Bush adviser Iran, Pakistan key Obama challenges

By Bassem Tellawi (AP)

France\'s president sought Syrian help Tuesday to bring a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, while Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice headed to the United Nations for meetings with Arab and European leaders.

The diplomacy drive showed little gains, though, as fighting in Gaza between the militant Palestinian group Hamas and Israeli forces raged for an 11th day, with almost 600 dead.

In the middle of a whirlwind Mideast tour, French President Nicolas Sarkozy urged his hosts in Syria to pressure Hamas to help end the fighting. Syria, along with Iran, is a key backer of Hamas, and...

By Bela Szandelszky (AP)

The Russia-Ukraine natural gas dispute hit Europe with the force of a winter storm Tuesday, cutting or limiting supplies to at least a dozen nations. Tens of thousands of people were left without heat and governments scrambled to find alternate energy sources.

Shocked by how fast the shortages were spreading, the European Union demanded a quick end to the quarrel _ a sharp turnaround from their earlier stance, when officials had downplayed the conflict between Moscow and Kiev as primarily a business matter.

But by Tuesday evening, gauges on delivery pipelines to seven...

By HATEM MOUSSA (AP)

Israeli mortar shells struck outside a U.N. school where hundreds of Palestinians had sought refuge on Tuesday, killing at least 30 people _ many of them children whose parents wailed in grief at a hospital filled with dead and wounded.

The Israeli army said its soldiers came under fire from militants hiding in the school and responded. It accused Gaza\'s Hamas rulers of \"cynically\" using civilians as human shields.

Despite international criticism over civilian deaths and diplomatic push to broker a cease-fire, Israeli said it would push on with the offensive against...

By EYAD BABA (AP)

An Israeli bombardment struck outside a U.N. school where hundreds of Palestinians had sought refuge on Tuesday, the U.N. and Palestinian medics said, killing at least 30 people _ many of them children whose parents wailed in grief at a hospital filled with dead and wounded.

An Israeli official said its soldiers came under fire from militants hiding in the school and that the building stored Palestinian munitions.

Despite international criticism over civilian deaths and calls for a cease-fire, Israeli soldiers edged closer to two major Gaza towns. A total of 58 Palestinians...

By EYAD BABA (AP)

A U.N. official says 30 people died and 55 injured when artillery shells landed at the perimeter of a U.N. school in the 11th day of the Israeli onslaught in Gaza.

John Ging, head of Gaza operations for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, said most of the casualties at the U.N. school in Jebaliya, where some 350 people had taken refuge, were outside the building. He did not say whether the artillery came from Israeli forces.

Palestinian medics say 34 people died in an Israeli strike. It was the second strike on a U.N. school within hours.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS...

By EYAD BABA (AP)

An Israeli bombardment hit outside a U.N. school where hundreds of Palestinians had sought refuge on Tuesday, and Palestinian medics said at least 34 people died _ many of them children _ as international outrage grew over civilian deaths.

It was the second fatal strike in the vicinity of a U.N. school in hours, and the deadliest assault since Israel sent ground forces into Gaza last weekend. The ground operation is part of a larger offensive against the ruling Hamas militant group that has killed nearly 600 Palestinians, including dozens of civilians, according to U.N. and...

By Bela Szandelszky (AP)

A natural gas crisis loomed over Europe on Tuesday, as a contract dispute between Russia and Ukraine shut off Russian gas supplies to six countries and reduced gas deliveries to several others.

At least two Bulgarian cities were totally without gas, and nations like Turkey were turning to Iran to bolster their supplies.

In a sharp turnaround, the European Union blasted Russia and Ukraine, saying the sudden cutoff to some of its member countries was \"completely unacceptable.\" Just a day ago, the EU was trying to downplay any problems from the gas dispute.

In response,...

By Bassem Tellawi (AP)

French President Nicolas Sarkozy urged Syria on Tuesday to exert pressure on its ally Hamas to help end the fighting in the Gaza Strip between the militant Palestinian group and Israeli forces.

