US Treasury rescue for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac  —  Treasury secretary looks at $15 billion cash injection for crisis-hit mortgage lenders  —  US TREASURY secretary Hank Paulson is working on plans to inject up to $15 billion (£7.5 billion) of capital into Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac …

The Times Interviews John McCain  —  Following are excerpts of a transcript of an interview conducted by The New York Times's Adam Nagourney and Michael Cooper with Senator John McCain in Hudson, Wisconsin, on July 11.  The answers are transcribed verbatim; some of the questions are paraphrased.

Bush Homeland Security Aide Caught On Tape Offering High-Level Access For Donations To Bush Library  —  The Sunday Times reports Stephen Payne, a Bush pioneer and a political appointee to the Homeland Security Advisory Council, was caught on tape offering access to key members …

OBAMA ROCKED BY SCANDAL: Is Presidential Bid Over?  —  I know we're not supposed to directly quote AP stories without paying them serious cash, but this story is so important and has such major ramifications for this election — which will of course decide the leader of the free world …

U.S. Considers Increasing Pace of Iraq Pullout  —  WASHINGTON — The Bush administration is considering the withdrawal of additional combat forces from Iraq beginning in September, according to administration and military officials, raising the prospect of a far more ambitious plan than expected only months ago.

Nouri al-Maliki ready to oust US from Iraq green zone  —  The green zone of Baghdad, a highly fortified slice of American suburbia on the banks of the Tigris river, may soon be handed over to Iraqi control if the increasingly assertive government of Nouri al-Maliki, the prime minister, gets its way.

Obama, McCain agree on many once-divisive issues  —  Their similar stances on immigration, nuclear weapons, global warming and stem-cell research are evidence of a centrist shift in the political landscape.  —  WASHINGTON — For Amy Rick, the 2008 presidential election is a win-win situation.

McKinney is Green Party presidential nominee  —  (CNN) — The liberal environmentalist Green Party nominated former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney as its presidential candidate Saturday.  —  McKinney, 53, held off three rivals to win the party's nomination during its convention in Chicago, Illinois.

A New Fashion Catches On in Paris: Cheap Bicycle Rentals  —  PARIS — They're clunky, heavy and ugly, but they have become modish — and they are not this season's platform shoes.  —  A year after the introduction of the sturdy gray bicycles known as Vélib's, they are being used all over Paris.

President George W Bush backs Israeli plan for strike on Iran  —  President George W Bush has told the Israeli government that he may be prepared to approve a future military strike on Iranian nuclear facilities if negotiations with Tehran break down, according to a senior Pentagon official.