U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the United States would be prepared to reconcile with the Taliban if the Afghan government pursued talks to end the seven-year conflict in that country.
A suicide bomber targeted a tribal gathering in north-west Pakistan Friday evening, Pakistani authorities have said, killing 15 people and injuring more than two dozen.
Congressional leaders Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi urged President Bush Thursday to call an emergency meeting with the G8 to address international financial instability.