But his Syrian counterpart, Bashar Assad, did not respond to Sarkozy\'s call to intercede with Hamas, instead slamming the Israeli assault on the coastal strip as a \"war crime\" and an \"aggression\" that Israel must halt.

Sarkozy\'s visit to the Syrian capital is part of a whirlwind Mideast tour amid European diplomatic efforts to push a cease-fire proposal to stop Israel\'s...

By Anja Niedringhaus (AP)

Israeli forces edged closer to Gaza\'s major population centers on Tuesday and attacked new sites, including a U.N. school, taking more civilian lives after ignoring mounting international calls for an immediate cease-fire. A Palestinian rocket attack wounded an Israeli infant.

The United Nations said three civilians were killed in the airstrike on its school, where hundreds of people from a Gaza City refugee camp had gone to seek shelter from Israel\'s blistering 11-day offensive against the Hamas militant group.

The missile landed in a courtyard late Monday, causing minor...

By Anja Niedringhaus (AP)

Israeli forces edged closer to Gaza\'s major population centers on Tuesday and attacked new targets, including a U.N. school, taking more civilian lives after ignoring mounting international calls for an immediate cease-fire. A Palestinian rocket attack wounded an Israeli infant.

The United Nations said three civilians were killed in the airstrike on its school, where hundreds of people from a Gaza City refugee camp had gone to seek shelter from Israel\'s blistering 11-day offensive against the Hamas militant group.

The missile landed in a courtyard late Monday, causing minor...

By KHALIL HAMRA (AP)

Israeli shells slammed into Gaza and ground forces edged closer to major population centers Tuesday, taking more civilian lives after Israel ignored mounting international calls for an immediate cease-fire.

In fighting that raged early Tuesday morning, at least 18 people were killed in shelling up and down the Gaza Strip from tanks and naval craft, local hospital officials said. Only two of the dead were confirmed as militants.

Tanks rumbled closer to the towns of Khan Younis and Dir el Balah in south and central Gaza but were still several kilometers (miles) outside,...

By MAYA HITIJ (AP)

The contours of a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas are emerging, with diplomacy focusing on international guarantees, including foreign border monitors to oversee any agreement.

Various truce ideas have been floated in recent days in a swirl of diplomacy in the Middle East and at the United Nations, most involving international monitors.

Israel has two key objectives _ to prevent weapons smuggling from Egypt into Gaza, and to create enough deterrence to persuade Hamas to halt rocket attacks for good.

\"Once these objectives are achieved and are followed by very...

By Winslow Townson (AP)

Israel\'s ground offensive in Gaza and a dispute between Ukraine and Russia over gas imports pushed oil prices above $48 a barrel Monday, but some analysts say there\'s more than just unrest in the Middle East behind the rally.

Light, sweet crude for February delivery rose $2.47 cents to settle at $48.81 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Israel seized control of high-rise buildings and attacked houses, mosques and smuggling tunnels as it pressed its offensive against the Gaza Strip\'s Hamas rulers, while the U.S. joined a number of countries calling for a...

By Hasan Jamali (AP)

The call to use oil as a weapon against Israel\'s friends once would have echoed in capitals across the Middle East and struck fear in the West\'s heart. But even as the crisis in Gaza deepens, threats of an embargo by some officials in Iran and Bahrain are falling flat.

Key Persian Gulf producers like Saudi Arabia and even top officials in the countries behind the calls are keeping quiet, mindful that the latest Mideast flare-up is just one of a number of global conflicts on jittery traders\' minds.

The shift _ plus low oil prices in recent months and memories of the sharp...

By Hadi Mizban (AP)

The United States inaugurated its largest embassy ever on Monday, a fortress-like compound in the heart of the Green Zone _ and the most visible sign of what U.S. officials call a new chapter in relations between America and a more sovereign Iraq.

U.S. Marines raised the American flag over the adobe-colored buildings, which sit on a 104-acre site and has space for 1,000 employees _ more than 10 times the size of any other American Embassy in the world.

\"Iraq is in a new era and so is the Iraqi-U.S. relationship,\" Ambassador Ryan Crocker proclaimed.

In perhaps an...

