CHICAGO (AP) _ Sen. Joe Biden has emerged as the favorite among Democrats to be Barack Obama’s running mate for his understanding of foreign policy in grave global times and his fighting spirit against the rival Republican ticket. Obama is keeping his decision quiet, but his staff in Chicago and party activists who await a decision are buzzing about Biden in large part because he can address two of Obama’s biggest weaknesses _ his lack of experience, especially on world affairs, and his reluctance to go on the attack. The speculation is less of an indicator of whether Biden will ultimately be Obama’s pick, and more of a recognition of the challenges their candidate faces at this pivotal moment in the race.

MADRID, Spain (AP) _ A jetliner heading to the popular Canary Islands vacation resort crashed during takeoff Wednesday, turning a wooded area off the end of a runway into a hellish scene of charred bodies and smoldering wreckage. Some 153 were believed dead _ Spain’s worst air disaster in nearly 25 years. Only 19 people survived the midafternoon crash of the Spanair MD-82 at Madrid’s Barajas International Airport, and some were in critical condition, said Development Minister Magdalena Alvarez, whose department oversees civil aviation in Spain.

BAGHDAD (AP) _ Iraqi and U.S. negotiators have completed a draft security agreement that would see American troops leave Iraqi cities as soon as June 30, Iraqi and American officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday. In Washington, a senior military official said the deal is acceptable to the U.S. side, subject to formal approval by President Bush. It also requires final acceptance by Iraqi leaders, and some members of Iraq’s Cabinet oppose some provisions.

EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio (AP) _ Democratic U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, the first black woman to represent Ohio in Congress and a strong critic of the Iraq war, died Wednesday after a brain hemorrhage, a hospital spokeswoman said. Tubbs Jones, 58, died Wednesday evening of a brain hemorrhage caused by an aneurysm that burst and left her with limited brain function, said Eileen Sheil, a spokeswoman for the Cleveland Clinic, which owns the Huron Hospital in East Cleveland where Tubbs Jones died.

WASHINGTON (AP) _ The U.S. cruise missile strike on an al-Qaida training camp in Afghanistan in 1998 was meant to kill Osama bin Laden. But he apparently left shortly before the missiles struck, and newly declassified U.S. documents suggest the attack cemented an alliance with his Taliban protectors. The State Department documents released Wednesday provide details of the evolving relationship between Taliban leader Mullah Omar and al-Qaida chief bin Laden over four month in 1998. The period begins Aug. 21, 1998, one day after the missile attack _ retaliation for the bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania on Aug. 7 of that year.

BEIJING (AP) _ Arms churning high, face twisted in pain as he sprinted toward the finish line, Usain Bolt kept glancing at the clock. The win in the Olympic 200 meters was a given, his second gold medal of the Beijing Games assured. This was now about a world record. About racing against history. Showing just what he can do when he goes all out start to finish, Bolt forged the greatest race ever run Wednesday night under the hazy lights at the Bird’s Nest, heaving his chest toward the finish line _ not simply to beat someone for the gold, but to become a part of track’s glorious, and sometimes troubled, lore.

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Republican presidential candidate John McCain chided his Democratic rival on Wednesday for getting “a little testy” as Barack Obama sharpened his tone amid a tightening White House race. “I honor his service. I don’t honor his policies. I don’t honor his politics,” Obama said, taking on his GOP opponent with renewed vigor while some Democrats fret that their candidate has not been aggressive enough.

MIAMI (AP) _ Matt Damon’s wife Luciana gave birth to a baby girl Wednesday, his spokeswoman said. The baby’s name is Gia Zavala Damon, spokeswoman Jennifer Allen told The Associated Press, adding: “Everyone is great and she is a healthy, beautiful baby girl.” She wouldn’t give any further details.

RENO, Nev. (AP) _ You’ve heard of man bites dog. What about, dog saves cats? A two-year-old dog that had been turned over to the Nevada Humane Society’s shelter in Reno is being credited with rescuing six abandoned kittens. Shelter Director Diane Blankenburg said it happened Monday while the two-year-old Boxer/Pit Bull mix named Angel was on a walk with a pair of volunteers, Frank Gomez and his 9-year-old stepson, Joel Fontes.

NEW YORK (AP) _ Baseball umpires and management signed an agreement Wednesday that will allow the sport to start using instant replay to help determine calls on the field. Major League Baseball still hasn’t determined when the use of replays will start. Installation of equipment has been going on at ballparks, and officials have said they hoped to start using replay in August. Replays will be limited to boundary calls, such as determining whether fly balls were fair or foul, or whether they went over fences.