The U.S. is backing a cease-fire based on three pillars: ending the rocket attacks; opening border crossings into Gaza; and dealing with arms smuggling in border tunnels.

At least 40 people were reported killed, as diplomats said that Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert would travel to Egypt to discuss a cease-fire on Wednesday.

The five guards for Blackwater International pleaded not guilty in federal court to manslaughter in the case of the 2007 shootings in Baghdad that left at least 17 Iraqis dead.

Israel is applying the military insight it gained from the 2006 war against Hezbollah, but diplomatic lessons do not seem to have been so well applied.

strongCAMPAIGNING IN IRAQ/strong The nation's upcoming elections are the first in which the government has deemed it safe enough for candidates' names to appear on ballots and the first time many candidates have felt safe enough to campaign publicly.

Israel is making sure only its version of the war gets out by keeping foreign correspondents out of Gaza.

If Hamas rockets cannot be stopped, then is the real aim of Israel's operation to remove Hamas entirely, no matter the cost?

A complicated internal struggle is playing out in the West Bank, with Fatah leaders are growing deeply worried over popular reaction and support for its rival, Hamas, to the point of crushing recent demonstrations.

About 550 Palestinians have been killed, medical officials in Gaza said, with at least a quarter of them civilians, according to the United Nations.

President George W. Bush waived a requirement that he notify Congress, leading some to wonder at the timing of the move, only 15 days before he leaves the White House.

Gaza's civilians — particularly those in militant strongholds — are finding it difficult to evacuate their homes before Israeli attacks begin.

The Ebola virus, which causes a deadly hemorrhagic fever, has surfaced for the second time in less than two years in south-central Congo.

Experts believe that Israel timed its move against Hamas with the expectation of the Bush administration's unconditional endorsement, which Israeli officials could not be certain would be matched by Barack Obama.

Police must comply with an earlier court order that Jestina Mukoko be taken to a hospital so allegations of torture can be investigated, Judge Gloria Takunda said.

Iraqi and American officials presided over a dedication ceremony for the new U.S. Embassy in Baghdad on Monday, declaring the start of a new era for relations between the two countries.

The coup leaders in Guinea have ceded to international pressure and promised to hold elections by the end of 2009, a year earlier than planned, the French government said Monday.

Hezbollah still believes its ally Hamas will triumph and it cannot risk drawing Lebanon into another devastating conflict like the one in 2006.

An Israeli airstrike flattened one of Gaza's best private educational institutions, the American International School, which had been attacked a year ago by Islamic militants.

As the race for Iran's presidential election heats up, hard-liners are cracking down on activists who have supported reformist candidates in the past.

On Sunday, the casualties at Shifa Hospital were mostly women, children and men who had been with children.