U.S. National - AFP

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AFP) - Republican John McCain faced fierce pressure in Tuesday's second presidential debate to grab a lifeline for his sliding campaign in the increasingly nasty White House duel with Barack Obama.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - A new prenatal test to detect genetic disorders such as Down's Syndrome could render current riskier procedures "obsolete," according to new research published Monday.

MIAMI (AFP) - Tropical storm Marco made landfall in Mexico Tuesday, crashing ashore as the latest in a series of powerful storms to strike the region this hurricane season, US forecasters said.

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Internet infrastructure company VeriSign announced on Tuesday it had sold its minority share in a mobile entertainment joint venture to Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. for 200 million dollars.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US Federal Reserve opened up its coffers Tuesday to companies hit by the credit crunch with a new program that will buy up commercial paper, short-term debt critical for many corporate operations.

NEW YORK (AFP) - Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), the number two US computer chip maker, announced Tuesday it was splitting into two companies after receiving a huge infusion of capital from two Abu Dhabi investment firms.

NEW ORLEANDS (AFP) - Ryan Longwell kicked a 30-yard field goal with 13 seconds remaining as Minnesota overcame an superb running performance by Reggie Bush to defeat New Orleans 30-27.

BOSTON (AFP) - Boston's Jed Lowrie singled in Jason Bay for the game-winning run as the Red Sox defeated Anaheim 3-2 to advance to the American League Championship series on Monday.

ATHENS (AFP) - Grizzled US actor Nick Nolte becomes a wandering mystic in "Arcadia Lost", a coming-of-age drama shot in the mountains of Arcadia in the Peloponnese in Greece, organisers said on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Lawyers for the biggest US tobacco maker went before the Supreme Court on Monday to argue that Washington is to blame if anyone felt tricked into thinking that light cigarettes are less dangerous than regular smokes.

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (AFP) - Republican John McCain on Monday accused White House rival Barack Obama of blurring his past and offering no track record to point a way out of America's deepening economic crisis, as new polls showed Democrat Obama commanding a consistent lead.

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - An unemployed California man shot and killed his wife, three children and mother-in-law before taking his own life over his family's financial difficulties, police said Monday.

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - The driver of a bus that overturned in California killing at least eight passengers and injuring dozens more has been arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, police said Monday.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - A US space probe successfully flew by Mercury on Monday to photograph the solar system's smallest planet, in the second of three planned passes, the US space agency NASA said.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US Supreme Court on Monday denied an appeal by EchoStar Communications Corp. against a judgment ordering it to pay nearly 74 million dollars to TiVo Inc. for patent infringement.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Bank of America said Monday it was ready to spend up to 8.4 billion dollars to restructure the loan portfolio of mortgage giant Countrywide following settlement of a lawsuit targeting the firm's "predatory" lending practices.

ORCHARD PARK, New York (AFP) - Trent Edwards, who suffered a concussion in Sunday's game against Arizona, is questionable for this week's practice sessions, coach Dick Jauron said Monday.

BOSTON, (AFP) - Anaheim and Chicago fought off elimination Sunday as the Angels went the distance to beat Boston in a marathon contest and the White Sox batters broke out of a mini-slump to put Tampa's party on hold.

NEW YORK (AFP) - Japanese restaurants bubbled up through the French-dominated ranks of New York's top kitchens listed Monday in the new 2009 Michelin guide to the city.

ASHEVILLE, North Carolina (AFP) - Barack Obama hammered Republican White House rival John McCain Sunday for wanting to "turn the page" on the US economic crisis and engage in low-blow personal attacks a month from election day.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Democratic leaders warned Sunday they will fight fire with fire in the final push for the presidency, after Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin sparked outrage by attacking Democrat Barack Obama for "palling around with terrorists."

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Hollywood directing legend Steven Spielberg is leaving his longtime partner Paramount Pictures to form a new Hollywood-based film venture worth 1.5 billion dollars with India's Reliance ADA Group, Paramount announced Sunday.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Children are aware white males have monopolized the US presidency, and most attribute the trend to racial prejudice, according to a study published Sunday.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The richest man in America, Bill Gates, said in a television interview broadcast Sunday that the US financial crisis does not spell the end of capitalism and will not lead to a depression.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US banking giant Citigroup attempted Sunday to freeze out rival Wells Fargo from a takeover battle for troubled lender Wachovia after being blindsided last week in its bid to complete a tie-up.

LONDON (AFP) - US bank JPMorgan Chase stands accused of precipitating the collapse of American investment bank Lehman Brothers by freezing Lehman assets days before it filed for bankruptcy protection, the Sunday Times reported.

MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin (AFP) - The Philadelphia Phillies belted four home runs Sunday en route to a 6-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers and a berth in the National League Championship Series.

PRAGUE (AFP) - The New York Rangers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 in a National Hockey League match Sunday, collecting four points from the two season-opening games played in Prague.