U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, refusing to rule out military action, says Washington will "do everything" it can to deprive Iran of nuclear weapons.

The U.S. military says it is investigating whether civilians, including children, were killed during heavy clashes with insurgents in the western Iraqi city of Al-Ramadi on February 22.

The United States says that it wants to build a European missile shield to protect against threats from countries it considers rogue states, including North Korea and Iran.

U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney is using a visit to Australia to praise it for "never wavering in the war on terror."

The Bush administration is defending the U.S. economic embargo of Cuba, despite the transfer of executive power on the island from ailing president Fidel Castro to his brother, Raul. VOA's Michael Bowman reports from Washington, where U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez spoke at length about the embargo Wednesday.

U.S. National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley held talks today in Moscow with Russian Security Council chief Igor Ivanov.

President Bush says the American intelligence community must implement more reforms in order to meet the challenges of the war on terrorism. VOA's Paula Wolfson reports he spoke at the ceremonial swearing-in of the nation's new intelligence director.

The Bush administration said Tuesday it has begun consultations on a new U.N. Security Council resolution that would further penalize Iran for failing to heed demands to halt uranium enrichment. An initial Security Council deadline for Iran to comply expires Wednesday.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has accused the United States of seeking nuclear superiority over Russia. In an interview published today, Lavrov dismissed U.S. claims that a proposed missile-defense system in Europe was aimed at Iran and North Korea.

U.S. Congressman Tom Lantos (Democrat, California) has called for an end to a decades-old U.S. restriction on trade with Russia.

U.S. President George W. Bush has attended the swearing-in of retired Admiral Mike McConnell as the country's second director of national intelligence.

Blonder Tongue Laboratories, Inc. announces the signing of a non-exclusive distribution agreement with Motorola, Inc. for the sales and distribution of Motorola's Connected Home Solutions voice and data products as well as HITS Quick Take Plus hardware and DCT set-top boxes for the private cable, lodging and institutional markets in the United States.