Lesbian activist Del Martin dies at 87

Pioneering lesbian rights activist Del Martin, who married her lifelong partner in June on the first day that same-sex couples here gained that right, has died. She was 87.

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.

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.

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.

Gustav may reach Category 3

Gustav swirled toward Cuba on Wednesday after triggering flooding and landslides that killed at least 22 people in the Caribbean. Its track pointed toward the U.S. Gulf coast, including Louisiana.

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.

Gulf Coast watches ominous Gustav

Gulf coast residents keep a close watch on Hurricane Gustav as the third anniversary of Katrina approaches.

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.

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.