US President George Bush today accused Democrats of conducting a political debate on the war in Iraq while delaying action on money to upgrade equipment and give US troops a pay raise.

US President George Bush signed an order today banning cruel and inhumane treatment, humiliation or denigration of prisoners’ religious beliefs from interrogation techniques for terrorist suspects.

US President George Bush will undergo a routine colonoscopy tomorrow and temporarily hand over US presidential powers to Vice President Dick Cheney, White House press secretary Tony Snow said.

Arms negotiators today failed to set a firm deadline for North Korea to disable its nuclear facilities following the shutdown of its reactor, only agreeing to more consultations on Pyongyang’s disarmament.

A radical and violent segment of the Muslim population in the West is expanding, according to a new National Intelligence Estimate on threats to the United States.

Senate Democrats refused to flinch today as the chamber moved towards a rare, all-night session of debate on legislation to bring US troops home later this year.

Republicans dismissed a Democratic plan for an all-night session of the US Senate to debate President Bush’s military strategy in Iraq amid bipartisan proposals to redeploy US troops.

US President George Bush, taking on a more active role in the Mideast conflict, is offering new financial support to embattled Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ government.

US airports and public transport systems are tightening security today following the terrorist incidents in Britain.

AT the Green Party conference on June 13, I argued against the party joining the Fianna Fáil Government because it risked being complicit in future human rights abuses and corruption.

Suspected al-Qaida bombers have toppled the towering minarets of Samarra's revered Shiite shrine, dealing a bold blow to Iraqi hopes for peace and reopening old wounds a year after the mosque's Golden Dome was destroyed.

US officials have emphatically denied that President George Bush’s watch was stolen as he shook hands with enthusiastic Albanians.

US President George Bush today urged Congress to authorise an additional €22bn to fight Aids in Africa over five years, double the current US commitment.

People flooded out of a besieged refugee camp in Lebanon last night after three days of fighting between Lebanese troops and Islamic militants.

The White House offered an apparent olive branch to international critics over embattled World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz, saying “all options are on the table” about who should lead the bank, even as it continued to defend the former Pentagon number two.

The White House defended embattled World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz today, saying findings that he broke bank rules in arranging a hefty pay package for his girlfriend did not amount to “a firing offences.”

The White House today acknowledged public frustration with the Iraq war but tried to play down Republican anxieties as the House of Representatives prepared to pass legislation that could cut off funding for US troops as early as July.

The US State Department today hailed departing British Prime Minister Tony Blair as a good friend of the American people and “a terrific leader” for his country.

The American White House laid on special touches at President George Bush’s first-ever white-tie state dinner to honour the Queen during her visit to Washington.

The Bush administration today welcomed the election of French president-elect Nicolas Sarkozy, a pro-American conservative, as an opportunity to strengthen relations with France.

Guantanamo Bay will stay open beyond the end of George Bush's presidency despite his desire to close it, the White House said tonight.

A UNITED States Senate panel has authorised subpoenas for White House political adviser Karl Rove and other top aides involved in the sacking of federal prosecutors.

A United States Senate panel, following the House of Representatives' lead, has authorised subpoenas for White House political adviser Karl Rove and other top aides involved in the sacking of federal prosecutors.

A fresh round of international nuclear talks opened today with negotiators inching closer toward setting a timetable for North Korea’s disarmament after the biggest obstacle hindering discussions was removed – £13m (€19m) in frozen North Korean funds.

Former President George Bush Snr was in good spirits as he gave a speech last night, a day after being overcome by the sweltering desert heat and staying overnight at a Southern California hospital.

Former US President George Bush Snr was treated at a California hospital for dehydration and released today after collapsing during a golf game in Palm Springs.

THE White House offered support yesterday for Vice President Dick Cheney, a powerful proponent of the Iraq war, after the conviction of his top aide dealt a fresh blow to Cheney’s political reputation and raised new questions about his influence.

Attorneys for convicted former vice presidential aide Lewis “Scooter” Libby began working on a request for a new trial today as the Bush White House tried to knock down speculation about a possible pardon in the CIA leak case.

The Iraqi Cabinet has approved a draft law to manage the country’s vast oil industry and distribute its wealth among the population.

The White House said today that a landmark agreement with North Korea was “a very important first step” toward the nuclear disarmament of North Korea and the Korean peninsula.

IRAN yesterday rejected US accusations that the highest levels of Iranian leadership have armed Shi’ite militants in Iraq with armour-piercing roadside bombs.

Delivering his first State of the Union address to a Democratic-controlled Congress, US President George Bush hopes to balance a rebuke of his Iraq policy already promised by lawmakers with a high-profile invitation to cooperate on vexing domestic problems.

President George Bush authorised a series of US raids against Iranians in Iraq as part of a broad military offensive, his secretary of state Condoleezza Rice said today.

US officials say there is no immediate plan to strike targets in Iran, but would not rule out military action.

The White House announced a shuffling of US military leaders in the Iraq war today as Congress’ new Democratic chiefs criticised plans president George W Bush is considering to boost US troop strength in the war zone.

The White House today announced a shuffling of US military leaders in the Iraq war today as Congress' new Democratic chiefs criticised plans President George W Bush is considering to boost US troop strength in the war zone.

US President George Bush told the Iraqi prime minister tonight that "it was the right thing to do" to investigate the mobile phone video of Saddam Hussein at his hanging, the White House media spokesman said.

The Bush administration today sent conflicting signals about the taunting and baiting that accompanied Saddam Hussein’s execution as the White House did not join criticism of the former Iraqi president’s hanging and the state department and US military raised questions about it.

US President George Bush, who has contended that the US was winning the war in Iraq, has said the first time that American forces were not winning there.

The White House today defended Laura Bush’s decision not to disclose she had a skin cancer tumour removed from her right shin last month.

US President George Bush says he is happy for Mary Cheney, the openly gay daughter of Vice President Dick Cheney, who revealed earlier this month that she is pregnant.

President George Bush will meet his defence experts today to thrash out the nuts and bolts of his yet-to-be-revealed Iraq strategy plan.

US President George W Bush today opened three days of intensive consultations on Iraq, aiming to reverse the course of the nearly four-year-old war and energise his final two years in office.

US President George Bush is meeting British Prime Minister Tony Blair today as the American leader faces urgent pressure to find a fresh strategy in Iraq following a scathing bi-partisan commission report that says his war policies have failed and “time is running out”.