AP - Wajih Hameed is an Iraqi general with an attitude.

AP - Many firefighters and homeowners were able to take a collective breath Sunday morning as another town appeared to have been spared from yet another wildfire in the unprecedented California fire season.

AP - Embattled Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert declared Sunday that Israel and the Palestinians have never been closer to making peace — even as a widening corruption probe brings him closer than ever to being ousted from office.

AP - A multi-pronged militant assault on a small, remote U.S. base killed nine American soldiers and wounded 15 Sunday in the deadliest attack on U.S. forces in Afghanistan in three years, officials said.

AFP - Pope Benedict XVI arrived in Sydney on Sunday for one of the largest Christian gatherings on Earth, starting a visit set to be marked by his apology for sexual abuse by priests in Australia.

AFP - French President Nicolas Sarkozy and 42 leaders on Sunday launch a union between Europe and its Mediterranean neighbours but tensions among Middle East countries could undermine the grand plan.

Reuters - Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie has given birth to twins, the hospital where she was staying in southern France said on Sunday.

Reuters - Seventeen civilians and four police were killed in a suicide attack in a bazaar on Sunday in Afghanistan's southern province of Uruzgan, police said.

Reuters - Former New York Yankees outfielder and broadcaster Bobby Murcer has died from brain cancer, the Yankees said on Saturday.

Reuters - Pope Benedict arrived in Australia on Sunday for an international Catholic youth festival and promised to apologize for a sexual abuse scandal that has rocked the church in the country.

Reuters - The Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, visited Pakistan on the weekend, fueling speculation that the United States was about to take action against militants in northwest Pakistan.

Reuters - Democratic White House hopeful Barack Obama said on Saturday he was confident "prudent steps" by the U.S. government would stabilize mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac but that it was necessary to see how the situation developed before deciding on what steps to take.

Reuters - Yahoo Inc on Saturday rejected a proposal to sell its search business to Microsoft Corp and hand over the remainder of the company to activist investor Carl Icahn.

Reuters - U.S. and Iraqi negotiators have ended efforts to reach a formal security pact before President George W. Bush leaves office in favor of an interim deal, the Washington Post said on Sunday, citing senior U.S. officials.

AP - Kyle Busch passed Jimmie Johnson after a restart on the next-to-last lap Saturday night to win his seventh NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race of the season.