Russian President Dmitri Medvedev says a new arms control treaty with the United States is 95 percent complete, but that U.S. missile defense plans are still an issue. Mr. Medvedev said Sunday he is optimistic a new deal will be reached soon. But he called it "sly" to talk about cutting nuclear arms without talking about missile defense. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has called U.S. plans for a missile defense system for Europe the main obstacle to a new arms treaty. U.S. officials say the arms control talks would only cover strategic offensive weapons.

The Haitian government says the confirmed death toll from the massive earthquake that devastated the capital nearly two weeks ago has risen to 150,000. Officials said Sunday the number does not include outlying areas such as Jacmel, where many other bodies are believed to be buried under rubble. Authorities have estimated that the final toll will reach 200,000.  The government officially called off search and rescue operations on Friday, but international rescue teams pulled a man from the rubble of a grocery store in Port-au-Prince on Saturday. Tim Callahan, an official with the U

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- Two combat controllers from the Kentucky Air National Guard's 123d Special Tactics Squadron have been hard at work since arriving here Jan. 16, setting up drop zones and helicopter landing zones, and providing airfield operations and air traffic control at Toussaint L'Ouverture International Airport here. The Airmen are augmenting a special tactics team from the 720th Special Tactics Group, based at Hurlburt Field, Fla.

The amphibious assault ship USS Nassau (LHA 4) arrived off the coast of Haiti on Jan. 23, and began providing humanitarian assistance immediately when they received medical casualties from the earthquake-stricken nation. Nassau was originally scheduled to deploy to the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet Areas of Responsibility to support Maritime Security Operations, however after the recent earthquake that decimated the island nation of Haiti the ship was tasked with assisting the U.S.

Russian President Dmitri Medvedev says opposition parties and increased political competition can help modernize Russia.  He issued the call for reform in a live, nationally-televised meeting of the State Council, in which representatives of small Russian parties condemned media censorship and the ruling United Russia Party.  Russian President Dmitri Medvedev told a Kremlin meeting of various political party leaders and governors that Russia's political system must become more flexible to reflect society's growing diversity.  He says that requires cooperation rather than commands. The Kr

Farmers in Zimbabwe say they face another difficult agricultural season, as the dry spell that has hit the country continues. Weeks into the agricultural season, the rains are nowhere near normal and the crops are showing it.  Zimbabwe Farmers Union Director Paul Zakariya tells VOA even crops that normally thrive under dry conditions are feeling the heat. "We are looking at maize [corn], we are looking at cotton and, in some instances, it's also the tobacco and the other small grains which naturally will be resisting or would be tolerant but they are already succumbing," he said. The

The commander of U.S. forces in Central Asia and the Middle East, General David Petraeus, says Pakistan will likely have to make some deals with tribes along its border with Afghanistan in an effort to consolidate gains its military forces have made, but can not sustain on their own.  Such deals have failed in the past, and U.S.

Roughly 20,000 U.S. troops will be supporting relief efforts in Haiti by Jan. 24, military officials said, adding to the 13,000-strong American force currently there. Comprising the force will be the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, the 82nd Airborne Division's 2nd Brigade and thousands of other troops operating afloat off the Haitian coast and on shore, distributing provisions, assisting in medical operations and helping to maintain security.