AP - Tamil Tiger rebels launched an air raid and a ground assault led by a team of suicide commandos on a military complex in northern Sri Lanka early Tuesday. The military said 25 people, including a civilian, were killed in the attack.

AP - The Alaska state trooper at the heart of a legislative investigation into whether Gov. Sarah Palin abused her power said Tuesday he has not been contacted by the man overseeing the inquiry.

AP - John McCain took a risk in picking little-known Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as a running mate, but now the campaign's playing it safer. She's sticking to a greatest hits version of her convention speech on the campaign trail and steering clear of questions until she's comfortable enough for a hand-picked interviewer later this week.

Politico - Barack Obama and his Democratic allies are intensifying their attacks on Sarah Palin, as her sustained and surprising central role in this race is upending Obama’s strategy and often overshadowing McCain.

AP - With a pair of easy primary victories behind them, comedian-turned-politician Al Franken and Sen. Norm Coleman wasted no time diving into the homestretch of their already long-running Minnesota Senate battle.

AP - Sarah Palin thought her star had burned out early, a promising political career dead thanks to the wayward ethics of Alaska's Republican boss.

AP - Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama has found himself in a position he hasn't been in during many long months of campaigning — on defense against Republican rival John McCain.

AP - Democrat Barack Obama reached for middle ground on education this week, opening a debate with John McCain over who would do more to put good teachers in classrooms and help parents find alternatives to bad schools.

AFP - Seven years after the attacks on the World Trade Centre, Afghanistan is again the frontline of the US-led "war on terror" with extremist unrest intensifying and a new focus on Pakistan's tribal areas.

AP - The government is urging owners of 5 million recalled Ford vehicles to bring them to dealerships to repair a cruise control switch system that has been tied to engine fires.