Iraqis lead final purge of Al-Qaeda  —  American and Iraqi forces are driving Al-Qaeda in Iraq out of its last redoubt in the north of the country in the culmination of one of the most spectacular victories of the war on terror.  —  After being forced from its strongholds in the west …

Employers Fight Tough Measures on Immigration  —  Under pressure from the toughest crackdown on illegal immigration in two decades, employers across the country are fighting back in state legislatures, the federal courts and city halls.  —  Business groups have resisted measures that would revoke …

Moon mistaken for UFO  —  Police in Wales were called to investigate a mysterious flying saucer, only to discover it was the moon.  —  The moon was mistaken for a “bright, stationary” UFO which had been loitering for at least half an hour, by a confused local in South Wales who made a 999 call to the police.

Obama backtracks on late-term abortions.  —  Does he think we won't notice?  First, he limited the health exception to “serious physical” things: … Then, he switched!  He now wants a mental health exception! … So as long as a woman can get her “blues” classified by a medical health professional as …

Wall-E for President  —  SO much for a July Fourth week spent in idyllic celebration of our country's birthday.  This year's festivities were marked instead by a debate — childish, not constitutional — over who is and isn't patriotic.  The fireworks were sparked by a verbally maladroit retired general …

US Pentagon doubts Israeli intelligence over Iran's nuclear programme  —  Pentagon chiefs fear that Israeli plans for an attack on Iran's nuclear programme will fail to destroy the facilities because neither the CIA nor Mossad knows where every base is located

As Web Traffic Grows, Crashes Take Bigger Toll  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Alex Payne, a 24-year-old Internet engineer here, has devised a way to answer a commonly asked question of the digital age: Is my favorite Web site working today?  —  In March, Mr. Payne created downforeveryoneorjustme.com, as in, “Down for everyone, or just me?”

Veterans Hit the Battlegrounds  —  Sen. John McCain is getting battleground-state help this week from Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who will appear in a television commercial aimed at convincing the public that the United States is winning the Iraq war and should stay to finish the job.

American Energy Policy, Asleep at the Spigot  —  Correction Appended  —  JUST three years ago, with oil trading at a seemingly frothy $66 a barrel, David J. O'Reilly made what many experts considered a risky bet.  Outmaneuvering Chinese bidders and ignoring critics who said he overpaid …

Sniffer dogs to wear ‘Muslim’ bootees  —  Police sniffer dogs will have to wear bootees when searching the homes of Muslims so as not to cause offence.  —  Guidelines being drawn up by the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) urge awareness of religious sensitivities when using dogs to search for drugs and explosives.

Election 2008: Rhode Island Presidential Election  —  Rhode Island: Obama Enjoys Big Lead in Blue State  —  Barack Obama leads John McCain 55% to 31% in Rhode Island, according to the first Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the state since the primaries.

John McCain: ‘I hate the bloggers’  —  John McCain, Town Hall Meeting, Merrimack, NH 12/29/07  —  Hey right wing bloggers.  I think he's talking about you too. … I'm giddy with the thought that he isn't very fond of me.

Obama Addresses His Faith  —  Sen. Barack Obama ended a week's focus on values by giving a conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church a highly personal account of his spiritual journey and a promise that he will make “faith-based” social service “a moral center of my administration.”