AP - Gustav became a hurricane early Tuesday as it approached Haiti's southern coast.

AP - His voice firm, his wave familiar, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy told a cheering Democratic National Convention Monday night that his is "a season of hope" for an era of justice and fair prosperity with the election of Barack Obama as president.

AP - Michelle Obama declared "I love this country" Monday as she sought to reassure the nation that she and her husband Barack share Americans' bedrock values and belief in a dream of a better future.

AFP - Iraqi Premier Nuri al-Maliki said on Monday Washington and Baghdad have agreed there will be no foreign forces in Iraq after 2011, setting a timeline for a US withdrawal from the war-torn country.

AFP - The Russian parliament voted Monday to recognise two breakaway Georgian regions as independent nations and Moscow toughened its line on the West as the United States said Vice President Dick Cheney would visit Georgia.

Reuters - The debate over which nation would top the gold medal table at the Beijing Olympics was already well over by the time Chinese boxer Zou Shiming won the host nation's 50th gold medal on Sunday.

Reuters - The U.S. envoy for nuclear talks with North Korea had "substantive" discussions with his North Korean counterpart last week, the State Department said on Monday, but officials gave no hint of progress in breaking a deadlock over verifying Pyongyang's nuclear programs.

Reuters - Former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif pulled his party out of the ruling coalition on Monday, deepening a political crisis that has diverted government attention from pressing security and economic problems.

Reuters - The Pentagon said on Monday that Russia has not met its obligations to withdraw troops from Georgia under a French-brokered ceasefire agreement.

Reuters - Sales of previously owned U.S. homes ticked higher in July thanks to lower prices, but record inventory suggested the battered housing market is unlikely to recover soon, a trade group report showed on Monday.

Reuters - Americans who go without health insurance for any part of 2008 will spend $30 billion out of pocket for health care and they will get $56 billion worth of free care, according to a report released on Monday.

Reuters - Iraq and the United States have agreed that all U.S. troops will leave by the end of 2011, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said on Monday, but Washington said no final deal had been reached.

AP - Fidel Castro on Monday defended the Cuban taekwondo athlete who kicked a referee in the face at the Beijing Olympics, saying Angel Matos was rightfully indignant over his disqualification from the bronze-medal match.

AP - Scoot over, Simon Cowell. "American Idol" is adding a fourth critic to its panel of judges.

AP - Stocks sank in thin trading Monday as worries about the credit ratings of American International Group Inc. weighed on the financial sector. The major indexes fell more than 1 1/2 percent, including the Dow Jones industrial average, which was off more than 200 points.