WASHINGTON (AP) ― President Barack Obama is trying to shock the moribund Israeli-Palestinian peace process to life, but there is little chance the patient can be resuscitated anytime soon.The two sides are more dug in, further apart and less trustful of each other than at any point since Obama brought Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas together at the

MADRID (AFP) ― A wave of nationwide protests against soaring unemployment and the economic crisis overshadowed local elections in Spain on Sunday in which the ruling Socialist Party faced the prospect of a humiliating defeat.The predicted rout would be a bad omen for the party ahead of general elections scheduled for March 2012, when the conservative Popular Party is expected to romp back into off

Europe visit seeks to define West's role in Arab world, global economyWASHINGTON (AP) ― Weaving together strands of pomp, policy and summitry, President Barack Obama’s weeklong European tour is all about tending to old friends in the Western alliance and securing their help with daunting challenges, from the political upheaval in the Mideast and North Africa to the protracted war in Afghanistan.Ob

 

Former U.S. President George W. Bush racked up at least $15 million by delivering nearly 140 paid speeches since leaving office in Jan. 2009, according to reports.Bush spokesman David Sherzer told local news that he earned average fees of between $100,000 and $150,000 per speech.Though the numbers are high, Bush’s predecessor, former President Bill Clinton, earned even more.By the end of 2009 -- n

AP -- A tanker carrying oil for NATO forces in Afghanistan exploded Saturday in northwestern Pakistan as people tried to siphon off some of its fuel, and 15 were killed, an official said. Separately, 14 NATO tankers were damaged in a bombing at a nearby border town, but no one was hurt.The incidents underscored the dangers linked to the vehicles that carry non-lethal supplies for Western troops in

The European Union has agreed to significantly expand its sanctions against Iran over its refusal to freeze its disputed nuclear activities, European diplomats said Thursday.EU foreign ministers are expected to approve the new measures, which will add several subsidiaries of companies already on the sanctions list, at a meeting in Brussels on Monday, the diplomats said.(AFP)

BAKERSFIELD, California (AP) - The revelation that Arnold Schwarzenegger has an out-of-wedlock child with a former employee turned into a tabloid frenzy as scores of reporters and photographers swarmed a quiet suburban cul-de-sac in the middle of California farm country amid unconfirmed reports it was the home of the child's mother.The owner of the house, identified in property records as Mildred