The U.S. State Department released today its "2006 Country Reports On Human Rights Practices." The reports review the status of internationally recognized individual, civil, political, and worker rights as set forth in the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says the United States has not answered Moscow's questions about a proposed missile-defense system in Europe.

The United States and China have urged North Korea to honor agreements made at six-party nuclear talks last month.

Scientists, business executives and policy makers are talking about climate change a lot these days. But what about the researchers, CEOs and politicians of tomorrow? Today's young people are interested in the issue, but schools face a significant challenge in bringing the latest scientific consensus to the classroom.

The secretary of the U.S. Army has resigned amid a scandal over the quality of health care for troops wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns reports, President Bush wants a bipartisan commission to investigate ahead of Congressional hearings by opposition Democrats.

The U.S. special envoy for Sudan, Andrew Natsios, returned to that country Friday in a new effort to expedite deployment of an upgraded peacekeeping force for the Darfur region. The proposed hybrid African Union and United Nations force remains under-subscribed.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte is in China for talks expected to focus on how to hold North Korea to a nuclear disarmament deal reached in February.

U.S. officials are reporting rapid progress in talks among the major powers on a new U.N. Security Council resolution penalizing Iran for refusing to stop enriching uranium. An agreement among the council's permanent member countries on the main elements of a resolution is expected Saturday.

Officials in Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan say they have not received a request from the United States to host a radar system that would be part of Washington's proposed missile-defense shield in Europe.

John Negroponte, newly installed as the U.S. State Department's No. 2 official, met top Japanese officials today to kick off his first official overseas trip, a three-nation Asian tour seen as focusing on tensions with North Korea and regional security issues.

John Negroponte, the deputy U.S. secretary of state, says North Korea will have to comply with its promise to shut down its nuclear reactor before the United States lifts financial sanctions it imposed. Catherine Makino reports for VOA from Tokyo.

Experts testifying on Capitol Hill say President Bush's upcoming trip to Latin America will be crucial to efforts at improving the U.S. image with governments and people in the region. VOA's Dan Robinson reports from Capitol Hill, where a State Department official responded to lawmakers unhappy with what they see as a weak U.S. economic and diplomatic approach to the region.