BEIJING - The Chinese government is reviewing a draft law that proposes thousands of dollars in fines for media outlets that report on disasters and social unrest without permission. Critics say the law, if passed, would further restrict the Chinese media, and could threaten public health and safety.Chinese newspapers Monday said the proposed law would […]

JERUSALEM - Israel is poised for an assault on the Palestinian-ruled Gaza Strip, following the kidnapping of an Israeli soldier. The kidnappers have issued their first demands.Israel is massing armor and troops on the Gaza border and is threatening to strike at the leaders of the Palestinian government, controlled by the Islamic militant group Hamas. […]

WASHINGTON - The 20-year patent on the cholesterol-lowering drug, Zocor, expired this past Friday, opening the door to competition from cheaper, generic versions of the popular drug.  But some lawmakers are accusing the drug’s manufacturer of undercutting the competition.   
Zocor is a big money-maker — generating sales of about $4.5 billion per year for New Jersey-based […]

WASHINGTON - The U.S. space shuttle Discovery is set to launch to the International Space Station July 1, a decision that has caused controversy. The space agency, NASA, is sending the ship up for the first time in nearly one year, despite objections from two top agency officials that engineers have not done everything possible […]

PENTAGON - The United States and Japan have taken steps in recent days to move forward with plans to bolster Japan’s missile defense, amid growing concern North Korea may launch a long-range test missile. But officials say the steps are part of a process started last year.  
Defense Department officials say reports of agreement on the […]

JERUSALEM - Israel is threatening harsh retaliation after Palestinian militants kidnapped an Israeli soldier near the Gaza Strip. Three Palestinian militant groups have demanded that Israel release all jailed Palestinian women under 18, in exchange for information about a kidnapped Israeli soldier
Palestinian politicians and militants appear to be divided over the fate of the soldier.
Israel […]

MANILLA - The Philippines has become the 125th nation to abolish the death penalty, with President Gloria Arroyo signing a law ending capital punishment following its earlier passage by the legislature. 
At a signing ceremony in the Presidential Palace, Mrs. Arroyo hailed the new law as a big step forward for the Philippines, but also assured […]

JFCOM Prepares U.S., Coalition Forces for Iraq Deployment
American Forces Press Service

FORT HOOD, Texas – U.S. Joint Forces Command yesterday concluded a week-long mission rehearsal exercise here, designed to help prepare the 21,000 U.S. servicemembers scheduled for rotational deployment to Iraq later this year meet their upcoming mission.Exercise Unified Endeavor 06-2 provided realistic training scenarios for […]

ERBIL, IRAQ - Nearly three million Iraqis are at risk each day from landmines and other unexploded bombs and munitions from conflicts past and present. By some estimates, as many as 20 million landmines are buried across the country. An international demining group is helping Iraqis remove these dangers and improve life in their communities.
Nine […]

WASHINGTON - Fifty years ago this Thursday, on June 29, 1956, U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower signed a law that dramatically changed the future of America. It called for the creation of the Interstate Highway System – a vast network of high-speed expressways, criss-crossing the nation. Later in 1956, the first spade of dirt was turned […]

WASHINGTON - An al-Qaida-linked group says it has executed four Russian Embassy workers, who were abducted earlier this month in Iraq. The terrorist group made the announcement on an Islamist Web site, and posted video footage showing two men beheaded and another fatally shot. Meanwhile, Iraqi officials are attempting to clarify the intent of a […]

JERUSALEM - Israeli forces have carried out a rare ground incursion in the Gaza Strip. Palestinian factions, meanwhile, are nearing an agreement aimed at ending the international isolation of the new Hamas-led Palestinian government.Israeli commandos stormed into southern Gaza, scaled the walls of a home and nabbed two wanted Palestinian militants. The army said they […]

Army Reserve Chief: Recruiting Stats Alone Don’t Tell Whole Story
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON – The Army Reserve may fall 3 percent or 4 percent short of its recruiting goal for the year, but its new chief said that’s not necessarily “a bad-news story.””We are not where we would hope to be right now […]

Missile Defense Test Yields Successful ‘Hit to Kill’ Intercept
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON – The Missile Defense Agency and the Navy conducted a successful “hit to kill” missile defense test yesterday off the island of Kauai, Hawaii.The test involved the launch of a Standard Missile 3 from the Aegis-class cruiser USS Shiloh to hit a “separating” […]

NEW YORK - The estate of slain U.S. civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will soon be sold to the highest bidder.  The auction house handling the sale hopes a major institution will step up to house this American archive.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the former leader of the American civil rights movement, […]

WASHINGTON - Below are examples of some of the convictions obtained by the Department of Justice in terrorism cases since Sept. 11, 2001:
Hassan Moussa Makki (Eastern District of Michigan) — In September 2003, Hassan Makki pleaded guilty to racketeering charges and providing material support to Hizbollah in conjunction with the Mohammed Hammoud case in Charlotte, […]

WASHINGTON - Blues legend B.B. King will commemorate “Black Music Month,” as designated by Presidential proclamation, with a performance at the White House on Monday, June 26.
He’ll be joined by Patti Austin and Irvin Mayfield.
A number of guests, including President George W. Bush, will gather on the South Lawn for the event.
In a previous proclamation, […]

WHITE HOUSE - Iran says it will not stop enriching uranium as a precondition for potential talks with the United States and European allies.  President Bush wants Iran to respond to an offer from the international community by next month. Iran wants to wait until August. 
The deputy head of Iran’s National Security Council says the […]

WASHINGTON - Seven Florida men have been arrested on charges that include conspiring to provide material support to the al Qaeda terrorist organization and conspiracy to levy war against the United States by discussing and planning attacks on targets in the United States, including the Sears Tower in Chicago and the FBI building and other […]

JERUSALEM - Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip have fired several rockets at Israel in what appears to have become a daily routine. Israel has failed to come up with an effective response, and shell-shocked residents are running out of patience.
Rockets fired by Palestinian militants in Gaza have been crashing into Israel for weeks, terrorizing […]

WASHINGTON - The Middle East is a volatile region where conflicts abound and often reverberate across borders. Achieving overall security in the Middle East will take much more than military force.Terrorism. Insurgencies. Factional militias. Religious extremism. The Middle East is filled with elements that work against regional and national security. And many observers say that […]

STATE DEPARTMENT - The Bush administration says diplomacy is the right course in defusing the crisis over North Korea’s apparent preparations for a long-range missile test. The comments followed a call by former Defense Secretary William Perry that the United States use pre-emptive military action if necessary to prevent the launch.
Senior Bush administration officials are […]

UNITED NATIONS - Newly-independent Montenegro is set to become the United Nations’ 192nd member state. Montenegro’s application is expected to win final approval by next week.
The Security Council’s membership committee met Wednesday, setting the stage for formal Council approval of the Montenegrin candidacy Thursday. 
Denmark’s U.N. Ambassador Ellen Margrethe Loj, the Security Council president for June, […]

WASHINGTON - A new report from the Council on Foreign Relations says the United States should pay closer attention to Turkey, a country crucial to U.S. strategic interests. The report lists a number of key issues that the authors say should be addressed.
Relations between the United States and Turkey hit a low point in 2003 […]

PENTAGON - The top U.S. commander in Iraq has accused Iran of increasing its involvement in the Shiite insurgency in Iraq, and using its allies to launch attacks on U.S. forces. At a news conference at the Pentagon, General George Casey also said Sunni insurgents have been increasing their efforts to make peace with the […]