Reuters - Condoleezza Rice travels to Libya onFriday, the first trip there by a U.S. secretary of state in 55years, signaling improved ties between the two countries.

AFP - John McCain has a tough act to follow Thursday when he accepts the Republican White House nomination, a day after his running mate Sarah Palin swept the party convention off its feet.

AP - John McCain, a Vietnam POW turned political rebel, launched his fall campaign for the White House on Thursday in the final act of a Republican National Convention marked by extraordinary attention on running mate Sarah Palin.

Reuters - Vice President Dick Cheney will reassureUkrainian leaders of U.S. backing on Friday as they grapplewith a domestic political crisis and face up to the falloutfrom Russia's conflict with Georgia.

AP - Some Southeastern states declared emergencies and officials urged residents to head inland Thursday as Tropical Storm Hanna headed toward the Atlantic coast, where it could bring high winds and rain from South Carolina all the way to Maine.

AP - Jack Abramoff, the once powerful lobbyist at the heart of a far-reaching political corruption scandal, was sentenced to four years in prison Thursday by a judge who said the case had shattered the public's confidence in government.