Maria Sharapova is back in the U.S. Open quarterfinals for the first time since winning the title in 2006.

Shrieking loudly during points, screaming and pumping her fist after winning them, Sharapova grabbed control after a 75-minute rain delay to beat 19th-seeded Nadia Petrova 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 on Sunday night.

Twin bombs exploded near a tightly guarded government compound in the heart of Damascus on Sunday, state media said, as an army assault on a rural area of the central province of Hama killed at least 21 people, according to activists.

Four people were wounded in the twin bombings which struck in the Abu Remmaneh district where several security service buildings and the office of Vice President Farouq al-Sharaa are located, state television said.

At least 19 people have been killed in Iran's south after the bus they were travelling on struck a rock and flipped over, the state news agency said Sunday.

IRNA said the accident took place some 50 kilometers (30 miles) west of the southern Iranian city of Shiraz.

A fugitive Lebanese-American businessman fighting fiscal corruption charges in Dubai has been returned to the United Arab Emirates after fleeing to Yemen, a spokesman said Saturday.

The return of Zack Shahin to UAE custody ends his bid to get American diplomatic assistance to return to the U.S. via Yemen and presumably escape a legal battle in Dubai dating back to 2008.

The U.N.'s new envoy to Syria said on Saturday that President Bashar Assad's regime should realize that the need for change was both "urgent" and "necessary" and that it must meet the "legitimate" demands of the Syrian people.

Lakhdar Brahimi's comments in an interview with al-Arabiya television came as Syrian warplanes and ground forces pounded the country's largest city, Aleppo, with bombs and mortar rounds while soldiers clashed with rebels in the narrow streets of its old quarter, according to activists.

A man stole a physician's identity and pretended to be a doctor for a year in South Carolina, and now investigators are combing through medical records to see whether he harmed any of the hundreds of patients he treated, authorities said.

Ernest Addo of Austell, Ga., is charged with unlawful practice of medicine and obtaining goods under false pretense, authorities said.

Holly Madison, the blonde burlesque performer who worked at Playboy and on reality TV before starring in a Las Vegas Strip show, says she'll be adding a new title to the resume — mom.

The 33-year-old star of "Peepshow" told Us Weekly she's 12 weeks into her pregnancy. Her boyfriend of nine months, Pasquale Rotella, issued an enthusiastic statement Wednesday.

Kim Kardashian has settled a lawsuit against Old Navy claiming the clothing retailer violated her publicity rights by using a lookalike in an ad.

Kardashian sued over the spot in July 2011, claiming the company's use of a model who looked like her might confuse consumers about her actual endorsements, which include a clothing store and shoe line.

Twin satellites rocketed into orbit Thursday on a quest to explore Earth's treacherous radiation belts and protect the planet from solar outbursts.

NASA launched the science probes before dawn, sending them skyward aboard an unmanned rocket. Within 1½ hours, the two satellites were flying free. "We're all thrilled, just as excited as can be," said launch director Tim Dunn.

Independent booksellers have found a new partner to help them sell e-books.

Toronto-based e-reading service Kobo has an agreement with the American Booksellers Association to offer e-books at independent stores. Kobo and the booksellers association announced Tuesday that starting this fall around 400 stores will offer e-devices, accessories and selections from Kobo's e-book store.