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When you reach a certain advanced age and you glance around at your peers you often conclude that the people who look and act the best are those who, over the years, have consistently eaten sensibly and exercised strenuously. It pays to invest in your good health. As the famous …

Before you ring in the new year, consider taking advantage of these seven tax-saving maneuvers. As the year draws to a close, you’re probably thinking more about your holiday credit-card bills than your 2004 tax bill. Big mistake. Squeezing in a little time for some year-end tax planning can save …

WASHINGTON – The post office set up locations Thursday for residents of the area devastated by Hurricane Katrina (search) to pick up their first-of-the-month checks, and said it is no longer accepting magazines or bulk mail for delivery to the damaged area. Dozens of post offices were closed and mail …

ORANJESTAD, Aruba – A judge has ordered the conditional release of a Dutch teenager in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway (search), but he must remain available to police and is still a suspect, his attorney said. Joran van der Sloot (search), 18, could be released as early as Saturday and …

CAIRO, Egypt – Leaders of Iraq’s sharply divided Shiites, Kurds and Sunnis called Monday for a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces in the country and said Iraq’s opposition had a “legitimate right” of resistance. The final communique, hammered out at the end of three days of negotiations at …

AURORA, Colo. – A missing 6-year-old girl, who police say may have been dead for over a year, was reported missing less than two hours after a social worker visited her father’s home last week, a newspaper reported Thursday. Catholic Charities President Jim Mauck confirmed the Nov. 14 visit, but …

LONDON – Johnny Depp says he was appalled by the vilifying of his ex-girlfriend Kate Moss after pictures of her allegedly snorting cocaine were published in Britain. “The first thing that went through my mind was I was concerned for her, hoping that she was OK and that she and …

LOS ANGELES – Ozzy Osbourne will skip a scheduled appearance at Spike TV’s Video Game Awards to make time for Queen Elizabeth II. “The Prince of Darkness” was invited to perform at the annual Royal Variety Performance in Cardiff, Wales, on Nov. 21, Osbourne’s spokesman, Lathum Nelson, said Tuesday. Osbourne, …

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The winner of a school board election didn’t campaign, attend forums or even go to any school board meetings before the vote — because he was in jail. Randy Logan Hale won 831 votes in Tuesday’s election, securing one of three open seats on the Romoland School …

NEW YORK – Shares of retail stocks, including Gap Inc. (GPS) and AnnTaylor Stores Corp. (ANN), dropped Monday as some investors were disappointed the surge of traffic after the Thanksgiving holiday wasn’t higher and others fretted that product offerings weren’t strong enough to create better sales. Black Friday, the day …