BUTTE, MONTANA - Famous Beloved Stuntman Evel Knievel has died at the age of 69 according to a family member.
Knievel’s granddaughter, Krysten Knievel confirms that he died after his health failed due to diabetes and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. In 1999 he also underwent a liver transplant after complications from hepatitis C. he was born Robert […]

MOSCOW - President Vladimir Putin has signed a law suspending Russia’s participation in the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty.
Word that President Putin signed a law suspending the CFE Treaty came in a brief statement issued by the Kremlin. The suspension goes into effect on December 12.
The treaty, considered a key element of European security, places […]

By Stan Wilson
Special to ASSIST News Service
MASADA, ISRAEL (ANS) – The Ministry of Tourism of the state of Israel invited publishers of 10 American Christian newspapers to tour Israel this June, and I was fortunate enough to be one of the visitors. I’ve heard many people say, “Visit Israel and you will never be […]

WASHINGTON - On December 12, top negotiators for Israel and the Palestinians are scheduled to meet for bilateral discussions designed to tackle the most difficult issues between them. The goal is to conclude a peace treaty by the end of next year.  Both sides agreed to launch the talks at the recent Annapolis conference, reviving […]

WHITE HOUSE - President Bush wants Congress to give American troops more money for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Opposition Democrats want additional funding linked to a plan to begin withdrawing U.S. forces from Iraq.
President Bush met privately with uniformed military chiefs at the Pentagon to discuss the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as well […]

PENTAGON - The Pentagon is disputing a claim by Russia’s foreign minister that a series of written proposals on missile defense sent to Moscow last week do not match offers made verbally in October during a visit by Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice.
Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell told a news […]

PENTAGON - The Pentagon has protested to China about the denial of access to Hong Kong Harbor for three U.S. Navy ships last week, and says China’s explanation so far has not been sufficient. A military attache from China’s embassy in Washington went to the Pentagon to hear U.S. concerns.
Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell says […]

STATE DEPARTMENT - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Wednesday named retired U.S. Marine General James Jones to be a special envoy for Middle East security. The move is intended to support the launch of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks announced at Tuesday’s Annapolis conference. 
Jones is a former supreme commander of NATO forces, and his appointment as security […]

ISLAMABAD - Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has stepped down as chief of the army in a ceremony transferring power to his hand-picked successor, General Ashfaq Kayani.
Members of Pakistan’s caretaker government joined journalists and military officers for the resignation ceremony in a small stadium in Rawalpindi.
In the country’s first such transfer of power broadcast live on […]

ANNAPOLIS - Israeli and Palestinian leaders agreed Tuesday to seek a final-status peace accord by the end of next year - ending a seven year impasse. The parties, making the announcement at the U.S.-organized Annapolis conference, said the United States will monitor the process. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will […]

ADDIS ABABA - The United States says it is more than doubling humanitarian aid to Ethiopia’s troubled Ogaden region. The announcement was made Saturday following talks beween top U.S. foreign aid officials and Ethiopia’s prime minister on the importance of stability in the Horn of Africa region. The meeting came days before a deadline in […]

JERUSALEM - Israeli and Palestinian leaders and delegates from around the world are gathering for this week’s Middle East peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland. One of the most difficult issues on the agenda is the status of Jerusalem, a city that is holy to Jews, Christians, and Muslims.
Israeli right-wing activists have launched the “One Jerusalem” […]

WHITE HOUSE - President Bush meets Monday at the White House with Israeli and Palestinian leaders as delegations gather for a U.S.- led Mideast conference in nearby Annapolis, Maryland. The goal is to move the Israeli-Palestinian peace process to a new phase. 
The conference begins with a dinner at the State Department Monday evening, followed by […]

JERUSALEM - The Palestinian militant group Hamas is expressing anger over an Arab endorsement of next week’s international peace conference in the United States. Israel has welcomed Arab participation.
Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, has condemned the decision by Arab states to attend the upcoming Middle East peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland. The group described […]

WASHINGTON - Former Venezuelan Defense Minister Raul Isaias Baduel is predicting that the Venezuelan people will vote next month against proposed constitutional changes that would greatly expand President Hugo Chavez’s power.General Baduel made his comments in an exclusive interview Friday with VOA. Baduel said he is a fervent believer in democracy because he said that […]

BEIRUT - Lebanon’s outgoing president, Emile Lahoud, has asked the army to take charge of security in the country, after members of parliament again failed to elect a successor, shortly before he left office at midnight. Failure to choose a successor leaves the country facing a political power vaccum. 
President Lahoud’s spokesman, Rafiq Shalala, told reporters […]

WASHINGTON - On Tuesday, world leaders will gather in Annapolis, Maryland to discuss peace between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.  President Bush announced the peace conference earlier this year.   He will host a dinner at the White House Monday evening.  The U.S. advocates the so-called two-nation solution. 
On Wednesday, Egypt and Turkey became the first two […]

HONG KONG - The final Japanese navy tanker has returned home from the Indian Ocean, ending a six-year mission in support of U.S. led coalition troops in Afghanistan. The tanker’s return comes amid a political deadlock over whether to continue the controversial mission.
The Japanese tanker was welcomed to a port in Tokyo by cheering families, […]

WHITE HOUSE - This Thanksgiving holiday President Bush says Americans are grateful for members of the U.S. military serving overseas. The president and Mrs. Bush are spending the holiday at the presidential retreat at Camp David.
President Bush telephoned a dozen American servicemen and women to wish them a happy Thanksgiving.
He called seven Army, Marine, and […]

WASHINGTON - Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee is showing some strength as a Republican presidential contender in the early contest state of Iowa.  Huckabee is not as well known nationally as some of the other Republican contenders, but he hopes a good showing in Iowa will boost his presidential prospects.
The latest Washington Post ABC News […]

WASHINGTON - The traditional American holiday, Thanksgiving, originated as a day to celebrate and give thanks for the season’s bountiful harvest. And for many Americans, Thanksgiving means eating roasted turkey and mashed potatoes, spending time with family and prepping for the holiday shopping season. 
President Bush this week kicked off the holiday by pardoning two turkeys […]

AMSTERDAM - The chestnut tree that gave Anne Frank hope as she lived in hiding during the German occupation of the Netherlands during World War II has got a last-minute reprieve.   A Dutch judge has ruled the tree, which was to be cut down Wednesday, will remain, as city officials try to come up with […]

STATE DEPARTMENT - The State Department late Tuesday confirmed plans to convene a much-heralded conference on the Middle East next week in Annapolis, Maryland near Washington. Bush administration officials say they hope the gathering can serve as a launching pad for negotiations leading to a two-state solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Preparations for the Annapolis conference […]

WASHINGTON - Thursday is the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States. So it is time for the American president to take part in the annual ritual of sparing the life of the National Thanksgiving Turkey.
Turkey is the traditional meal at Thanksgiving. And yet every holiday for the last 60 years, at least one bird has […]

ISTANBUL - Turkey is still massing tens of thousands soldiers on the Iraqi border, a response to a series of attacks by Kurdish militants that have claimed the lives of more than 50 soldiers and civilians. Rebels of the Kurdistan Workers Party or PKK, many based in northern Iraq, have been fighting Turkey for autonomy […]