By Ron Brackin
Special Correspondent, ASSIST News ServiceDALLAS, TX (ANS) – In the Gaza Strip, Sunday, January 28, a 20-year-old man was shot through the heart and killed. He was the AWANA Club driver for Gaza Baptist Church. The next morning, a bullet stuck the home of another church member, barely missing his head.
In the Gaza […]

WHITE HOUSE - U.S. President George Bush told legislators from the Democratic Party, which now controls Congress, that his new strategy for the war in Iraq is the best chance for success. Democrats are pushing Congressional resolutions opposing the president’s plan to send more U.S. troops.Acknowledging opposition to his plans for Iraq, President Bush said […]

Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida and America’s Second Harvest Bring Emergency Food to Communities Throughout the Region
CHICAGO — America’s Second Harvest — The Nation’s Food Bank Network is actively assisting the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida after overnight tornadoes slammed Central Florida cities leaving thousands without power and with only limited […]

STATE DEPARTMENT - The international diplomatic “Quartet” on the Middle East Friday endorsed an upcoming three-way U.S., Palestinian and Israeli meeting aimed at reopening discussion of final-status issues of the peace process. But Quartet principals disagreed openly on the wisdom of direct dialogue with Syria and the radical Palestinian movement Hamas.
The Quartet parties, the United […]

BEIRUT - Last week’s violence in Lebanon, after two months of opposition protests, were a sign of how hostile the atmosphere has become. A new group is calling for more reasoned dialogue between the opposition and the government, but analysts say the crisis will not really end until the problems that led to it are […]

WASHINGTON - People all around the world will be watching the Super Bowl this Sunday (Feb 4).  The Super Bowl is, in effect, the world championship of American football. Most people will concentrate on the game, but one former player will split his attention between the big game and the health of both current and […]

MIAMI - While the National Football League’s Championship Game, the Super Bowl, is played in the United States by U.S. teams, it has worldwide appeal. This year’s game in Miami, Florida will be broadcast live to 232 countries and territories including China, Russia, Belgium, Hungary, Japan and France.
More than 3,000 media members are credentialed for […]

WASHINGTON - A new U.S. intelligence estimate says that the chaotic situation in Iraq could deteriorate further unless the warring sectarian parties compromise.  But it says that the current political climate makes such reconciliation difficult. 
A new U.S. intelligence estimate says the security situation in Iraq will continue to deteriorate in the next 12 to 18 […]

WASHINGTON - The U.S. government has a introduced a system to rate the severity of a potential influenza pandemic. Public health officials say it will help states and communities determine the appropriate level of preparation if the H5N1 bird flu or a similar virus spreads through the population.
The new U.S. flu severity index copies the […]

JERUSALEM - Clashes between the Palestinian factions, Hamas and Fatah escalated Friday. Two senior Fatah officials were gunned down early in the day bringing to ten - the number of people killed since a ceasefire collapsed on Thursday. There was also violence in the West Bank where Israeli forces killed two armed Palestinians.
Gun battles that […]

WASHINGTON - President Bush says prayer speaks to the true strength of America.In remarks at the 55th annual National Prayer Breakfast Thursday, Mr. Bush said although citizens of the United States come from many faiths, Americans share a profound conviction in their beliefs.
He hailed U.S. servicemembers in war zones around the world, and hailed America […]

WASHINGTON — Neal Chapman Coombs, a 50-year-old resident of Hastings, Fla., was sentenced today to 14 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, the Justice Department announced today. Coombs pleaded guilty on August 16, 2006 to a racially motivated civil rights crime involving a cross burning.
In August 2006, Coombs was […]

Scripture Translation Makes Progress – Mission Far From Accomplished 
By Wolfgang Polzer
Special to ASSIST News ServiceREADING (ANS) – The efforts to make the Bible available in every mother tongue are making progress. But the mission is still far from accomplished.
The efforts to make the Bible available in every mother tongue are making progress. But the mission […]

WASHINGTON (RFE/RL) — Washington has again charges that Iran is helping Iraqi militants make lethal bombs used against U.S. soldiers and has warned Tehran to end the practice.
The warning follows the January 11 arrests of half a dozen alleged Iranian operatives in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil and the seizure of documents from their offices.
U.S. […]

WASHINGTON - President Bush says he has examined all proposals for Iraq and that adding more American troops is his best option.Mr. Bush made the comment in an interview in New York Wednesday with the U. S. broadcaster Fox News.
He said failure in Iraq would create chaos and embolden terrorists to strike in the United […]

JERUSALEM - Israel’s government says it is considering moving the West Bank security barrier eastward, farther into the West Bank to enclose two Jewish settlements.   Palestinian officials have condemned the proposal. 
Israeli officials confirm that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert could bring a measure before the cabinet that would move Israel’s controversial security barrier five kilometers to […]