GENEVA The U.N. refugee agency says at least 5,000 people have fled violence in northeastern Congo and sought shelter in neighboring Sudan.

KABUL, Afghanistan US coalition says its forces killed 43 militants during a battle in southern Afghanistan.

PRISTINA, Kosovo The United States will continue its troop presence in Kosovo until at least late next year, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said just before he arrived here Tuesday, reaffirming U.S. support for the newly declared nation in the face of stern opposition from Russia.

SAN FRANCISCO A federal judge has scolded California officials for failing to provide the billions of dollars a court-appointed receiver says is needed to upgrade the state's prison health care system.

WASHINGTON A small group of Chinese muslims being held by the U.S. at Guantanamo Bay want a federal judge to order their release into the United States.

CHICAGO Federal prosecutors moved Monday to delay indefinitely the sentencing of convicted fundraiser Antoin "Tony" Rezko, sending their strongest hint yet that he is ready to spill his political secrets.

CHICAGO Using a fan to circulate air seemed to lower the risk of sudden infant death syndrome in a study of nearly 500 babies, researchers reported Monday. Placing babies on their backs to sleep is the best advice for preventing SIDS, a still mysterious cause of death.

LOS ANGELES The only hints of trouble in the big beige house on Como Lane were the newspapers in the driveway and the lack of any activity behind the front door.

WASHINGTON GOP presidential nominee John McCain has past connections to a private group that supplied aid to guerrillas seeking to overthrow the leftist government of Nicaragua in the Iran-Contra affair.

SANTA FE, N.M. A glitch that would have kept votes from being counted in the presidential and other top-of-the-ticket races was discovered during a pre-election check of a voting machine in Santa Fe County, officials said.

WASHINGTON The government is weighing a bold plan to buy massive amounts of unsecured short-term debts in a dramatic effort to break through a credit clog that is imperiling the economy.

SAN FRANCISCO Supporters and opponents of a ballot initiative that would outlaw same-sex marriage in California have poured $41.2 million into the race, more than the combined total spent in the 24 states where similar measures have gone before voters since 2004.

TOKYO Police have apprehended a Western man who went skinny dipping in a moat ringing the Imperial Palace in a busy Tokyo business district, attracting a huge crowd, officials said Tuesday.

BAGHDAD Iraq's foreign minister says "bold political decisions" needed to finalize US bases deal.

AUSTIN, Texas Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick does business with a lobbyist, but can't say whom. Fellow Rep. Sid Miller finally disclosed his lobbyist dealings, but only after someone complained.

HELENA, Mont. Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer and his Republican challenger have both called for increased energy development, lower taxes and a more open state government.

BAGHDAD Iraqi foreign minister says deal with US to keep troops in Iraq "close" but not final

SANTA ANA, Calif. Ryan Hawks held a memorial service after his father and stepmother vanished at sea four years ago.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. New Jersey is powering up an ambitious plan to become a world leader in the use of wind-generated energy.

BANGKOK, Thailand Thai official says deputy prime minister has resigned after violent clashes outside Parliament

WILLIAMS, Calif. Quintin Watts had a lengthy criminal record, a history of substance abuse and a string of motor vehicle offenses. Even his mother says he wasn't a good driver.

NAIROBI, Kenya A senior Kenyan immigration official says the American author of a book slamming Barack Obama is being detained in Kenya

BOSTON For years, Massachusetts was known derisively as "Taxachusetts." But voters could help shed that label in November by completely eliminating the state's income tax in a single stroke.

Sarah Palin's promise for a new era of government openness as the reform governor of Alaska started to crack even before Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign built a wall of protectiveness around her.

WASHINGTON The government's rescue of American International Group Inc. last month is getting a critical eye from lawmakers examining the chain of events that forced a $700 billion bailout of the financial industry.

COLUMBUS, Ohio It's one of Republican presidential candidate John McCain's most surefire applause lines, a vow to veto pork barrel spending like the road and bridge projects that lawmakers hold dear.

WASHINGTON A National Transportation Safety Board investigative hearing on a fatal January bus crash in Texas will focus on commercial passenger vehicles that do not comply with federal safety standards.

WASHINGTON Tuesday night's presidential debate offers Republican John McCain one of his last best chances to stop Democrat Barack Obama's recent surge in the race and turn it in his favor.

WASHINGTON Nearly two decades later, John McCain is still haunted by his role in the Keating Five scandal.

ASHLAND, Va. Barnstorming Virginia to fire up Democrats for Barack Obama's presidential bid is something Terry McAuliffe says comes naturally for him.

WASHINGTON Even when he thought no one was listening but his old friend Bill Allen, Sen. Ted Stevens repeatedly proclaimed his innocence in an Alaskan corruption investigation in between lectures on staying healthy and keeping out of prison on obstruction of justice charges.

VERACRUZ, Mexico Tropical Storm Marco was closing in on Mexico's coast early Tuesday and threatened to hit with near-hurricane strength winds later in the day.

IN THE HEADLINES

LOUISVILLE, Ky. A woman was shot to death and her two school-age daughters fatally stabbed Monday in an apparent murder-suicide, officials said.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. The two men who supposedly exemplified a different kind of politics are engaged in an increasingly bitter campaign as character attacks are emerging to compete with issues like the troubled economy.

WASHINGTON The now-bankrupt investment bank Lehman Brothers arranged millions in bonuses for fired executives as it pleaded for a federal lifeline, lawmakers learned Monday, as Congress began investigating what went so wrong on Wall Street to prompt a $700 billion government bailout.

CHEYENNE, Wyo. An autopsy report for slain University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard is among numerous autopsy records missing from the Albany County coroner's office, the coroner said.

HOUSTON A woman who spent nearly three years in prison for her role in the nation's deadliest human smuggling attempt will return to prison for up to an additional four years, a judge ruled.

BOSTON Red Sox advance to AL championship series with 3-2 victory over Los Angeles Angels.

NEW YORK Mayor Michael Bloomberg's crusade to change term limits law so he can run again gets its first official test this week with a bill in the City Council, where it will compete with legislation intended to stop him.

RICHMOND, Va. The wife of Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel plans to endorse Democrat Barack Obama.

PHILADELPHIA Philadelphia's plan to test and license tour guides is on hold.

SAN FRANCISCO The words "bride" and "groom" will reappear on all marriage license applications issued in California starting next month, state health officials said.

BEIJING China's Cabinet vowed a complete overhaul of the scandal-ridden dairy industry Monday, pledging to inspect every link from the farm to the dinner table to try to restore public trust in Chinese-made food products.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska The federal government will designate "critical habitat" for polar bears off Alaska's coast, a decision that could add restrictions to future offshore petroleum exploration or drilling.

COLUMBUS, Ohio A weeklong period in which Ohioans could register to vote and immediately cast a ballot ended Monday with turnout that didn't quite match the expectations of election officials - or the campaign predictions that preceded it.

SAN DIEGO A mistrial was declared Monday after a jury could not decide whether to award damages to four firefighters who claimed they were sexually harassed after being forced to participate in a gay pride parade last year.

WILLIAMS, Calif. A bus driver with a string of motor vehicle offenses and a history of substance abuse was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence Monday, hours after his casino-bound charter bus ran into a ditch, killing eight people.

WASHINGTON The government's $700 billion rescue, aimed at rebuilding economic confidence, appeared to sound a global alarm instead on Monday, triggering a fearful international sell-off as the U.S. began work on a plan that investors feared would be too little and too late to stave off a worldwide recession.

TOPEKA, Kan. Being the governor of Kansas didn't excuse Kathleen Sebelius from jury duty, but knowing a lot of attorneys did.