Amman - King Abdullah II of Jordan on Monday pledged to work with US President Barack Obama on an amicable settlement between the Palestinians and Israel, and urged an early involvement of the new US administration in the Middle East peace process.

The monarch made the remarks during separate meetings with the chairman of the US Senate's Foreign Relations Committee, John Kerry, and a US congressional delegation currently touring the region, the royal court said.

Washington - Lance Armstrong's bicycle was stolen just hours after he rode it in a California race, but the US cycling legend was confident of getting it back - there's only one like it in the world.

Armstrong is racing in the nine-day California Amgen Tour, which started Saturday. His bicycle was stolen, along with three others from the Astana team truck.

Brussels - Officials in Brussels said Monday they are confident that the United States has not abused its ability to access European banking records as part of its global fight against terrorism.

However, officials would not reveal how much data has been accessed by US investigators, nor would they provide examples of how such an arrangement has produced what they describe as "significant value in the fight against terrorism."

Brasilia  - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is scheduled to hold three meetings with US President Barack Obama in March and April, Lula's senior foreign policy advisor Marco Aurelio Garcia said Monday.

The first meeting is to take place in Washington on March 17, Garcia said in an interview with the Sao Paulo radio station, Eldorado.

The two leaders had decided on the meeting during a 25-minute phone conversation last month, Garcia said.

Los Angeles  - Singer Chris Brown has issued an apology for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend, pop singer Rihanna, saying he was seeking counseling to deal with the scandalous incident that occurred just hours before last week's Grammy Awards.

"Words cannot begin to express how sorry and saddened I am over what transpired," said the 19-year-old pop star in a statement issued through a public relations firm Sunday. "I am seeking the counseling of my pastor, my mother and other loved ones and I am committed, with God's help, to emerging a better person."

New Delhi - India, the United States and Pakistan face a common threat, Richard Holbrooke, the US special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, said Monday after talks with Indian leaders.

Holbrooke is in the Indian capital on the last leg of a fact-finding tour to the region which earlier took him to Pakistan and Afghanistan.

"India, US and Pakistan all have a common threat now ... an enemy that poses a direct threat to our leaderships, our capitals and our people," Holbrooke told reporters after meeting with Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee.