AP - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice returns to the Mideast this week amid dwindling hopes for securing an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal by a year-end target.

AP - President Bush declared Sunday that four Florida counties hit hardest by Tropical Storm Fay are major disaster areas, making them eligible for federal aid.

AP - A U.S. Navy warship carrying humanitarian aid anchored at the Georgian port of Batumi on Sunday, sending a strong signal of support to an embattled ally as Russian forces built up around two separatist regions.

AP - John McCain's campaign suggested Sunday that rival Barack Obama snubbed Hillary Rodham Clinton as his running mate because of her criticism during the battle for the Democratic nomination. Obama's campaign dismissed the claim as the candidate praised Joe Biden, the man he did choose, and stumped for working-class support in Wisconsin.

AFP - Indian security forces enforced a strict curfew in Kashmir on Sunday, a day ahead of a major rally planned by separatists who oppose Indian rule in the Muslim-majority region.

AFP - Samuel Wanjiru relished the Beijing heat as he ended Kenya's Olympic marathon drought here Sunday, to start the final day of the Games which have seen China emerge as the dominant global sports power.

Reuters - Somalia's journalists' union identified two young Western reporters on Sunday who were kidnapped near Mogadishu a day earlier, and said it believed they were being held hostage by gunmen in the capital.

Reuters - Pakistani troops and helicopter gunships targeted Islamist militant hideouts in the Swat Valley on Sunday, the military said, after fierce fighting killed 50 militants and 10 soldiers in the past 24 hours.

Reuters - A U.S. navy warship arrived in a Georgia's main Black Sea port of Batumi on Sunday with humanitarian aid as Russia ignored Western demands to remove its remaining troops from Georgia's heartland.

Reuters - A towering grizzly bear guards the doorway to the Federal Reserve's annual policy retreat in this Teton Mountain resort, serving a reminder to central bankers of the battle to sooth the credit crunch.

Reuters - The United States has pressed for the immediate release of eight Americans detained in Beijing for staging pro-free Tibet protests during the Beijing Olympics.

Reuters - U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and newly minted running mate Joseph Biden made their debut on Saturday, with Biden declaring "it's our time" and quickly going on the attack against Republican John McCain.

Reuters - China basked in the glow of their 51st gold medal and got a clear thumbs-up from International Olympic Committee on the last day of the Games on Sunday.