Colleen LaRose, a petite, 46-year-old blonde from the Philadelphia suburbs, had dropped out of high school and was married several times. She had been arrested for writing bad checks and for drunken driving. She did not fit the terrorist profile — but more and more, that profile seems to be falling by the wayside.

The emerging consensus in Afghanistan is that military action alone will not win the war against the Taliban and a political solution will be necessary. Afghan President Hamid Karzai has reached out to some Taliban leaders. But analysts say the Taliban and the U.S. are not ready for full-scale negotiations — yet.

The league's peace initiative committee said if Israel pursues new settlement building in east Jerusalem, the proposed indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinians would be irrelevant. A final decision on whether to support the process must be made by the foreign ministers of the Arab nations.

Masses of people are without shelter as the rainy season begins in the earthquake-devastated country. After a meeting at the White House with Haitian President Rene Preval, Obama said the situation remains dire and renewed America's commitment to the country's recovery and reconstruction.

Israel's announcement of plans to build new homes for Israelis in east Jerusalem caught visiting U.S. Vice President Joe Biden by surprise. Analysts say the incident is a stark reminder of the many obstacles to forging enduring peace between Palestinians and Israelis.