YEREVAN--The United States and Armenian governments Monday held initial discussions at the US Embassy to consider the Nuclear Smuggling Outreach Initiative. The talks were aimed at negotiating a bilateral action plan to combat nuclear smuggling.

The Indian government has succeeded in getting clearance from its allies communist parties to proceed with talks for India-specific safeguards agreement at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) but with the condition that the government will present the outcome of the discussions with the IAEA to the UPA-Left committee for consideration.

The Bush administration has used discussions between Israeli Transportation Minister and former Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns to insist that there should be no talks between Israel and Syria.

Virginia Tech holds its 2007 University Commencement ceremonies at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 11, in Lane Stadium/Worsham Field. General John Philip Abizaid, U.S. Army (Ret.), former Commander of the United States Central Command, will deliver the keynote address where some 32 associate degree candidates and 3,585 bachelor degree candidates will be honored.

Washington's ambassador at the United Nations says most Security Council members back a plan to grant supervised independence to Kosovo. But as VOA's correspondent at the U.N. Peter Heinlein reports, veto-wielding Russia remains opposed to the plan.

Assocham has said leather exports from India have the potential to touch USD 8 billion by 2012 from the current USD 3 billion on the back of capacity expansion and increased production by manufacturers.

U.S. State Department officials say they believe obstacles to an international agreement on Kosovo's future can be overcome despite vocal Russian opposition to a United Nations mediator's plan. U.S. and other senior diplomats of the six-nation Contact Group on Kosovo met Thursday in London. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.

Executives from eighteen major U.S. corporations are in Vietnam, meeting with senior government officials at a conference sponsored by the US-ASEAN Business Council. As Matt Steinglass reports from Hanoi, they are looking for ways to take advantage of Vietnam's recent entry into the World Trade Organization.

The U.S. military says another 3,700 American troops have arrived in the Iraqi capital to support the security crackdown launched in Baghdad in mid-February. A statement Wednesday says the new brigade will help Iraqi security forces clear, control and retain key areas of Baghdad in order to reduce violence.

Study of 50,000 US Female Online Daters Reveals the Demi Moore Effect

The State Department> says it is seeking clarification of reports Sudan has softened its opposition to new international peacekeepers for Darfur. The reported change of position by Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir came as the Bush administration prepared new sanctions against the Khartoum government.