AP - The world's biggest physics experiment has succeeded in its first major test as a beam of protons was successfully fired all the way around a 17-mile tunnel beneath the Swiss-French border.

AP - North Korea denied Wednesday that leader Kim Jong Il is seriously ill, granting a Japanese news outlet a rare chance to interview top officials who dismissed widespread reports questioning Kim's health.

AFP - President George W. Bush announced Tuesday modest cuts in US troop levels in Iraq, a move that drew a sharp attack from opponents of the war pushing for a speedier drawdown.

AFP - Asif Ali Zardari took office as Pakistan's new president Tuesday, and immediately pledged to work with Afghanistan to fight terrorism which has claimed thousands of lives in both countries.

Reuters - Russia announced plans on Tuesday to station about 7,600 troops in Georgia's separatist regions, more than twice the number based there before last month's war and a level likely to alarm the West.

Reuters - President George W. Bush's plan to keep most U.S. troops in Iraq and shift a few thousand to Afghanistan drew quick criticism on Tuesday from top Democrats, led by presidential hopeful Barack Obama who said it was not enough to combat escalating violence in Afghanistan.

Reuters - The U.S. House of Representatives is discussing an auto industry request to set in motion at least $25 billion in government-backed loans to help beleaguered U.S. manufacturers retool plants to make more efficient cars and trucks, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said on Tuesday.

Reuters - More than 50 people were killed and hundreds more may be missing in north China after a reservoir of mining waste collapsed, burying cars and homes under a wall of sludge.

Reuters - The United States said on Tuesday it would examine how to help rebuild Georgia's military after Tbilisi's devastating war with Russia, risking renewed Russian wrath over military aid to the small U.S. ally.

Reuters - Republican presidential candidate John McCain has gained huge support among white women since naming Sarah Palin as his running mate and now leads Democrat Barack Obama among those voters, according to a survey published on Tuesday.

Reuters - North Korean leader Kim Jong-il failed to appear at a triumphal military parade on Tuesday celebrating his state's 60th birthday, and a U.S. intelligence official said he may have suffered a stroke.

Reuters - Hurricane Ike toppled decrepit buildings in Havana and raked over western Cuba still recovering from the more powerful Gustav as it made a second landfall on the island on a path that may steer it away from the heart of Gulf of Mexico oilfields.

AP - Vince Young is awaiting an MRI exam on his sprained left knee Tuesday, hours after the Tennessee Titans sought police help in finding the quarterback the team described as "emotionally down."

AP - The Boston Red Sox can take over first place in the American League East and the Los Angeles Angels can clinch the AL West division title tonight.

AP - The mother of Britney Spears says that the singer has overcome the tabloid nightmares of the past few years and believes that little by little, her daughter is regaining her "glorious voice."