ALBUQUERQUE - The part of U.S. history commonly called “The Wild West” or “Old West,” especially the colorful characters from the 19th century who were often at odds with the law, continue to fascinate people around the world. One such outlaw was Billy the Kid, who remains an iconic figure in the western state of […]

PENTAGON - President Bush’s report to Congress Thursday evaluating progress toward 18 benchmarks of success in Iraq generated immediate controversy, with supporters and opponents of the president’s policy seizing on various parts of the report to justify their views. 
The president’s report gives the Iraqi government a satisfactory rating on eight benchmarks, unsatisfactory on eight others, […]

WASHINGTON - A U.S. official says China is failing to do all it should to stop militarily significant supplies from reaching Iran, even though it voted for U.N. sanctions aimed at preventing Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. 
Ambassador Don Mahley is deputy assistant secretary of state for international security and nonproliferation. He told the U.S.-China Economic […]

CAPITOL HILL - U.S. lawmakers have told a senior State Department official that Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf must act to eliminate Taleban, al-Qaida forces and extremists in his country. 
For the second time this week, lawmakers asked tough questions about the level of President Musharraf’s commitment to the fight against al-Qaida and other extremists using Pakistan […]

WASHINGTON - The African Union (AU) has officially launched its diplomatic mission to the United States. Senior officials from the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa and officials of the Bush administration and Congress were said to be on hand during the launch Wednesday night in Washington.
Amina Salum Ali is the African Union’s ambassador to the […]

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf is to address the nation Thursday as al-Qaida issues calls to Pakistani Muslims to revolt against the government for its raid against militants in Islamabad’s Red Mosque. Security officials say they are prepared for any possible backlash a day after government forces ended an eight-day siege which left 73 […]

WASHINGTON - Bush administration officials are set to meet Thursday, to discuss a new report that says the al-Qaida terrorist network has rebuilt its capabilities to a level not seen since 2001, despite the global war on terrorism.
Officials say the report by the National Counterterrorism Center says al-Qaida has established safe haven in Pakistan since […]

HOUSTON - Former First Lady and environment champion Lady Bird Johnson has died at her home in Texas. The widow of President Lyndon Johnson was 94 and had been in failing health for some time.
Although she came to prominence as the wife of a president, Lady Bird Johnson was regarded as a woman of great […]

PARIS - French President Nicolas Sarkozy is in Tunisia on his first trip outside Europe since his election. Sarkozy met with Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. One of his main objectives is to try to sell the idea of a new partnership between countries that border the Mediterranean.
Nicolas […]

JERUSALEM - Israel is offering an olive branch to Syria.  Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has called for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to resume peace talks that collapsed seven years ago. In an interview with the Arab TV network Al Arabiya, Mr. Olmert said he is ready to sit down and talk about peace, not […]

CAPITOL HILL - As he faces renewed pressure from Congress over the war in Iraq, President Bush and majority Democrats are also locked in legal battles involving other issues.
On two issues, the firing of nine federal prosecutors, and the president’s commuting of the prison sentence of former White House aide Lewis Libby, the war of […]

ISLAMABAD - Pakistani security forces have launched a military assault on militants holding Islamabad’s Red Mosque for the past week. The operation began just before dawn Tuesday after negotiations broke down. At least 40 militants have been killed and officials say they expect the death toll will rise significantly.Huge explosions rocked Islamabad’s Red Mosque early […]

JERUSALEM - The Arab League is sending a delegation to Israel this week for the first time. The 22-nation organization is pushing a new initiative for Mideast peace.
The visit of the Arab League delegation to Israel is a sign of deep concern about the violent takeover of the Gaza Strip last month by the Islamic […]

CAPITOL HILL - The U.S. Senate has begun debate about the Iraq war as part of its consideration of a defense policy bill. Senate Democratic leaders hope to force a series of votes in the coming days aimed at changing U.S. strategy in Iraq.
The Senate’s top Democrat, Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, is hoping […]

IRBIL - This past week, Iraq’s parliament was supposed to begin debating the law seen as its most vital: how the country’s most important resource, oil, will be shared among Shi’ites, Sunnis and Kurds.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki took office in May 2006, promising to make national reconciliation a top priority.  A year later, there has […]

By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST MinistriesDORA, IRAQ (ANS) – Hours after his wife Laila Yacoub Hermis, 68, passed away, an acute psychological trauma killed George Yousif Jajjo, aged 74. The Assyrian couple were living alone besieged in their home due to the imposed blockade on Christians by terrorist groups.
Hours after his wife Laila Yacoub Hermis, […]

JERUSALEM - Israel has decided to release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in a bid to revive the peace process. 
Israel’s cabinet has approved the release of 250 Palestinian prisoners from the Fatah Party of western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.  The aim is to strengthen the moderate Abbas government in the West Bank, after the violent takeover […]

WASHINGTON - President Bush says he will veto domestic spending bills if opposition Democrats want to spend more money than he is asking for.  Democrats say the president is not doing enough to keep the nation safe.
President Bush says it is a moment of testing for opposition Democrats, six months after they won control of […]

By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST MinistriesLONDON, UK (ANS) – A former Imam [head of a Muslim community] is warning that extremists are aiming to establish Sharia law in the UK - and that Britain has become the world “number one target” for Islamic strategists.
A former Imam [head of a Muslim community] is warning that extremists […]

Numerous Germans Tortured and Murdered in Former Parsonage 
By Wolfgang Polzer
Special to ASSIST News ServicePOTSDAM (ANS) – The former Soviet secret service KGB had a prison in Germany, where numerous innocent citizens were tortured and murdered. The infamous prison – a former parsonage in Potsdam near Berlin – will be converted to become the first national […]

TOKYO - The Japanese government has released its annual defense report, underscoring a continuing transformation of its Self-Defense Forces into a modern, outward-looking military. As Yuriko Nagano reports from Tokyo, the white paper also stresses that Japan should play a bigger role in regional security.
The report sheds light on the role of the new Defense […]

STATE DEPARTMENT - The Bush administration is seeking to update a law governing U.S. foreign intelligence surveillance. But members of the Democratic majority in Congress are signaling they may be reluctant to approve the proposed changes because they have concerns about a controversial administration wiretapping program.
The Bush administration is asking Congress to approve changes to […]

STATE DEPARTMENT - The United States Thursday termed “unfortunate” a threat by a senior Russian official to counter a U.S. missile defense system in Europe with new offensive deployments. But the State Department says the Bush administration is otherwise having a constructive dialogue with Moscow on the issue. 
Officials here are not dismissing the missile threat […]

PARIS - France plans to make it harder for families to immigrate to the country. The immigration minister, Brice Hortefeux, proposed new rules for family reunification in the national parliament Wednesday.The proposals announced Wednesday apply mainly to people who want to bring their families to France, and it is going to make the process tougher. […]

WASHINGTON - On the July eighth the Boeing Company will reveal its newest passenger jet in 13 years, the 787 Dreamliner.  It is billed as the hottest-selling and most technologically advanced commercial jet ever.  Boeing already has more than 600 orders for planes to 45 airline customers, worth an estimated $100 billion in sales.  What […]