Fairfax, Virginia - The crowd burst into cheers of "Sarah, Sarah, Sarah" as the Republican candidate for vice president waved alongside presidential nominee John McCain and their spouses.

If Senator McCain meant to excite the conservative basis of his centre-right party by naming Sarah Palin as his running mate, his decision was vindicated by the reaction from the red, white and blue- clad crowd at a campaign stop in Fairfax, Virginia, one week after the obscure Alaska governor's landmark convention speech to introduce herself to Republicans and the nation.

Washington - It was an especially bloody July weekend in Washington DC, the US capital.

Alfonso Robinson sat with his mother outside his grandparents' home in one of the city's troubled neighbourhoods when he was killed instantly in a drive-by shooting. The 
13-year-old was not the only victim that night. Six other people were either killed or injured in gun battles.

The ensuing sadness after such tragedies is felt across the city, near the place where the victim fell, often a memorial crops up. At a street sign near the spot where Robinson died, colourful teddy bears, plush stuffed hearts and toys soon marked the spot after his demise. All the items were gently attached to the metal pole.

Washington - The words "saving money" and "photo printing" are not often used in the same sentence. That's because photo printers seem to exist to make us poorer.

Ink is expensive. Paper is expensive. Even the electricity to run the printers is expensive. But you don't have to print your own money to get back some of what you might normally spend on printing.

Being smarter about printing and taking some cost-cutting measures can make your photo printer an ally rather than a dreaded drain on the budget.

--- Say no to expensive consumables

Washington - Depending on your political persuasion, Barack Obama either made an innocent remark or a sexist slur when he referred to John McCain's message of change as putting "lipstick on a pig" during a US election rally.

The campaign of Republican nominee McCain slammed the comment - a common expression in the United States - as clearly directed at his running mate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. A web advertisement released Wednesday charged Obama with using a demeaning smear.

New York - Wall Street stock indices rose Wednesday, while the dollar also rallied and gold prices continued to drop.

The blue-chip Dow added 38.19 points, or 0.34 per cent, to 11,268.92. The broader S&P 500 Index rose 7.53 points, or 0.61 per cent, to 1,232.04. The technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index gained 18.89 points, or 0.85 per cent, to 2,228.7.

The US currency rose Wednesday to 71.482 euro cents from 70.84 euro cents on Tuesday. The dollar leapt against the Japanese currency to 107.77 yen from 106.89 yen on Tuesday.

Washington - US President George W Bush met Wednesday with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani as the two countries work to finalize an agreement establishing a legal basis for the presence of US forces.

Bush has sought the deal as to replace the UN mandate set to expire at the end of the year, but the two sides have been bogged down in disagreement over withdrawal timelines and Washington's demand that US troops retain immunity from Iraqi criminal prosecution.