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Now here is universal time and here is the News from The Voice of America.
From the VOA news center in Washington, I'm Franso Alonzo.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair met with Palestinian leaders in the West Bank on the second day of a peace mission to the Middle East. As Robert Berger reports from VOA's Jerusalem bureau, he held talks earlier with senior Israeli officials including the Prime Minister.

Mr. Blair traveled to the West Bank town of Ramallah and met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The British Prime Minister said that in the wake of the war in Lebanon it is time to revive the road map peace plan.

We must obviously recommit ourselves again to the two states solution and to the road map obviously is the means of getting there.

The road map has been dead since the election of the Islamic militant group Hamas in January. Hamas rules out negotiations and seeks Israel's destruction. But Mr. Abbas who is from the more moderate Fatah Party said he is ready to meet unconditionally with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. The Palestinian leader spoke through an interpreter at a joint news conference with Mr. Blair.

I would like to emphasize today our readiness to resume serious negotiations that put an end to the conflict and an end to the cycle of the violence in the region.
Robert Berger for VOA news, Jerusalem.

A senior European diplomat and Iran's chief nuclear negotiator say they have made progress in talks over Iran's nuclear program. In Vienna today, the European Union's foreign policy chief Javier Solana said discussions with Iran's Ali Larijani have been productive and that negotiations will continue in the coming days. Larijani said some misunderstandings have been cleared up.

The NATO-led force in Afghanistan says two coalition troops working with the Afghan army have been killed in separate incidents in the volatile south. A military statement says the troops, whose nationality was not released, were killed late Saturday in Kandahar and Zabul provinces. Elsewhere, a suicide bomber assassinated the governor of Afghanistan's eastern Paktia province and two other people.

Iraq's parliament has delayed the debate on Shiite proposals to create a new autonomous region in the south of the country. Iraqi officials say the session was postponed because of a strong opposition by Sunni political parties which argued that federalism will lead to the break of the country. The main Shiite political bloc in parliament, the United Iraq Alliance, has submitted a bill calling for a three-way federal system in Iraq.

President Bush is taking part in 2 days of somber vans to mark the 5th anniversary of the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United states. Today he and first lady Laura Bush go to New York city to participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the site known as Ground Zero. That's where the World Trade Center stood before Al-Qaeda used two hijacked airliners as guided missiles to bring down the twin towers. Meanwhile the president warns Congress to approve military commissions to try suspected terrorists leaders in US custody. VOA White House correspondent S D reports.

As Americans prepare to mark that anniversary, President Bush says they remember the brutality of the enemy who struck and the nation's resolved to defeat them. So the president is asking Congress to approve military commissions to put these suspected terrorists on trial.

As soon as Congress acts to authorize the military commissions, we will prosecute these men and send a clear message to those who killed Americans. No matter how long it takes, we will find you and bring you to justice.

Among those the president wants to try before the commissions are 14 suspects previously held in secret by the Central Intelligence Agency. Mr. Bush publicly acknowledged that previously classified program this past week saying no suspects are now being held at the US Naval base in Guantanamo Bay Cuba. The president used his weekly radio address to recap a series of speeches he has given about terrorism ahead of the September 11 anniversary. Some opposition Democrats say Mr. Bush is politicizing the issue in hopes of helping Republicans in congressional elections in November. S D VOA news at the White House.

Asian leaders are in Finland's capital for a summit with the European Union to tackle global trade and security . The two-day Asia-Europe meeting opens today in Helsinki. Heads of state and government from 38 Asian and European nations are participating.

You can read these stories more in depth by visiting to our web-side 24 hours a day at VOAnews.com
I'm Franso Alonzo in Washington, you are listening to VOA news.