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The United States is pleased with progress toward eliminating nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula, but North Korea also must honor pledges to issue a complete declaration of its nuclear programs.  "The denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is in everyone's interest," Secretary Condoleezza Rice says in talks with Chinese leaders.

"We thought there may be a mission accomplished here, and we may have been instrumental in opening a little door," New York Philharmonic music director Lorin Maazel says following the first performance by a U.S. orchestra in North Korea.  The historic event combined Korean folk songs with some of the world’s best-known classical music.

Biomass has been a reliable, simple source of power since early humans burned their first logs at least 400,000 years ago. America.gov looks at the ways in which technical advances are bringing biomass-derived energy into the future and the challenges the emerging biomass industry faces.

On the final stop of his five-nation Africa tour, President Bush tells the Liberian people that the United States stands with them and will help them recover from decades of civil war. As part of that effort, he pledges 1 million textbooks for Liberian schools and locally made school desks and seating for 10,000 Liberian schoolchildren.

Space shuttle Atlantis punches through high clouds and touches down on runway 15 at Kennedy Space Center after a 12-day mission that delivered to the international space station and installed the European Space Agency’s Columbus laboratory, and set the stage for the next series of launches in the United States and Europe.

The change from the regime of Fidel Castro should offer the Cuban people an opportunity to pursue democracy, and the United States is ready to help Cuba realize this possibility, President Bush says. Castro announced February 19 that he was stepping down as president of Cuba and commander of the Cuban armed forces.

In Ghana, President Bush explains how the new Africa Command (AFRICOM) is a part of his administration’s strategy “to support African leaders to deal with Africa’s problems.” He says AFRICOM will not involve adding new military bases on the continent. He also announces a health initiative for neglected tropical diseases.

Pledging to work with Kosovo for a peaceful transition to independence, President Bush says, "Kosovo committed itself to the highest standards of democracy, including freedom and tolerance and justice for citizens of all ethnic backgrounds.  These are principles that honor human dignity; they are values America looks for in a friend."

President Bush and first lady Laura Bush visit the Kigali Memorial Centre to pay respects to the more than 800,000 victims of Rwanda’s 1994 genocide and to genocide victims worldwide. After their tour, the Bushes lay a memorial wreath on one of the mass graves on the site, which contains the remains of more than 258,000 genocide victims.

The situation in Kenya is "a crisis that needs to end soon," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says following talks with Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki, political opposition leader Raila Odinga and other concerned parties. Violence following the flawed December 2007 presidential election has killed hundreds and displaced thousands.

Calling the suffering caused by malaria "needless," and "every death caused by malaria ... unacceptable," President Bush says a new initiative that will distribute 5.2 million free bed nets in Tanzania will be enough to protect every child in the country between the ages of 1 and 5.  Bush also discusses other steps to prevent malaria.

The United States formally recognizes Kosovo as a sovereign and independent state February 18. “In light of the conflicts of the 1990s, independence is the only viable option to promote stability in the region," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says. Kosovo has been a U.N. protectorate since 1999 policed by 16,000 NATO-led forces.

The United States welcomes the Kosovo government's commitment to implement the far-reaching provisions of a U.N. plan that includes supervised independence and protection for ethnic and religious communities, a senior U.S. official says.  The Kosovo parliament formally declared its independence February 17 in Pristina.

The Millennium Challenge Corporation Compact with Tanzania will provide nearly $700 million in five years to improve the country's transportation network, secure reliable supplies of energy and expand access to clean and safe water, President Bush says.  Bush and Tanzanian leader Jakaya Kikwete also discuss fighting HIV/AIDS and malaria.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is going to Kenya to bolster former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan's mediation initiative and to deliver President Bush's message directly to Kenyan leaders.  The United States is trying to help end civil strife in Kenya that followed the December 27 elections, says a senior U.S. diplomat.

President Bush's arrival in Cotonou, Benin -- the first stop on his historic five-nation Africa tour -- symbolizes the U.S. commitment to improving peoples’ lives all across the continent. In remarks with President Thomas Yayi Boni of Benin, Bush highlights initiatives to fight disease, improve education and encourage good governance.

Establishing a functioning national legal system based on the rule of law is a critical element for the Iraqi government. U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey acknowledges that building such a system is a serious challenge. America.gov looks at several U.S. initiatives under way in Iraq to boost the justice system.

The United States has doubled assistance to Africa during the Bush administration -- the largest expansion of foreign aid since the Marshall Plan for recovery in Europe after World War II. And President Bush says that the region’s success lies in helping promote democracy and peace, which spur economic development and entrepreneurship.

As ongoing strife grips Kenya since its disputed December 27, 2008, presidential election, President Bush announces he is sending Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer to Nairobi February 18 to urge an immediate end to violence and a restoration of democracy.

Bad weather does not discourage voters during three primary elections, dubbed the “Potomac Primaries” after the river that runs through Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. The February 12 primaries put presidential contender Democrat Barack Obama ahead of Hillary Clinton in delegates. John McCain wins most Republican votes.