and other cries opposing Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf as heavily armed security guards escorted Chaudhry's bullet-proof ... [full story]

JERUSALEM -- The increasingly radical nature of sermons and media reports from Hamas overshadow the prospects of reaching a common ground with Israel, analysts say.The official Hamas media network, al-Aksa, runs several programs and sermons that some say serve to indoctrinate young Palestinians to radical Islamic positions.The combination of political rhetoric invoking historical Palestine, calls for military resistance against Israel while advocating social programs suggests a irreconcilable division between Israelis and Palestinians, The New York ... [full story]

LONGUEUIL, Quebec -- The Canadian Space Agency is set to start recruiting for two new astronaut trainees, the federal Industry minister responsible for the agency announced.Speaking at a news conference at the agency's headquarters in Longueuil, Quebec, outside Montreal, Minister Jim Prentice encouraged those who might like to apply to watch the agency's Web site next month when details and qualifications are posted.Canada now has six astronauts who fly on NASA missions and assist in ... [full story]

WASHINGTON -- Osama bin Laden and his half-brother went to London in 1986 to discuss buying several surface-to-air missiles for the mujahedin in Afghanistan, a book says."The Bin Ladens," a newly released book by former Washington Post correspondent and noted bin Laden expert, Steve Coll, says bin Laden and his half brother, Salem, met with "contacts" at the Dorchester hotel in London to negotiate the sale of Russian SA-7 missiles from German arms manufacturer Heckler ... [full story]

PICO RIVERA, Calif. -- Detectives in Los Angeles County say they have not ruled out suicide in the death of a man found shot to death just hours after he got married.Ernesto Frayre, 22, of Pico Rivera was found dead of a gunshot wound to the head Sunday morning in his car, which was parked a block away from where the wedding reception had been held.Family members were stunned at the development and told the ... [full story]

HOUSTON -- Houston police say they are investigating at least three possible suspects in the death of a missing woman found dead in a rural field last week.Investigators Monday confirmed the remains discovered in a shallow grave 75 miles from Houston are those of Tierra Adams, who vanished in January, about a month before she was due to give birth.Although dental records were still being checked Tuesday, the Houston Chronicle said the body had a ... [full story]

WASHINGTON -- U.S. presidents rely on daily secret reports on national threats, but some of those reports are now coming from public Internet sources, officials say.The top-secret President's Daily Brief compiled covert operative reports, spy photos and other highly classified sources. But more and more, intelligence agencies are getting their information from sources available to anyone with an Internet connection, USA Today said Tuesday.Intelligence officers used this "open-source intelligence" to compile evidence on the Iranian ... [full story]

WASHINGTON -- Democratic Party leaders say they're urging a superdelegates' meeting in June, hoping to avoid a protracted intraparty U.S. presidential nomination fight.Others, though, say a series of smaller superdelegate meetings has begun -- virtually -- to unite the party behind one candidate and avoid a summer-long and convention fight between Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., and Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., The Politicoo reported Tuesday.Clinton and her supporters argue that she should continue campaigning; opponents and ... [full story]

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- The hollow remains of a 1,100-year-old red cedar tree landmark are a safety risk and will be cut down, the Vancouver, British Columbia, city council decided.At a packed council meeting Monday night, the vote was unanimous to bring down "The Hollow Tree," a landmark in the city's Stanley Park, the Globe and Mail reported.As far back as the 1800s, people and families posed for portraits inside the ancient tree but storm ... [full story]