>>Russia - Today Secretaries Rice and Gates continue what has been widely reported as positive talks on missile defense, non-proliferation, and terrorism in Moscow. Yesterday Secretary Rice confirmed that President Bush had sent a letter to President Putin in the last few days proposing a new strategic framework for cooperation. On Sunday, Secretary Gates suggested that, in order to address Russian concerns about missile defense, the U.S. would not turn on certain elements of the system until Iran demonstrated that it had a missile that could reach Europe. President Putin endorsed portions of the letter on Monday. Secretary Rice is meeting with Kremlin opponents today.

>>Serbia - Yesterday, 100 UN riot police backed by NATO soldiers regained control of a courthouse in Mitrovica in northern Kosovo from which the UN had overseen local justice. The courthouse had been overrun by 300 Serbs on Friday, who refused to leave. The raid, in turn, sparked riots and machine gun and grenade attacks on UN police and NATO peacekeepers in the worst violence in northern Kosovo since Kosovo declared independence last month. One Ukrainian serving in the UN police force was killed by shrapnel, and UN personnel were force to pull out.

>>Pakistan - Pakistan's new National Assembly, led by opponents of President Musharraf, was sworn in on Monday. Fahmida Mizda, a women and a close associate of Bhutto widower Asif Ali Zardari, has been named as the parliamentary speaker pending approval. Meanwhile, the leader of Pakistan's lawyers' movement has said that there will be nationwide protests if the Supreme Court, stacked by Musharraf, decides today to stall the parliamentary resolution to reinstate judges fired by Musharraf. Zardari has said that such a resolution should pass within 30 days.

• A Better Defender of Women's Rights
• World's glaciers melting at record
  rate
• UN Plaza: Amb. Thomas Pickering on
  Iraq

Africa

• Ugandan
  rebel leader leaves base
• 'Deadly
  clashes' in the Comoros
• Botswana
  gems to sparkle at home
• Power-sharing
  deal for Zanzibar
• Kenya's
  MPs to usher in new era
• ANC
  wants Zuma ally in South African government
• Gaddafi
  says Africans must reject conditional aid
• Threat
  recedes of power cut to S.Africa's mines

Americas

• Peru
  accuses Venezuela's Chavez of meddling
• Bolivia
  signs gas deal with Gazprom
• Americas:
  Cuba: Farmers to Buy Their Own Supplies

Asia

• To
  Placate Moscow, U.S. Would Keep Missile-Defense System Off for Now
• China
  thanks India for Tibet move
• Russian
  demonstrators say U.S. must pay crash victim
• Malaysia
  PM shakes up cabinet after poll setback
• Dalai
  Lama says will quit if violence out of control
• Iran
  conservatives extend win with Tehran count
• China
  Tries to Thwart News Reports From Tibet
• Metropolitan
  Laurus, Who Healed Rift in Russian Orthodox Church, Is Dead at 80
• Tibetans
  in India Enraged by Details of Crackdown
• Turkish
  Novelist Up for British Prize
• Taiwanese
  rally ahead of election

Europe

• Sarkozy
  to change presidency style
• EU
  rules out Olympic boycott over Tibet
• Kosovar
  Serbs Clash With the Police
• France:
  Art Heist Near Paris

Elsewhere

• U.S.
  Adapts Cold-War Idea to Fight Terrorists