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Obama to address US-European relations in speech

U.S. Democratic presidential contender Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., pauses in front of a display of rockets that landed in southern Israel, during a visit to Sderot, southern Israel, Wednesday, July 23, 2008. Obama pledged Wednesday that as president he would preserve the close ties between the United States and Israel, and that the Jewish state's security would be a top priority in his administration. (AP Photo/David Silverman, Pool)
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AP - 19 minutes ago

BERLIN - Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama landed in Berlin Thursday, kicking off the European leg of his overseas trip amid high expectations.

  • U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, right, and North Korea's Foreign Minister Pak Ui Chun, back left, walk to their seats before a meeting between foreign ministers of the six party nations on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum in Singapore, Wednesday, July 23, 2008. (AP Photo/Vivek Prakash, Pool)
    Asia-Pacific eyes coordinated disaster relief work AP - 17 minutes ago

    SINGAPORE - Asia-Pacific powers on Thursday announced an ambitious plan to pool their military and civilian resources for disaster responses in a region beset by cyclones, earthquakes and floods.

  • An April 17, 2008 file photo shows Ecuador's President Rafael Correa answering questions during a meeting with foreign press at the government palace in Quito, Ecuador. A proposed new constitution would grant Ecuador's leftist president broad powers including the ability to dissolve Congress and set monetary policy. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa/file)
    Ecuador's draft charter favors leftist president AP - 1 hour, 1 minute ago

    QUITO, Ecuador - A proposed new constitution grants Ecuador's leftist President Rafael Correa broad powers including the ability to dissolve Congress and set monetary policy, and would let him stay in office through 2017.

  • In this photo provided by Visa, an ad featuring Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps from Visa's 'Go World' campaign is shown. From Visa Inc.'s 'Go World' campaign to unifying themes from Coca-Cola Co. and McDonald's, major sponsors are calling for harmony and avoiding boasts of patriotism for any one country. (AP Photo/Visa Inc.)
    Visa survey shows foreign travel remains popular AP - 59 minutes ago

    NEW YORK - The weak U.S. dollar has not dissuaded Americans from planning trips abroad this year, but they may be heading to destinations closer to home, according to a survey released Thursday by Visa Inc.

  • In this June 30, 2008 file photo, 50 Cent makes an appearance on MTV's 'Total Request Live' show in New York. 50 Cent has sued Taco Bell, claiming the fast-food restaurant chain is using his name without permission in advertising that asks him to call himself 99 Cent. (AP Photo/Peter Kramer, FILE)
    50 Cent sues Taco Bell over ad campaign AP - 8 minutes ago

    NEW YORK - 50 Cent has sued Taco Bell, claiming the fast-food restaurant chain is using his name without permission in advertising that asks him to call himself 99 Cent.

  • In this June 30, 2008, file photo, Jessica Hardy swims in women's 100-meter breaststroke semifinals at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials in Omaha, Neb. Hardy's trip to the Beijing Olympics could be in jeopardy after she tested positive for a banned substance, according to a person familiar with the test results. Hardy's 'A' sample from the recent Olympic trials tested positive, the person told The Associated Press on Wednesday night, July 30. The person requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File)
    Source: Swimmer Jessica Hardy tests positive AP - 52 minutes ago

    LOS ANGELES - Jessica Hardy's first trip to the Olympics could be over before it began. The swimmer tested positive for a banned substance, leaving her just two weeks to pursue any appeals before the Beijing Games begin.

  • President Bush on Wednesday dropped a threat to veto a housing rescue bill, clearing the way for measures meant to shore up the worst U.S. home market since the Great Depression. (Paul Szep/Reuters)
    House passes housing bill; Bush lifts veto threat Reuters - Wed Jul 23, 5:30 PM ET

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The House of Representatives passed a massive housing rescue bill on Wednesday while the White House dropped a threat to veto it, paving the way for measures aimed at shoring up the worst U.S. housing market since the Great Depression.

  • Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) speaks to reporters on his plane at Ben-Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, July 24, 2008. (Jim Young/Reuters)
    Obama in Berlin for big outdoor speech Reuters - 26 minutes ago

    BERLIN (Reuters) - U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, on a foreign tour he hopes will boost his election chances, on Thursday gives an outdoor speech in Berlin on transatlantic ties that is likely to draw thousands.

  • Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain (R-AZ) smiles as he is introduced at a campaign picnic outside the Maine Military Museum in South Portland, Maine July 21, 2008. (Brian Snyder/Reuters)
    Obama leads McCain by 6 points: poll Reuters - Wed Jul 23, 8:27 PM ET

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrat Barack Obama has a 6-point lead over Republican John McCain in the presidential race as a growing percentage of Americans believe the country is headed in the wrong direction, according to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released on Wednesday.

  • A woman shields her baby from the rain after evacuating from a flooded neighbourhood in Matamoros July 23, 2008. (Tomas Bravo/Reuters)
    Hurricane Dolly hits South Texas, flooding feared Reuters - Wed Jul 23, 11:09 PM ET

    BROWNSVILLE, Texas (Reuters) - Hurricane Dolly moved inland after tearing into the South Texas coast on Wednesday with 95 mph (150 kph) winds, pouring torrential rain on the U.S.-Mexico border area before being downgraded to a tropical storm.

