 Negotiators on North Korea's nuclear programs engaged in intense diplomacy on Saturday but a deal that would see the communist state take its first real steps to disarm remained elusive. U.S. envoy Christopher Hill said disagreements had come down to a single issue that may take another day or two to resolve. "I really think we are down to one main issue which I think we can get through," Hill said after a third day of talks on a proposal from host China. He declined to say what the issue was. "It may take another day or two to get through this," he said. Representatives from China, Japan, the two Koreas, Russia and the U.S. spent Saturday in various meetings, discussing a draft agreement outlining moves for North Korea to disarm and what aid and guarantees it would get in return....
http://abcnews.go.com
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Editor - 07:48:00 02-10-07
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 Palestinian unity govt won't recognize Israel |
A new Palestinian unity government to be formed after a deal in Mecca between rival Fatah and Hamas factions will not recognize Israel, a political adviser to Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said on Saturday.Ahmed Youssef said the unity government, which he expected Haniyeh to unveil within 10 days, would "respect" previous Palestinian peace accords with Israel but would not be committed to them, nor to recognizing the Jewish state. Recognition of Israel is one of three conditions set by the "Quartet" of international Middle East negotiators for lifting sanctions on the Hamas-led government. The Quartet also demands Hamas renounce violence and accept existing peace deals. "The issue of recognition was not addressed at all (in Mecca)," Youssef said. ...
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2865360
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Editor - 07:46:00 02-10-07
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| New bird flu outbreak in S Korea |
Health workers in South Korea have begun to cull thousands of chickens after a new bird flu outbreak was discovered near the capital, Seoul. Chickens began dying on Tuesday at a poultry farm near Ansung, 80 km (50 miles) south of Seoul, officials said. The outbreak is the country's sixth since bird flu reappeared there three months ago after a three-year absence. It is not yet known whether it is the H5N1 strain of the virus, which is potentially fatal to humans. "Test results confirmed that breeding chickens at a farm in Iljuk village were infected with highly contagious bird flu virus," the agriculture ministry said in a statement. The farm houses more than 130,000 chickens....
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6349109.stm
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Editor - 07:44:00 02-10-07
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| HK cardinal hits out at Beijing |
The head of Hong Kong's Roman Catholic Church has urged the Vatican to end its search for a compromise with Beijing. Cardinal Joseph Zen told the BBC the ordinations last year of three bishops without Vatican approval were "illegitimate" and "acts of war". Beijing's refusal to recognise the Vatican's authority has overturned two decades of compromise efforts, he said as he returned from a trip to Rome. Pope Benedict XVI is due to make his position clear in the coming months. China refuses to recognise the Vatican's authority over Chinese Catholics. But until the three ordinations in 2006 bishops were chosen after unofficial consultations with Rome. There are about four million Catholics in state churches with millions more in organisations loyal to Rome. ...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6347275.stm
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Editor - 07:42:00 02-10-07
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| Suicide rates jolt police culture |
The warning signs that police officer Steve Martin was a suicide risk were clear enough in hindsight: erratic behavior, disgust with his job, heavy drinking, a strained marriage. But the lack of foresight is what leaves his wife, Debbie, angry more than a year later."When officers came and told me what had happened — and I have a roomful of witnesses to this — they said, 'We knew he was in serious trouble,' " she says. "I remember thinking, OK, so why didn't you do anything about it? How can you sit there and tell me after he put a gun to his head that you knew he was bad off?"What happened in Wichita is tragically familiar across the country, say psychologists and former officers who have studied law enforcement suicide. The crime-fighting culture is about strength and control, and most officers think asking for help is a badge of weakness. Police are supposed to solve problems, not be the problem....
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-02-08-police-suicides_x.htm
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Editor - 07:37:00 02-10-07
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| Russian President Vladimir Putin Warns U.S. Use of Military Force Creating New Arms Race |
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Saturday that the United States' increased use of military force is creating a new arms race, with smaller nations turning toward developing nuclear weapons. Speaking at a conference of the world's top security officials, including the Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani, Putin said nations "are witnessing an almost uncontained hyper use of force in international relations." "One state, the United States, has overstepped its national borders in every way," he told the 250 officials, including more than 40 defense and foreign ministers. "This is nourishing an arms race with the desire of countries to get nuclear weapons," Putin said, but did not elaborate on specifics and did not mention the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan. ...
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2865348
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Editor - 07:34:00 02-10-07
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