WASHINGTON - U.S. Republican candidate John McCain says if he becomes president, once U.S. troops withdraw from Iraq they will not return, because the United States will have won the war.
At a town hall meeting Wednesday in the city of Wilkes-Barre in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, McCain once again criticized his Democratic rival, Barack […]

WASHINGTON - U.S. President George Bush has dropped his opposition to a major housing rescue bill that would provide government support to help the struggling industry.
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino Wednesday said the administration still has concerns about some aspects of the bill, but does not believe there is time for a veto fight with […]

WASHINGTON - As Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama continues his highly publicized overseas tour, his Republican opponent, Senator John McCain, is doing all he can to remain part of the election debate.
Senator McCain’s strategy going into the week was to focus on domestic economic issues, which the polls say are the top concerns of voters […]

WASHINGTON - According to a study published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association, there’s been an increase in the number of foreigners in the United States who are infected with tuberculosis. The authors are proposing a strategy to control disease among high-risk groups. 
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and […]

GENEVA - The United States says it is ready to cut its trade-distorting farm subsides to $15 billion a year in a bid to reach a global trade deal that could help boost the world economy. The offer was made on the second day of a ministerial meeting aimed at wrapping up the seven-year-old negotiation […]

CAPITOL HILL - Longtime Texas oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens is calling on the U.S. government to take steps to reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign oil. He is promoting an energy plan that features wind and natural gas - a proposal he discussed with lawmakers at a congressional hearing Tuesday. 
T. Boone Pickens is a […]

BEIJING - China and Russia have signed a border agreement that settles the demarcation of their 4,300-kilometer border.
In a sign of warming relations, China and Russia signed a pact Monday resolving disputes over the long border that separates the two former Communist rivals.
The agreement was initialed by visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his […]

WASHINGTON - A U.S.-based Jewish foundation Sunday honored more than 60 elderly Polish Christians who risked their lives hiding Jews from the occupying Nazis in World War II.
The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous gives Poles financial aid to help bolster their small government pensions.
Some of the honorees told their stories during a ceremony in Warsaw. […]

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration says the U.S. economy will continue to experience slow growth in the months ahead, but is fundamentally sound. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson gave his assessment of economic conditions after a week of turmoil in banking and mortgage sectors and wild fluctuations in oil prices.
Since late last year, U.S. gross domestic […]

GENEVA - After more than five hours of negotiations, the latest round of high-powered talks aimed at resolving Iran’s nuclear program, once again, have ended in deadlock.    Despite the first-ever presence of a senior U.S. official at the negotiating table, no progress has been made in settling this contentious issue. 
European Union Foreign Minister, Javier Solana […]

WHITE HOUSE - U.S. President George Bush wants Congress to expand offshore oil drilling to help bring down record high gasoline prices. Opposition Democrats say oil companies should start by using offshore leases they already hold.  
President Bush this past week lifted an executive ban on drilling for more oil in America’s Outer Continental Shelf, […]

By Jeremy Reynalds
Correspondent for ASSIST News Service
MADRID (ANS) – King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has called on followers of the world’s main religions to turn away from extremism and embrace a spirit of reconciliation.
The king was opening a conference in Madrid which brings together Muslims, Christians, Jews and Buddhists.
BBC News reported he said the […]

GENEVA - The United States is joining, for the first time, nuclear negotiations between Iran and the European Union. The meeting, which also includes representatives from Britain, Germany, France, Russia and China, is taking place behind closed doors in Geneva’s historic city hall. The high-powered delegation aims to persuade Iran to end its nuclear program.  
The […]

WASHINGTON - U.S. President George Bush used his weekly radio address Saturday to explain his administration’s solutions for some of America’s economic problems.
Mr. Bush said his decision to lift a presidential ban on offshore oil exploration will help address rising gasoline prices. He also repeated his call for Congress to lift a similar legislative ban.
But […]

WASHINGTON - The White House says President George Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki have agreed to set a “time horizon” for reducing U.S. forces in Iraq.
A White House spokeswoman says the two leaders spoke Thursday by secure video conference. She says they agreed that a withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq would be […]

WHITE HOUSE - President Bush got a first hand look Thursday at the damage caused by the wildfires that have ravaged parts of northern California. 
White House officials say this is the single largest fire event in the history of California.
Since a massive lightning storm on June 21, more than 2000 wildfires have destroyed roughly 364,000 […]

MOSCOW - DNA tests have positively identified the remains of two children of the last Russian czar, settling a mystery that had long surrounded their fate. The memory of the murdered czarist family is still honored by many in Russia.  
The Russian General Prosecutor’s office says remains found last year in the city of Yekaterinburg have […]

WASHINGTON - Oil prices have plummeted for a second day in a row, following a report on U.S. oil inventories.
The price of crude oil in New York dropped more than $6 in trading Wednesday, falling below $133 a barrel.
The movement followed a U.S. Energy Department report saying the country’s supplies of crude oil rose by […]

WHITE HOUSE - U.S. President George Bush says the U.S. economy is sound, despite a series of financial setbacks. Mr. Bush sought to reassure consumers unnerved by rising gas prices and uncertainty in the housing market.  
The president acknowledges this is a difficult time for American families, but he says the economy will eventually rebound.
“We […]

WHITE HOUSE - U.S. President George Bush is urging lawmakers to act quickly on legislation to financially support mortgage lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, while expressing optimism that the country will weather the credit crisis.
The president spoke to reporters Tuesday in an attempt to assure the country, and investors, that the government’s action would […]

JERUSALEM - Israel and the Lebanese Shi’ite militant group Hezbollah carried out a prisoner exchange Wednesday - swapping five Lebanese prisoners for the bodies of two Israeli soldiers.  
Two years after they were abducted in a cross-border raid by Hezbollah guerillas, the remains of Israeli soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev were brought to the […]

WASHINGTON - Reports from the Middle East say US Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama will visit both Israel and the West Bank next week as part of a major foreign trip. Other stops include Iraq, Afghanistan, and several European locations.
The Obama campaign has released few details about the senator’s forthcoming itinerary, but Israeli and Palestinian […]

WHITE HOUSE - U.S. President George Bush says he will continue to press for greater religious freedom in his meetings with world leaders - including those in China. Mr. Bush spoke at a ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of legislation designed to promote religious freedom around the world. 
The president says in too many countries, too […]

WHITE HOUSE - U.S. President George Bush is stepping up pressure on Congress to open up off shore oil exploration. Mr. Bush has lifted an executive order banning offshore drilling and is urging lawmakers to complete the process by dropping a legislative prohibition. 
President Bush is upping the stakes in his battle with Congress over domestic […]