Palin steps down as Alaska governor

SAN FRANCISCO, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin resigned from office on Sunday and gave few clues about her political future.

Palin announced on July 3 that she would step down as Alaska governor, 17 months before the end of her tenure.

Palin went into the country's political spotlight a year ago when she was picked a running mate by Republican presidential candidate John McCain.

Her popularity plunged after she returned from the presidential election. She was faced with probes into nearly 20 ethics complaints. Palin has said that the financial toll of the investigation was the major reason for her resignation.

She is handing over the power to the 46-year-old Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell, who has pledged to press ahead with her initiatives.

SAN FRANCISCO, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Sarah Palin, governor of the U.S. state of Alaska and also Republican vice presidential candidate for the 2008 elections, announced on Friday that she will resign from her post later this month and will not run for re-election as governor.

Palin made the announcement at a news conference at her home in Wasilla, Alaska.

"People who know me know that besides faith and family, nothing's more important to me than our beloved Alaska," said Palin. Full story

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin Saturday made a speech at a jammed tennis stadium near Los Angeles, criticizing Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.

In her first appearance in California after McCain chose her as his running mate more than a month ago, Palin demonstrated a folksy and feisty manner. Full story

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, the Republican candidate for vice president, has urged California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to veto a fee on cargo containers going through the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, it was reported on Friday.

In a letter to Schwarzenegger dated Aug. 28, Palin said the new fees for Long Beach, Los Angeles and Oakland ports would harm the economies of Alaska and California, according to the Los Angeles Times. Full story

ST. PAUL, the United States, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Alaska governor Sarah Palin will accept the Republican vice presidential nomination Wednesday night in St. Paul, Minn., at the third night of the Republican National Convention.

Earlier in the morning, the 44-year old first-term female governor took tour of the stage at the convention, and stood at the lectern where she'll deliver her first major speech as presumptive Republican presidential candidate John McCain's running mate.