New home construction falls to 17-year low

Construction of homes and apartments fell in July to the lowest level in more than 17 years, the government reported Tuesday.

NYT: Ethics worries dampen convention fun
Republican and Democratic convention party planners are scrambling to comply with new sweeping ethics rules that prohibit lobbyists from paying for gifts for members of Congress and their staffs. Corporations and convention party planners are scrambling to comply with sweeping ethics rules in the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 that prohibit lobbyists from paying for gifts, including meals and music, for members of Congress and their staffs.

More women having fewer kids
More women in their early 40s are childless, and those who are having children are having fewer than ever before, the Census Bureau reports.

Obama, VP pick to campaign Saturday

Barack Obama's newly minted running mate will be hitting the trail with the Democratic hopeful Saturday, a senior Obama adviser told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Russia makes moves toward pullback

Russia took the first steps toward a troop pullback from Georgia on Tuesday but at the same time paraded blindfolded and bound Georgian prisoners on armored vehicles and seized four U.S. Humvees.

'Living goddesses' have rights, court says

Nepal's Supreme Court has ordered the government to ensure basic health care and education for virgin girls worshipped as "living goddesses" in a centuries-old tradition in the Himalayan nation.

Child porn 'librarian' pleads guilty
The "librarian" of a child porn archive accused of amassing nearly 250,000 images pleaded guilty Monday to sending indecent images of children to subscribers in more than 30 countries.

Attack on Algerian police kills dozens

A suicide bomber drove a car full of explosives into a line of applicants at an Algerian police academy Tuesday, killing at least 43 people in the deadliest terror attack to jolt this energy-rich U.S. ally since the 1990s.

FBI tossed anthrax type used in attacks
Months after the deadly 2001 anthrax mailings, FBI scientists had — but destroyed — the unique strain of the bacteria used in the attacks that years later would lead them to Dr. Bruce Ivins, now the government's top suspect.

Credit squeeze hits college students
With the price of some top-priced colleges and universities north of $50,000 a year and lenders cutting back on student loans, financing a college education is getting harder.