Reuters - Sarah Palin has dominated the Republican convention for days without making a public appearance but on Wednesday she takes the spotlight with a prime-time speech that will introduce her to American voters.

AP - His strokes awry, his emotions laid bare for all to see, Roger Federer figured out a way to stay in the U.S. Open.

AP - David Letterman wants to stick with CBS' "Late Show" through his contract — and maybe longer — as rival Jay Leno prepares to surrender the "Tonight" reins next year.

AP - Women typically get heart disease much later than men, but not if they smoke, researchers said Tuesday.

AP - Vice President Cheney arrived in Azerbaijan on Wednesday, the U.S. Embassy said, as part of a tour in support of Russia's southern neighbors.

AP - Women and children were among 15 people killed in an attack Wednesday involving U.S.-led forces in a Pakistani village near the border with Afghanistan, officials and a resident said.

AP - A day after sending Haitian families scrambling onto rooftops to avoid flooding, Tropical Storm Hanna was expected to begin moving over the Bahamas on Wednesday.

AP - President Bush is keeping a hands-on profile in the aftermath of Hurricane Gustav, in contrast with his administration's poor response to Hurricane Katrina three years ago.

AP - Enter at your own risk, New Orleans. That was the message from Mayor Ray Nagin, who gave residents the go-ahead to return to the Crescent City on Wednesday night at midnight, but with several warnings — many homes were without electricity or working toilets and a dusk-to-dawn curfew would still be in effect.

AP - A terrifying shooting spree that stretched from a small northwest Washington town onto the state's busiest highway left six people dead and at least two more wounded on Tuesday.

AP - After two days of silence, Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin will step to center stage at the Republican National Convention to prove to delegates that she can help John McCain win the White House despite distracting questions about her family life and qualifications.

AFP - Outspoken conservative Taro Aso signalled his desire Tuesday to be Japan's next prime minister after the abrupt resignation of Yasuo Fukuda deepened political turmoil in the world's second largest economy.

AFP - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev no longer considers his counterpart Mikheil Saakashvili to be Georgia's leader, telling Russian television Tuesday that Saakashvili is a "political corpse."

Reuters - Google Inc's new browser software is designed to work "invisibly" and will run any application that runs on Apple Inc's Safari Web browser, company officials said on Tuesday.

Reuters - The U.S. military disputed on Tuesday the toll of 96 civilians the Afghan government and United Nations said were killed in an air strike in western Afghanistan last month, saying five to seven civilians had been killed.