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STRASBOURG, France (AP) -- The president of the European Union slammed President Barack Obama's plans to have the U.S. spend its way out of recession as "a road to hell," underscoring European differences with Washington ahead of a crucial summit next week on fixing the world economy. Other European politicians kept their distance from the blunt remarks by Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, with some reproaching the Czech leader for his strong language and others reaffirming their good diplomatic ties with the U.S. Topolanek, whose country currently holds the rotating EU presidency, told the European Parliament on Wednesday that Obama's...

EU leaders disagree on whether the constitution is dead or alive Finland has become the latest country to ratify the European constitution, four weeks before the end of its six-month stint as EU president.Finland hands over the presidency to Germany, which has pledged to seek a solution to the constitution problem. Sixteen of the 25 EU states have now largely completed ratification. But French and Dutch voters rejected the treaty in referendums in 2005, and UK Home Secretary John Reid described it on Monday as a "dead parrot". Finland's parliament voted by 125 to 39 in favour of ratification,...