North Korea test-fires seven short-range missiles in an apparent act of defiance on America's Independence Day.

Burma's military ruler refuses to let visiting UN chief Ban Ki-moon meet jailed opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Honduras' high court rejects a demand by the Organization of American States to reinstate ousted President Manuel Zelaya.

A conservative Iranian daily says the main protest leader should be tried for treason for inciting unrest after June's elections.

The US military in Afghanistan says two of its soldiers have been killed in an explosion in eastern Paktika province.

An Obama administration official says Russia has agreed to let US troops bound for Afghanistan fly through its airspace.

Nine Chechen police are killed in Russia's volatile republic of Ingushetia in one of the deadliest attacks in recent months.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - Sarah Palin, the brash, deeply conservative governor of Alaska who crashed onto the U.S. national political scene last year as the Republican candidate for U.S. vice president, announced abruptly on Friday she was resigning as governor.

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea fired seven ballistic missiles on Saturday, South Korea's defense ministry said, in an act of defiance toward the United States that further stoked regional tensions already high due to its nuclear test in May.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - A newspaper editor seen as close to Iran's top authority said Saturday defeated election candidate Mirhossein Mousavi and a former pro-reform president had committed "terrible crimes" which should be tried in court.

KABUL (Reuters) - Two U.S. soldiers were killed in a complex attack on a base in southeast Afghanistan that ended with air strikes Saturday, the U.S. military said, two days after a major operation against the Taliban was launched in the south.

TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - The Organization of American States prepared to suspend Honduras on Saturday after a caretaker government refused to restore ousted President Manuel Zelaya and defiantly renounced the OAS charter in an apparent preemptive move.

NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Saturday he was "deeply disappointed" that military-ruled Myanmar's top general had rejected his request to meet with detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - More than half a million fans from around the world applied for 17,500 free tickets to Michael Jackson's public memorial service next week, organizers said on Friday as a massive security operation got underway.

Ask people whom they associate with the USO and most will say Bob Hope. As the country celebrates Independence Day, the organization that brings comfort and entertainment to America's men and women in uniform is trying to change that. Troops are now treated to high-tech entertainment options and a more varied lineup of entertainers -- including political satirists, rappers and NFL players.

North Korea fired seven short-range missiles in less than seven hours today, South Korea's Foreign Ministry said today. The recent firings come amid heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula. The missiles were apparently Scud-type, estimated to have a range of about 310 miles, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency.

Sarah Palin said Friday that she will step down as Alaska's governor by the end of the month. She will not seek election to a second gubernatorial term in 2010. As the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee, Palin had been considered one of the front-runners for the GOP nomination in 2012.

Fans continued to register by the thousands early Saturday, hoping to be among the 8,750 people who will be randomly picked to attend the memorial service for singer Michael Jackson next week.