North Korea on Friday spurned appeals to join talks on its nuclear and missile programs, saying the United States should drop financial sanctions before any negotiations occur. A U.S. envoy said the communist nation was sinking deeper into isolation. At a conference in Malaysia, North Korea struck a defiant tone as U.S. Secretary of State

Condoleezza Rice and top diplomats from other regional powers prepared to discuss Asian security matters without their counterpart from Pyongyang. Full Story