MOSCOW — Moscow and Washington have agreed to moderate their rhetoric in a bid to improve strained ties, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said after a meeting today between President Vladimir Putin and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

"The president supported the American side's understanding that it's necessary to tone down the rhetoric in public statements and concentrate on concrete business," said Lavrov.

There has been growing transoceanic tension about a U.S. plan to station a defense missile system in Europe, concern in the Bush administration about Moscow's treatment of its former Soviet neighbors and steps Putin has taken to consolidate power in the Kremlin — seen as democratic backsliding — as Russia prepares for presidential and parliamentary elections next year.

LONDON — Reuters agreed today to a $17.2 billion takeover by Thomson that would vault the combined entity ahead of Bloomberg to become the world's largest financial data and news provider.The combined company will be headed by Tom Glocer, 47, who is now chief executive of Reuters, and he will be responsible for finding the $500 million in savings the companies are promising to deliver by the third year.Reuters trustees, who could have vetoed any takeover, endorsed the deal, which is still subject to approval by shareholders and regulators.Holders of each Reuters Group PLC share traded in London will be paid the equivalent of about $7 in cash and 0.16 shares of Thomson Corp.'s Toronto-listed stock.The value of the deal is calculated based on Thomson's closing share price of 48.46 Canadian dollars on the Toronto Stock Exchange on May 3, the day before the companies announced they were exploring a combination.Reuters and Thomson compete with Bloomberg, founded by New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg, in providing data terminals to the world's major banks and brokerages.

BAGHDAD — U.S. troops have questioned hundreds of people and detained 11 in the search for three American soldiers feared captured by al-Qaida during a weekend ambush south of Baghdad, the military said today.For a fourth day, jets, helicopters and unmanned surveillance aircraft crisscrossed the skies over the sparsely populated farm area near Mahmoudiya, 20 miles south of Baghdad to search for the missing soldiers. U.S. and Iraqi troops — backed by dog teams — searched vehicles and pedestrians. Other teams peered into crawl spaces and probed for possible secret chambers in homes."We have conducted more than 450 tactical interviews and detained 11 individuals" as of Monday night, U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Christopher Garver said.On Monday, the Islamic State of Iraq — an al-Qaida front group that claims it has the soldiers — warned the U.S. to halt its search by about 4,000 troops, and the Pentagon acknowledged for the first time that it believes the soldiers are in terrorist hands.The three were last seen before a pre-dawn ambush Saturday that destroyed several Humvees in a U.S. convoy and killed four Americans and an Iraqi soldier traveling with them.Also today, a roadside bomb apparently hit a U.S. convoy in the Kamaliya area of southeastern Baghdad. AP Television News video showed one of the convoy's trucks burning and two Black Hawk helicopters circling overhead. Later, when the fire went out, Iraq men and young boys looted what remained of the truck.