CAIRO - Internet speeds have slowed to a crawl in much of the Middle East and parts of South Asia after two underwater telecommunications cables were damaged Wednesday in the Mediterranean Sea. The problems are also affecting telephone service in some places, and many businesses are struggling to work around the outages.
Damage done early Wednesday […]

WASHINGTON - This coming Tuesday, February 5, will be the most important day yet in the U.S. presidential race.  More than 20 states are holding primaries, caucuses or state conventions to select party delegates to the national nominating conventions later this year.  
The remaining two Democratic contenders, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama will compete in 22 […]

WASHINGTON - The United States has set tougher identification rules for U.S. and Canadian citizens who want to enter the country from Canada.
Starting Thursday, travelers 19 years of age or older will no longer be able to cross into the United States by land or sea by simply stating their identity or citizenship.
The U.S. Department […]

WHITE HOUSE - President Bush has signed a two-week extension of a controversial terrorist-surveillance program pending congressional action on a permanent measure.  Opposition Democrats want more judicial oversight for the eavesdropping program.
President Bush agreed to another temporary extension of the government’s wiretapping program but warned that members of both political parties in Congress must move […]

BEIJING - A Chinese official says harsh winter weather is threatening food production and adding to inflationary pressures.  Political pressure is also building on the government for its failure to anticipate and solve the problems.
A top Chinese disaster relief official was quoted by Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post newspaper Thursday as calling it the […]

LOS ANGELES - Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney accused rival John McCain of dirty tricks during a lively debate Wednesday evening. The Republican candidates squared off at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, each invoking the legacy of the late president. 
With the former presidential aircraft, Air Force One, as a backdrop, Republican […]

JERUSALEM - A government-appointed commission in Israel says there were grave failings by Israel’s leaders during the 2006 war in Lebanon, but the commission avoided direct criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
The release of the final Winograd Commission report on what has come to be known in Israel as the 2nd Lebanon War has […]

WHITE HOUSE - President Bush says the U.S. economy may be slowing, but it remains resilient, and will rebound.  He spoke shortly after new government figures were released that showed U.S. economic growth cooling to an annual rate of just 0.6 in the final quarter of 2007. 
President Bush was traveling to California when the new […]

WASHINGTON - For the second time in just over a week, the U.S. Central Bank has cut interest rates to try to spur a slowing economy.
Last week, the Federal Reserve aggressively cut a key short-term interest rate by 0.75 percent in what was seen as an emergency move to reassure global financial markets that plunged […]

WASHINGTON - The field of U.S. presidential contenders shrank by two as Democrat John Edwards and Republican Rudy Giuliani decided to end their campaigns. Giuliani endorsed fellow Republican John McCain at a joint appearance in California.
The battle for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination is now down to two contenders, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. 
Former North […]

SYDNEY - Australia will issue its first formal apology for past mistreatment to the country’s Aboriginal people early next month. The new Labor government says the move will be an important milestone in Australia’s race relations.
The apology by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will be the first act of the new government when the Australian parliament […]

JERUSALEM - An Israeli commission is set to release its final report Wednesday about Israel’s conduct during the 2006 war with Hezbollah in Lebanon.
A copy of the Winograd commission’s report will be submitted to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert this evening. Shortly after, commission members will hold a news conference.
The panel’s interim findings were released […]

MIAMI - Senator John McCain has won the Republican presidential primary in Florida, giving him a strong boost in the race for the party’s nomination. In Miami, Senator Hillary Clinton claimed victory in the Democratic race, despite limited campaigning.  
Candidates in both parties wanted a strong showing in the southeastern state, Florida, to give them momentum […]

CAPITOL HILL - A day after President Bush urged Congress to pass the economic stimulus package he negotiated with leaders in the House of Representatives, lawmakers turned their attention to doing just that. The House is expected to vote on the legislation later Tuesday, and the Senate is likely to follow suit later this week.
The […]

WASHINGTON - I’m Kathleen Sebelius, Governor of the State of Kansas.And I am grateful for the opportunity to speak with you tonight. 
I’m a Democrat, but tonight, it really doesn’t matter whether you think of yourself as a Democrat…or a Republican…or an Independent.  Or…none-of-the-above.
Instead, the fact you’re tuning in this evening tells me each of you […]

BEIJING - China’s leaders are rushing to oversee disaster relief efforts and limit the effects of the most brutal winter weather to hit the nation in decades.
Heavy snowfalls and freezing temperatures in China have left dozens of people dead and stranded millions of others trying to return home for the main holiday of the year.
Snow, […]

EL-ARISH - Egyptian authorities are slowly trying to reestablish control over the border with the Gaza Strip. Border guards closed one section Monday and tightened the security cordon around the border town of Rafah. Many Egyptian residents of the area are growing tired of the chaos that has descended upon their towns and want something […]

WASHINGTON - President Bush told Congress in his annual State of the Union address that the objective in Iraq this year is to sustain and build upon the gains that were made in 2007.He said a transition will be made to shift from leading operations to partnering with Iraqi forces and ultimately to assuming a protective […]

WASHINGTON - Madam Speaker, Vice President Cheney, Members of Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens:  Seven years have passed since I first stood before you at this rostrum.  In that time, our country has been tested in ways none of us could have imagined.  We have faced hard decisions about peace and war, rising competition in the […]

BRIGHAM CITY, UTAH — On January 29, 1863, almost 500 Northwestern Shoshone men, women and children perished in the Bear River Massacre. Federal troops trapped and decimated the Tribe at the site of its annual “Warm Dance,” in present Franklin County, Idaho. The Tribe will be conducting a memorial service at 11am, Tuesday, January 29, […]

WASHINGTON - President Bush is urging U.S. congressional leaders to speedily approve a new $150 billion stimulus package aimed at boosting the country’s sluggish economy and helping middle to low income Americans. One group of Americans paying keen attention to the economy is the elderly.
Senior citizens are worried about the health of the nation’s economy and […]

WASHINGTON - Legislation to expand and renew a wiretapping law that expires Friday stalled on the floor of the U.S. Senate Monday amid partisan wrangling. Lawmakers are expected to seek a temporary extension of the measure later this week.
Senate Republicans who support of the legislation failed to muster the 60 votes needed to end debate […]

BEIRUT - Lebanon is observing a day of mourning, after riots in a Hezbollah stronghold of Beirut left more than half a dozen people dead and dozens wounded, putting the country’s embattled pro-Western government on the defensive.
Lebanon’s embattled pro-Western government declared a day of national mourning to honor the victims of Sunday’s rioting in Beirut’s […]

WASHINGTON - An unresponsive United States reconnaissance satellite is in an uncontrolled, decaying orbit and will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere in late February or early March.
According to Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council, “Appropriate government agencies are monitoring the situation.”
The satellite is out-of-control, and therefore there is no possibility to guide it […]

RAFAH - Egyptian border guards have begun restricting traffic across the border from the Gaza Strip, five days after parts of a border security fence was blown up, allowing Palestinians to flood into Egypt to buy food and supplies. Egyptian authorities are blocking supply trucks that are headed toward Rafah - so shopkeepers cannot replenish […]