WASHINGTON – The Bush administration warned China (search) on Tuesday that it could be cited as a currency manipulator and face economic sanctions unless it moves swiftly to overhaul its currency system. The administration has been prodding China in earnest over the last two years to stop linking its currency, …

SAN FRANCISCO – Kids dressed like Luke Skywalker. Adults were decked out as stormtroopers. And “Star Wars” stars past and present soaked up the adulation. From San Francisco to New York on Thursday, hundreds of “Star Wars” fanatics turned out in 10 cities and paid up to $500 apiece to …

EAST ORANGE, N.J. – A woman who founded a “no-kill” animal shelter was charged with health code and animal welfare violations after 200 dead cats were discovered rotting in garbage bags in her backyard. Marlene Kess (search), who has built a reputation in Manhattan as a caretaker of homeless and …

WASHINGTON – Computer users already anxious about viruses and identity theft have new reason to worry: Hackers have found a way to lock up the electronic documents on your computer and then demand $200 over the Internet to get them back. Security researchers at San Diego-based Websense Inc. (search) uncovered …

TBILISI, Georgia – Georgia’s security chief said Wednesday that an inactive grenade was found near the site where President Bush (search) made a speech in Tbilisi. Gela Bezhuashvili (search), secretary of the National Security Council, said the Soviet-made RPG-5 grenade was found 100 feet from the tribune where Bush spoke …

TEHRAN, Iran – Iran (search) vowed Thursday it would “definitely” resume some uranium reprocessing activities, refuting suggestions that Tehran (search), under European pressure, was considering backing away from its threat to immediately end its freeze of uranium conversion. Hasan Rowhani (search), Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, said Tehran will resume some …

THE HAGUE, Netherlands – Officials in the Netherlands launched a last-ditch media offensive to persuade Dutch voters to support the European constitution, but the possibility of that happening looked a lot less likely after French voters rejected the charter. A second electoral defeat in four days, and by another founding …

VATICAN CITY – The parents of Terri Schiavo (search) met briefly with Pope Benedict XVI (search) on Wednesday at a general audience in St. Peter’s Square (search), touching the pope’s hands and presenting him with a picture of their daughter. Schiavo’s family, who had a 15-minute private meeting with Cardinal …

CLEVELAND – Fire ripped through a rented Cleveland house early Saturday during a children’s sleepover, killing seven children and two adults, all found dead on the second floor. Eleven people were in the house in the eastern part of the city when the blaze started around 3 a.m., said Assistant …

LOS ANGELES – Stevie Wonder (search)’s latest music video brings more than music to visually impaired fans of the blind R&B legend. The singer’s new video for the song, “So What The Fuss,” features a separate audio track of rapper Busta Rhymes (search) describing the visuals and action in the …