Reuters - California's Supreme Court gave the final green light on Wednesday for gay marriages to begin later this month, turning down requests for a delay.

Reuters - Zimbabwe's opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was detained on Wednesday as he campaigned for a presidential election run-off, his party said.

Reuters - Developing nations joined the West on Wednesday in throwing their weight behind the U.N. nuclear watchdog's attempt to get Iran to clarify intelligence alleging that it secretly researched ways of making atom bombs.

Reuters - Republican presidential candidate John McCain proposed on Wednesday that Democrat Barack Obama join him in at least 10 face-to-face encounters at town hall meetings this summer.

Reuters - Democrat Barack Obama turned on Wednesday to unifying a fractured party for a historic five-month battle for the White House against Republican John McCain, but Hillary Clinton offered no hints of her future plans.

AP - Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz will have season-ending shoulder surgery, but he hopes to return in 2009.

AP - Ed McMahon, who for decades appeared as Johnny Carson's sidekick on "The Tonight Show," is fighting to avoid foreclosure on his multimillion-dollar Beverly Hills home, according to published reports.

AP - Researchers secretly tracked the locations of 100,000 people outside the United States through their cell phone use and concluded that most people rarely stray more than a few miles from home.

AP - The international space station's toilet trouble appeared to be taken care of Wednesday after a Russian cosmonaut replaced a malfunctioning pump.

AP - California's highest court Wednesday refused to stay its decision legalizing same-sex marriage in the state, clearing the final hurdle for gay couples to start tying the knot this month.

AP - President Bush tried Wednesday to reassure Israelis worried about the U.S. commitment to keeping Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

AP - The war in Iraq has made Iran stronger and the United States and Israel less secure, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Wednesday in a speech to Jewish political activists.

AP - United Airlines said Wednesday that it's cutting up to 1,100 more jobs, removing an additional 70 fuel-guzzling airplanes from its fleet and slashing domestic capacity as it tries to cope with spiraling fuel prices.

AP - John McCain challenged Barack Obama to join him in 10 town hall meetings with voters before the Democratic National Convention in August.

AP - Barack Obama has asked a three-person team, including Caroline Kennedy, to help lead the vetting of a prospective vice presidential candidate. Kennedy has begun managing the process with high-profile Democratic insiders Jim Johnson and Eric Holder.