The two biggest U.S. warehouse retail chains are limiting how much rice customers can buy because of what Sam’s Club, a division of Wal-Mart Stores Inc., called on Wednesday “recent supply and demand trends.”

Seven people died in Baghdad’s Sadr City as clashes between security forces and Shiite militiamen continued in the capital on Wednesday, a day after top U.S. commander Gen. David Petraeus called for a suspension of U.S. troop withdrawals because of the renewed combat.

The space shuttle Endeavour and its crew of seven returned to Earth on Wednesday, making a rare nighttime touchdown to wrap up "a two-week adventure" at the international space station.

NATO forces sent jets to escort two Russian long-range air force bombers patrolling neutral skies near Alaska on Wednesday, Russian news agencies quoted the defense ministry as saying.

At least nine people died Wednesday as a huge storm system poured as much as 10 inches of rain across a wide swath of the nation's midsection.