AP - A woman who grew to be 7 feet, 7 inches tall and was recognized as the world's tallest female died early Wednesday, a friend said. She was 53.

AP - Lee Jong-wook hit a sacrifice fly with one out and South Korea answered the Americans' ninth-inning rally with one of its own, beating the United States 8-7 on Wednesday night in a thrilling Olympic baseball opener.

AP - A bomb ripped through a bus during Wednesday morning rush hour in a northern Lebanese city, killing 18 soldiers and civilians, security officials said, raising fears that an al-Qaida-inspired militant group is stepping up revenge attacks against the military.

AP - Retail sales fell in July, the weakest performance in five months, as shoppers shunned autos and other big ticket items.

AP - The United States has won 10 gold medals at the Beijing Olympics thus far, and swimmer Michael Phelps has had a hand in half of them. The Baltimore native won two more gold medals today, winning the 200-meter butterfly before leading off the U.S. 800-meter freestyle relay victory.

AP - President Bush demanded Wednesday that Russia end all military activities in neighboring Georgia and dispatched U.S. aid to devastated Georgians.

AP - Russian troops and paramilitaries rolled into the strategic Georgian city of Gori on Wednesday, apparently violating a truce designed to end the conflict that has uprooted tens of thousands and scarred the Georgian landscape.

AFP - South African President Thabo Mbeki said Wednesday talks over Zimbabwe's crisis had paused to allow opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai "time to consider", while denying claims of a deal that excludes him.

AFP - Georgia and Russia agreed Wednesday to a French-brokered peace plan after Moscow ordered a halt to its military onslaught, but there was scepticism whether the conflict is truly over.

Reuters - Boeing Co executives, who discussed revised guidelines for a $35 billion refueling aircraft competition with U.S. defense officials on Tuesday, remain discouraged about Boeing's prospects for the work, said a defense analyst and another source briefed on the talks.

Reuters - A Pakistani woman suspected of links to al Qaeda and accused of trying to kill U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan was examined by a doctor on Tuesday after complaining of pain from gunshot wounds, her lawyer said.

Reuters - A consortium led by Goldman Sachs Group Inc has agreed to pay about $1.5 billion for a number of ABN AMRO's private equity assets, the Wall Street Journal said Wednesday.

Reuters - Chinese security forces dragged away five U.S. pro-free Tibet protesters who blocked the entrance to a northern Beijing park on Wednesday, breaking up the latest demonstration on the sidelines of the 2008 Olympics.