Iraqi Vice President Adil Abd al-Mahdi told U.S. President George W. Bush today that the Baghdad crackdown is doing "better than expected," but will not by itself end Iraq's sectarian strife.

A top U.S. energy official has praised Russia's decision to delay construction of the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran.

A U.S. general is meeting with Ukrainian officials for a second day of talks on U.S. plans for a missile-defense shield in Europe.

The U.S. military is stepping up its security operation in Iraq's restive Diyala Governorate.

Vice President Dick Cheney says a precipitous withdrawal from Iraq would be dangerous for the United States and for the entire Middle East. His comments came in Washington Monday in a speech to a gathering sponsored by an influential lobbying group. VOA's Stephanie Ho has more on the story.

An Iranian official says his government is working to get a U.S. visa for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad so he can address the U.N. Security Council.

Uzbekistan says a U.S. government report claiming prisoners in Uzbekistan are routinely tortured is "biased and counterproductive."

South Korean and U.S. negotiators have concluded their final round of formal talks aimed at a free trade deal. Although they say a deal is close, some of the most sensitive issues remain to be worked out in informal meetings, which may require the intervention of higher-level officials on both sides. VOA's Kurt Achin reports from Seoul.

China's commerce minister on Monday rejected U.S. pressure over its soaring trade surplus, criticizing proposed punitive tariffs as a violation of free trade that would hurt American companies.

U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney today detailed the administration's argument against efforts in Congress to limit the war in Iraq. Cheney told the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) it is time Congress shifted its attention from leaving Iraq to winning the war there.

U.S. President George Bush made a brief visit to Colombia Sunday to meet President Alavaro Uribe on the third stop of his five-nation Latin American tour.

NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer has warned that a proposed U.S. missile-defense system risks splitting the alliance.