  • In this photograph of a sketch by courtroom artist Janet Hamlin, reviewed by the U.S. Military, defendant Salim Hamdan (R) watches a video of himself under interrogation, shown as part of his trial, inside the courthouse at Camp Justice, the legal complex of the U.S. Military Commissions, at Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base in Cuba July 23, 2008. Hamdan, Osama bin Laden's driver, knew the target of the fourth hijacked jetliner in the Sept. 11 attacks, a prosecutor said on Tuesday in an attempt to draw a link between him and the al Qaeda leadership in the first Guantanamo war crimes trial. (Janet Hamlin/Pool/Reuters)
    Bin Laden driver trial shows interrogation video Reuters - Thu Jul 24, 12:54 AM ET

    GUANTANAMO BAY U.S. NAVAL BASE, Cuba (Reuters) - A black-and-white interrogation video of Osama bin Laden's driver showed Salim Hamdan denying under questioning in a dark cell that he worked for al Qaeda.

  • Israel's army chief Lieutenant General Gabi Ashkenazi addresses a conference on security issues in Tel Aviv December 12, 2007. (Gil Cohen Magen/Reuters)
    Top Israeli officer stresses Iran on first U.S. visit Reuters - Wed Jul 23, 11:14 PM ET

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Israeli Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, on his first visit to Washington as Israel's top military officer, said on Wednesday it was crucial to block what he called "Iranian aggression" in the Middle East.

  • Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (R) and North Korea's Foreign Minister Pak Ui-chun walk to their seats before a meeting between foreign ministers of the six party nations and Rice on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum in Singapore July 23, 2008. (Vivek Prakash/Reuters)
    Rice says North Korea must agree to strong verification Reuters - Wed Jul 23, 9:54 PM ET

    SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Thursday after talks with North Korea that she believed Pyongyang was under no "illusions" it had to agree to a strong mechanism to verify its nuclear activities.

  • Maher Arar pauses during a news conference in Ottawa January 26, 2007. (Chris Wattie/Reuters)
    U.S. rejects outside probe of Canadian sent to Syria Reuters - Wed Jul 23, 6:18 PM ET

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey said on Wednesday he had rejected a request from lawmakers that an outside special counsel investigate the case of a Canadian taken off a plane in New York and sent to Syria, where he says he was tortured.

  • US Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama talks to the media on his campaign airplane. Obama has arrived in Germany from Israel at the start of the European leg of his week-long international tour.(AFP/Paul J. Richards)
    Obama starts European tour in Berlin AFP - 15 minutes ago

    BERLIN (AFP) - US Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama arrived in Germany from Israel on Thursday at the start of the European leg of his week-long international tour.

  • North Korean Foreign Minister Pak Ui-chun (C) is escorted after talks between foreign ministers on North Korea on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum in Singapore. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pressed her North Korean counterpart to move rapidly on new nuclear disarmament steps but hailed the "good spirit" at unprecedented six-party talks.(AFP/Romeo Gacad)
    US calls for peaceful resolution of Thai-Cambodia flare-up AFP - 1 hour, 15 minutes ago

    SINGAPORE (AFP) - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Thursday called for a peaceful resolution to a dangerous border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia as Asia's main security talks were held here.

  • File picture shows Turkish soldiers patrolling a road near the Turkey-Iraq border. Turkish warplanes bombed Kurdish rebel hideouts in northern Iraq overnight in the latest air raid in the region since mid-December, the military said Thursday.(AFP/File/Mustafa Ozer)
    Turkey bombs Kurdish targets in Iraq: military AFP - 1 hour, 56 minutes ago

    ANKARA (AFP) - Turkish warplanes bombed Kurdish rebel hideouts in northern Iraq overnight in the latest air raid in the region since mid-December, the military said Thursday.

  • The town Novy Urengoi just below the arctic circle. Within the Arctic circle there are 90 billion barrels of oil and vast quantities of natural gas waiting to be tapped, most of it offshore, the government-run US Geological Survey has said.(AFP/File/Natalia Kolesnikova)
    Arctic 'holds 90bln barrels of oil, mostly offshore' AFP - 27 minutes ago

    WASHINGTON (AFP) - Within the Arctic circle there are 90 billion barrels of oil and vast quantities of natural gas waiting to be tapped, most of it offshore, the government-run US Geological Survey said.

  • Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, pictured last year, painted a vision of an Internet future with the website in its soul to a faithful throng of software developers at the Internet firm's annual "F8" conference..(AFP/Facebook.com/File/Markham Johnson)
    Facebook expands winning open platform formula AFP - Thu Jul 24, 1:20 AM ET

    SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg painted a vision of an Internet future with the website in its soul to a faithful throng of software developers at the Internet firm's annual "F8" conference..

  • A graphic on imports and exports growth in 2007, in selected countries.Crucial WTO trade talks inched forward in overnight talks but rich and poor countries now face a race against time to resolve their differences to resolve the seven-year round.(AFP/Graphic/Ed/Jfs)
    WTO trade crawl forward, held down by industrial products AFP - 31 minutes ago

    GENEVA (AFP) - Crucial WTO trade talks inched forward in overnight talks but rich and poor countries now face a race against time to resolve their differences to resolve the seven-year round.

  • British oil and gas giant BG Group, hoping to get its hands on Australia's Origin Energy, said on Thursday that its net profit had soared 68 percent in the first-half as the price of crude rocketed.(AFP/File/Shaun Curry)
    Energy group BG net profit rockets in first half AFP - 29 minutes ago

    LONDON (AFP) - Oil and gas giant BG Group, hoping to get its hands on Australia's Origin Energy, said on Thursday that its net profit had soared 68 percent in the first-half as the price of crude rocketed.

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