Washington - US President Barack Obama urged a peaceful solution to long-running disputes between Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey in a telephone call Tuesday with Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev.

Obama, who visited Turkey this week before making a surprise stop in Iraq Tuesday afternoon, said the US was committed to "supporting progress" to resolve a long-running conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno-Karabah, a region claimed by both countries.

Washington  - President Barack Obama said the United States was ready to help the more than 200 victims of a devastating earthquake in the heart of Italy and offered his condolences in a telephone call Tuesday with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

The Italian people and victims "are in the thoughts and prayers of the American people at this time," Obama told his Italian counterpart, according to the White House.

Washington  - The lawyer of Nazi-era war-crimes suspect John Demjanjuk on Tuesday attempted to halt his pending deportation to Germany.

Attorney John Broadley filed an appeal to stop the deportation after the US Immigration Court in Arlington, Virginia, on Monday had cleared the way for Demjanjuk to be taken to Germany as early as Wednesday. The court had earlier stayed the planned deportation, but then reversed course.

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Washington  - The legislature of the US state of Vermont on Tuesday voted to make same-sex marriage legal, overriding the governor's veto of a bill that allowed gay couples to marry.

Vermont becomes the fourth state to allow same-sex marriage, and the first to do so through the legislative process and not court action. It joins the states of Iowa, Massachusetts and Connecticut, where the courts intervened to make gay marriage legal.

Lost Angeles - A California woman said to be the world's oldest human being celebrated her 115th birthday this week amidst well wishes from the US president and California governor.

The party for Gertrude Baines was held in an old-age home near Los Angeles, where cake was served on Monday. She wore a red hat and laughed as celebrants gathered at her bedside, People. com reported.

Baines became the world's oldest person after the death in January of Maria de Jesus in Portugal, who was also 115 years old, Guinness World Records confirmed on its website.