US – Israel: Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert meets with U.S. President George Bush at the White House today (Monday) with Iran's controversial nuclear program high on the agenda.
Mr. Olmert discussed the issue with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice over dinner late Sunday.
The United States and Israel suspect Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons. Mr. Olmert has said Israel cannot allow Tehran to acquire nuclear weapons because Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called for Israel's destruction.
Iran denies seeking atomic weapons and says its nuclear program is peaceful. Tehran has continued enriching uranium in defiance of U.N. demands to stop.
Iraq:
Iraqi police say a suicide bomber has blown himself up on a bus in Baghdad, killing at least 10 people and wounding nearly 20.
The blast took place today (Monday) in a largely Shi'ite district (Shaab) of northeastern Baghdad. Police also report several shootings in the capital, including the killing of a traffic police official.
In another development, the U.S. military says coalition troops killed eight insurgents and captured 41 others during raids in Baghdad today. The military says the insurgents have links to the al-Qaida in Iraq group.
Elsewhere, Iraqi police say gunmen killed a cameraman (Mohammed al-Ban) for the Arabic television station al-Sharqiyah in the northern city of Mosul.
North Korea: South Korea says it will not join a U.S.-led initiative to inspect North Korean cargo ships to prevent the international trafficking of weapons of mass destruction.
South Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Park In-kook said today (Monday) his country cannot formally take part in the Proliferation Security Initiative because of what he called Seoul's "special situation" with North Korea.
Seoul has said it does not want to trigger naval clashes with North Korean ships, and has maintained a policy of engagement with Pyongyang since the reclusive government tested a nuclear weapon last month.
Vietnam – APEC:
Senior officials at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Hanoi say they will call for a resumption of stalled world trade talks at a gathering of world leaders later this week.
Vietnam's deputy foreign minister (Le Cong Phung) said today (Monday) that representatives of APEC's 21 economies want the World Trade Organization's Doha negotiations to begin again.
The talks fell apart in July after rich and poor nations failed to agree on controversial agricultural subsidies.
Senior APEC officials say delegates will also consider the creation of a regional free trade zone spanning the Pacific.
Vietnam – US Deportee: An American citizen jailed on terrorism charges in Vietnam has been released early and deported to the United States.
Thuong Nguyen "Cuc" Foshee left Ho Chi Minh City on a plane today (Monday) after a court ordered her immediate deportation - about a month ahead of her scheduled release.
Vietnamese officials say the 58-year-old was freed for health reasons. But some observers say Foshee's early release was tied to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting taking place in Hanoi.
President Bush and other world leaders will be joining the meeting later this week.
Vietnam has been working to strengthen trade ties with the U.S., and Foshee's detention threatened to strain that relationship.
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