KABUL, Afghanistan – The bombings are more frequent. The battlefield clashes have intensified. Three months of unprecedented bloodshed have shaken confidence in Afghanistan’s future, and senior officials are pointing fingers at a familiar foe: Pakistan (search). Officials say three Pakistanis’ alleged involvement in a plot to assassinate the U.S. ambassador …

JERUSALEM – The Israeli navy plans to build a sea barrier off the coast of northern Gaza (search) to keep out potential attackers once Israel pulls out of the coastal strip this summer, military officials said. The navy concluded the barrier, stretching 950 yards into the sea, is necessary because …

TEHRAN, Iran – A Northwest Airlines DC-10 made an emergency landing in Tehran (search) on Sunday after an indicator detected a fire in the cargo hold in what turned out to be a false alarm, a spokesman said. No injuries were reported and the plane later took off and landed …

GOLIAD, Texas – Goliad, Texas, isn’t directly on the border of Mexico but the citizens of the town still think their land is a gateway for illegal Mexican immigrants entering the United States. “We’re 165 miles from the United States border here in Goliad. It’s a problem here. It’s not …

NEW YORK – It’s the fashion world’s equivalent of the Oscars. At Monday night’s Council of Fashion Designers of America Fashion Awards (search), supermodel Kate Moss (search) received an award for her fashion influence. Vera Wang (search) was named the year’s top womenswear designer, John Varvatos (search) won for menswear …

CHICAGO – United Airlines’ (search) parent company filed its long-delayed reorganization plan Wednesday, declaring its intention to emerge from federal bankruptcy next February as a “much more competitive” firm than the one that entered Chapter 11 protection in December 2002. The huge filing, made in U.S. Bankruptcy Court (search), lays …

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy – King Abdullah II (search) of Jordan paid Pope Benedict XVI (search) a visit on Monday, saying he wanted to foster an honest dialogue between the West and moderate Islam. Abdullah and his wife, Queen Rania, called on the pope at his papal summer residence in Castel …

WASHINGTON – Mississippi and Louisiana lead in the nation in the portion of families who rely on a tax credit for the working poor, the kind of help that can be disrupted by job losses and family separations like those caused by Hurricane Katrina (search). President Bush on Friday signed …

ROANOKE, Va. – An interfaith group released a new textbook Thursday aimed at teaching public high school students about the Bible (search) while avoiding legal and religious disputes. The nonprofit Bible Literacy Project (search) of Fairfax, Va., spent five years and $2 million developing “The Bible and Its Influence.” The …

The most comprehensive genetic study to date of multiple sclerosis has pinpointed a cluster of genes on chromosome 6 as playing the major role in causing the disorder. The findings will ultimately help doctors to develop better treatments for MS, researchers say. Researcher Margaret Pericak-Vance, MD, director of the Center …