Iraq: U.S. sought troop presence to '15

The United States asked Iraq for permission to keep its troops there to 2015, but U.S. and Iraqi negotiators agreed to limit their authorization to 2011, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said.

Mortgage mess puts banks at risk

The mortgage mess that has upended millions of homeowners' finances is now taking a bigger bite out of the nation's banking system.

Mental skills fade earlier than thought
Simple tests of perceptual speed, spatial ability and verbal function showed that some cognitive skills begin rapidly fading nearly 15 years before death, said Valgeir Thorvaldsson, who worked on the study.

Floods maroon over a million in India

Indian officials rushed soldiers and air force helicopters Wednesday to flood-ravaged parts of northern India to provide aid to the more than 1 million people stranded by a surging river.

Bankruptcy filings near 1 million in 12 months
Nearly 1 million individuals and businesses filed bankruptcy in the 12 months ended June 30, according to U.S. Court data released Wednesday.

One-horse town to be no-horse town
A one-horse town in Nebraska looks like it's set to become a no-horse town.

Obama fights 'Swift Boat'-style ads
Sen. Barack Obama's campaign and its allies have begun an aggressive attack on an advertisement running in swing states that seeks to link him to former domestic terrorist William Ayers.

Mugabe says he'll form new government
Zimbabwe's opposition accused President Robert Mugabe of abandoning talks aimed at forming a unity government, and said Wednesday he would fail if he tried to rule alone.

NYT: For Obama, a challenge to clarify

For Senator Barack Obama, the theatrics and drama of this one are overwhelming one of his most important tasks here: connecting with the economic anxiety gripping voters and convincing them that he has concrete and achievable solutions.