The Vatican says Pope Benedict XVI discussed "the worrying situation" in Iraq with U.S. President George W. Bush during a meeting at the Vatican today. The Holy See said the pontiff told Bush he would like to see a "regional and negotiated" solution to conflicts in the Middle East.

Efforts in the U.S. Senate to approve a major reform of U.S. immigration law are on the brink of failure amid disagreements between majority Democrats and Republicans over its provisions.

It's questionable that President George W. Bush will be favourite partner of China after he met with with a prominent Muslim activist who is an outspoken critic of China's rule in the far western Xinjiang region.

Russian opposition leader Garry Kasparov has described U.S. President George W. Bush's speech during the international Democracy and Security Conference as "cautious" on Russia.

U.S. President George W. Bush's call for a summit to find ways to reduce greenhouse gases is "purely and simply smoke and mirrors".

Dan Bartlett today submitted his resignation as The White House counselor to President Bush. Bartlett said he was resigning for family reasons "to get a less demanding job so he can concentrate on helping raise three children all under the age of 4."

President Bush is reported ready to ask the U.S. Congress to provide an additional $30 billion towards battling the worldwide HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Cuban President Fidel Castro is urging industrialized nations to press President Bush on climate change at a summit next week.

A senior administration official says President Bush will nominate former Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick to be the new president of the World Bank. Zoellick had also served as U.S. Trade Representative.

Sudan says President Bush is unjustified in his decision to impose new sanctions on Khartoum because of the situation in Darfur. Before the sanctions were even announced at the White House on Monday, Sudanese officials protested the threat, saying every effort is being made to end the conflict in Darfur.

The U.S. administration plans to implement drastic cuts in financial aid to rights groups in Russia and Ukraine next year, The Washington Post said Monday, citing a Freedom House report.

U.S. Congressional Democrats say the passage of funding legislation for Iraq, even without setting a timetable for a U.S. withdrawal, marks a major step forward in efforts to end the war there. VOA's Dan Robinson reports that with approval of the measure, key Republicans are once again signaling that President Bush must consider altering his approach on Iraq if conditions there do not improve over the next four months.