WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States said Tuesday that US envoy George Mitchell will not meet with Israeli and Palestinian officials before the Middle East quartet meets in Moscow on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The deepest public dispute between Israel and the United States in years will not shake the "unbreakable bond" between Washington and the Israelis, the White House said Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The Federal Reserve on Tuesday maintained its near zero benchmark interest rate, saying it expects to hold the "exceptionally low" rate "for an extended period."

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday called for restraint in Jerusalem amid rising tensions in the Holy City over Israel's plan to build more Jewish settler homes.

CHICAGO (AFP) - Honda has recalled some 412,000 vehicles in the United States because customers complained their brakes felt "soft," the Japanese automaker said Tuesday.