Stroke kills more black men than white men, especially in the southern states of the U.S., researchers say. For example, in South Carolina, African-American men are almost four times more likely to die from a stroke (search) than white men. A black man living almost anywhere in the south increases …

LOS ANGELES – “Friends” actor Matthew Perry (search) is back home after a brief hospital stay due to a bad reaction to prescription medicine. Perry, 35, was taken to an area hospital last week and stayed overnight for doctor-ordered observation, his publicist, Lisa Kasteler, said Sunday. She didn’t provide details. …

LONDON – Seven British soldiers will stand trial on charges of murder for the killing of an Iraqi civilian in 2003, Britain’s attorney general said Thursday. Lord Goldsmith (search) said the soldiers would face court-martial in connection with the death of Nadhem Abdullah (search) on May 11, 2003, in Al …

WASHINGTON – Pat Mitchell (search), the Public Broadcasting Service (search) chief under fire for spending public money on a cartoon show that also featured a real-life lesbian couple, will step down when her contract expires in June 2006. Mitchell, the nonprofit network’s fifth president and chief executive officer, also faced …

SEOUL, South Korea – The United States would dispatch 690,000 troops and 2,000 warplanes if war breaks out on the Korean peninsula (search), according to a South Korean defense policy paper released Friday. The brief revealed South Korean efforts to redefine its 50-year-old stalemate with the communist North and readjust …

SAN FRAN – Dell Inc. (DELL), Thursday posted sales just shy of Wall Street expectations and its shares fell 3 percent, even though profit excluding a charge topped analysts’ forecasts. The world’s largest personal computer maker reported net income, excluding a tax-related charge, of $947 million, or 37 cents a …

NEW YORK – The U.N. oil-for-food program chief under scrutiny for alleged corruption and mismanagement blocked a proposed audit of his office around the same time he’s accused of soliciting lucrative oil deals from Iraq, according to investigators. A U.N. auditing team, which was severely understaffed, said running the $64 …

NEW YORK – H&R Block Inc. (HRB), the world’s largest tax preparer, Thursday posted a lower quarterly profit, but beat Wall Street forecasts and signaled the current tax season could be more profitable than last year’s. The Kansas City, Mo.-based company said through Feb. 15, tax preparation and related fees …

LOS ANGELES – Rain, hail and lightning made a surprise return to saturated Southern California on Friday, and authorities warned of avalanche danger on a towering mountain. Scattered storms erupted during what was supposed to be a break in waves of foul weather that have made this the third-rainiest season …

OTISFIELD, Maine – Israelis and Arabs attending a camp reunion in the woods of Maine are keeping an eye on the Gaza Strip (search), where a move is being made toward peace in the Middle East. Badawi Qawasmi, a 26-year-old Palestinian, said Monday he hopes Israel’s withdrawal of 8,500 Jewish …