Former Chinese leader dies at 87

Hua Guofeng, who briefly ruled China as Mao Zedong's handpicked successor before being toppled by reformists, died Wednesday. He was 87.

Bhutto's widower wins backing for presidency

A major opposition party on Wednesday backed Benazir Bhutto's widower to become Pakistan's president, as the power struggle following the resignation of Pervez Musharraf intensified.

Bush to defend war on terror in speech
President Bush is defending his line-in-the-sand approach to the fight against Islamic terrorism, following presidential rivals John McCain and Barack Obama in a speech to a veterans group.

2 get labor over China protest bid

Chinese authorities have ordered two women to spend one year in a labor camp after they applied to hold a protest during the Olympics against being forced from their homes, a relative said Wednesday.

School spankings: Minorities get more
A quarter of a million schoolchildren were paddled in 2007 — and black children, American Indians and kids with disabilities got a disproportionate share, according to a study.

Food aid arrives for hungry Georgians

A convoy of food aid for beleaguered Georgians rumbled through a Russian checkpoint Wednesday, despite few signs by soldiers of fulfilling Moscow's promise of a pullback within two days.

U.S., Poland sign missile defense deal

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski have signed a deal that will put an American missile defense base in Poland, a move that has angered Russia.

Blasts reportedly kill 11 in Algeria
Twin car bombings at a hotel and military headquarters killed 11 people and wounded 31 others on Wednesday, according to local reports.

Obama, VP to campaign Saturday

Barack Obama's newly minted running mate will be hitting the trail with the Democratic hopeful Saturday, a senior Obama adviser told The Associated Press on Tuesday.