Obama calls Afghanistan fight precarious, urgent

KABUL, Afghanistan — Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama says the situation in Afghanistan is "precarious" and "urgent."

Treasury chief: Banks safe despite economic tumult

WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson sought to reassure an anxious public Sunday that the banking system is sound, while also bracing people for more troubled times ahead.

As wars lengthen, toll on military families mounts

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. — Far from the combat zones, the strains and separations of no-end-in-sight wars are taking an ever-growing toll on military families despite the armed services' earnest efforts to help.

Mo. man kills wife, sister-in-law and self

ST. LOUIS — Police in Missouri say a man has killed his wife and her sister, and has brutally beaten his brother in law, before taking his own life in a community outside St. Louis.

US troops kill relatives of Iraq governor in raid

BAGHDAD — The U.S. military says American soldiers have killed two armed relatives of a provincial governor during a raid against al-Qaida in Iraq.

Soldier in famous photo never defeated 'demons'

PINEHURST, N.C. — Officers had been to the white ranch house at 560 W. Longleaf many times before over the past year to respond to a "barricade situation." Each had ended uneventfully, with Joseph Dwyer coming out or telling police in a calm voice through the window that he was OK.

Britain's Brown demands end to Israel settlements

BETHLEHEM, West Bank — British Prime Minister Gordon Brown demanded Sunday that Israel cease settlement construction and promised more money to jump-start the battered Palestinian economy.

Around the remote: Television picks for the week of July 20-26

Don't miss: The 16th Annual ESPY Awards - Host Justin Timberlake is a self-described "sports junkie," but you don't have to be one to get a kick out of this star-studded bash, which celebrates the year's best athletic achievements in highly entertaining style.

Tropical Storm Dolly forms in western Caribbean

MIAMI — Tropical Storm Dolly has formed in the western Caribbean sea.

Pope urges Australian youths to spurn materialism

SYDNEY, Australia — Pope Benedict XVI said Sunday a "spiritual desert" was spreading throughout the world and he challenged young people to shed the greed and cynicism of their time to create a new age of hope for humankind.