By (AP)

Griffin B. Bell, the shrewd Southern lawyer who grew up with Jimmy Carter and later became U.S. attorney general after Carter was elected president, died Monday. He was 90.

Bell died around 10 a.m. of kidney failure, said Diana Lewis, a spokeswoman for Piedmont Hospital. He was being treated at the Atlanta hospital for complications due to pancreatic cancer and kidney disease, which he had fought for years, she said.

Carter said he was \"deeply saddened\" by Bell\'s death and called him a \"trusted and enduring public figure.\"

\"As a World War II veteran, federal...

By Hadi Mizban (AP)

Iraq has made tremendous progress over the past three months but the United States must remain engaged over the long term if it wants those gains to solidify, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq said.

Ryan Crocker told The Associated Press that 2009 will be a critical year for Iraq as it holds two crucial elections that will determine if democracy takes hold.

\"I think we have seen a tremendous amount of progress, even since September. But the development of this new Iraq is going to be a very long time in the making, and we need to be engaged here,\" Crocker said in an interview...

By Hadi Mizban (AP)

The United States inaugurated its largest embassy ever on Monday in the heart of the Green Zone on Monday, officially opening the fortress-like compound that was intended to stand as a testament to America\'s commitment to Iraq.

Addressing an inauguration ceremony under tight security, Ambassador Ryan Crocker said the $700 million embassy was testimony to America\'s long-term friendship with Iraq, where about 146,000 U.S. troops are deployed.

\"From this embassy in the years to come, we look forward to building our partnership and contributing to the future,\" Crocker...

By Mohammad abu Ghosh (AP)

Thousands protesting Israel\'s ground offensive on Gaza converged Sunday in Beirut and Istanbul as the leaders of the only two Mideast Arab nations to sign peace treaties with Israel demanded an end to the attack.

In Yemen, security officials said anti-Israel protesters attacked several Jewish homes in the northern province of Omran, smashing windows and pelting them with rocks. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media, said at least one Jewish resident was injured among the tiny minority community.

Lebanese...

By Ahmad Omar (AP)

Thousands protesting Israel\'s ground offensive on Gaza converged Sunday in Beirut and the Turkish capital, as the leaders of the only two Mideast Arab nations to sign peace treaties with Israel demanded an end to the attack.

In Yemen, security officials said anti-Israel protesters attacked several Jewish homes in the northern province of Omran, smashing windows and pelting them with rocks. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media, said at least one Jewish resident was injured among the tiny minority...

By Ahmad Omar (AP)

Thousands protesting Israel\'s ground offensive on Gaza converged Sunday in Beirut and the Turkish capital, as the leaders of the only two Mideast Arab nations to sign peace treaties with Israel demanded an end to the attack.

In Yemen, security officials said anti-Israel protesters attacked several Jewish homes in the northern province of Omran, smashing windows and pelting them with rocks. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because because they were not authorized to talk to the media, said at least one Jewish resident was injured among the tiny minority...

By Ahmad Omar (AP)

Police fired tear gas on Sunday at scores of demonstrators rallying against Israel\'s ground offensive in Gaza as the protesters tried to reach the U.S. Embassy compound north of the Lebanese capital, Beirut.

Thousands also held an anti-Israel demonstration in Turkey as news coverage of the invasion, launched late Saturday, dominated Arab satellite television stations. Many of them, including Al-Jazeera, are showing live footage of the Gaza Strip and airing interviews with wounded Palestinians.

Israel\'s weeklong aerial bombardment of Gaza and the start of the ground...

By Ahmad Omar (AP)

Police fired tear gas on Sunday at scores of demonstrators rallying against Israel\'s ground offensive in Gaza as the protesters tried to reach the U.S. Embassy compound north of the Lebanese capital, Beirut.

Thousands also held an anti-Israel demonstration in Turkey as news coverage of the invasion, launched late Saturday, dominated Arab satellite television stations. Many of them, including Al-Jazeera, are showing live footage of the Gaza Strip and airing interviews with wounded Palestinians.

Israel\'s weeklong aerial bombardment of Gaza and the start of the ground...