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FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (search) has asked thousands of Floridians whose homes were damaged by last summer’s four hurricanes to give back more than $27 million in aid overpayments. FEMA earlier this year began mailing letters to residents in efforts to recoup the overpayments from …

WASHINGTON – More than 100 facilities nationwide that store large amounts of lung-melting or other lethal chemicals are located near communities of at least 1 million people, congressional researchers say. Officials are concerned that the plants, located in 23 states, are tempting targets for terror attacks. The tally of plants …

WASHINGTON – The State Department on Friday rejected as “highly irresponsible” a Chinese general’s warning that China might use nuclear weapons against the United States in the event of a U.S. attack on China over Taiwan (search). Spokesman Sean McCormack said he hopes that the views expressed by Maj. Gen. …

LONDON – Eyewitnesses to the killing of a suspected bomber in London said the man looked “petrified” as he sought to escape the clutches of police. Mark Whitby said he was sitting on the Tube at Stockwell Station (search) on Friday when the man ran in to the train car. …

KABUL, Afghanistan – U.S. forces desperately scoured rugged Afghan mountains Friday for an elite American military team missing in the same area where a U.S. helicopter was shot down. A purported Taliban (search) spokesman claimed militants captured one of the men. In central Afghanistan (search), Taliban rebels kidnapped and killed …

ROSENDALE, N.Y. – A drug store accidentally sold a copy of the latest Harry Potter (search) book to a woman ahead of Saturday’s strict release time, but the customer said she will return it. Mandy Muldoon said she was shopping with her 9-year-old son when she spotted a stack of …

LOS ANGELES – Actor Brad Pitt (search) has been diagnosed with a mild case of viral meningitis and was released from the hospital Wednesday, his publicist said. Pitt, 41, checked himself into Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Monday night complaining of flu-like symptoms. He went home Wednesday afternoon, publicist Cindy Guagenti …

The White House said Monday it expects North Korea (search) to come back to six-party talks, scheduled later this month, with a serious response to an offer of economic incentives to dismantle its nuclear facilities. That offer was made before talks broke off last year. Click to the right to …

WASHINGTON – Weeks after the Veterans Affairs Department acknowledged a major shortfall in its health care budget, members of the House and Senate agreed Tuesday to provide $1.5 billion to close the gap. Negotiators for the two chambers settled on the amount already approved by the Senate — which comes …

CHICAGO – Volatility is starting to stir from its summer slumber as investors bid up options to manage stock market risk before the release of key U.S. economic data and a Federal Reserve policy meeting in early August — catalysts that might unsettle stock prices. The option market’s fear gauge, …