FROSTY DISCUSSIONS: The atmosphere at the Japan-North Korea talks contrasted with a US-North Korea meet in New York which ended on an far more optimistic note
Talks between Japan and North Korea on normalizing ties ended after just 45 minutes yesterday, with the two sides only agreeing that they should meet again, Japan's delegation said.

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China yesterday assailed the human cost of the US' overseas wars as well as rights abuses within the US in its annual riposte to Washington's criticism of Beijing's record on human rights.

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CLAMP DOWN: Over the past few weeks Bangladeshi security forces have arrested more than 60 politicians, most belonging to the country's two biggest parties
Bangladesh's army-led security forces arrested former prime minister Khaleda Zia's son and five other politicians using emergency powers over corruption allegations, media reports said yesterday.

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Hong Kong Cardinal Joseph Zen (陳日君) has assailed China's ordination of bishops without papal approval, warning that the Vatican faced "crucial moments" as it seeks normalization with the communist government while protecting the interests of its Chinese faithful.

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He's got four different birthdays, two different places of birth, several different home addresses, a possible murder conviction -- and, an Indian television channel reported on Wednesday, lawmaker M.K. Subba isn't even Indian.

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CHINA WATCHING: The secretary of defense's mild reaction stood in contrast to the criticism of China's military buildup by the Vice President Dick Cheney
US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said on Wednesday he does not see China as a strategic adversary of the US despite its rapid military modernization.

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ONLY THE BEST: Officials said the unmanned aircraft could fly higher, faster and farther than any other drone and hinted it could gather information as far as Iran
Resembling a huge bird with fixed wings and a mushroom sticking out of its head, Israel's largest unmanned surveillance aircraft flew over a seaside air force base, its promoters claiming it can fly higher, faster and farther than any other drone.

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Iran has accused the US and its allies of misinforming the world about its nuclear intentions, saying they cooked up "poisonous food" and served it to the UN Security Council to get it to act against Tehran.

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Police killed 10 people during three shootouts on Wednesday in and around Kenya's violence-ridden capital, authorities said.

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DRAWING CROWDS: The province's political parties reported that voter turnout for the poll to revive the Northern Irish assembly had been higher than expected
Vote-counting was to begin yesterday in the Northern Irish assembly elections, which London and Dublin hope will spark a lasting power-sharing administration between Protestants and Catholics.

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UNDER THREAT: The Arbaeen festival is continuing although more than 150 pilgrims have been killed in the past three days as they headed to an important religious shrine
Around 2.5 million Shiite pilgrims flooded the Iraqi holy city of Karbalah yesterday, according to its governor, as thousands more braved sectarian terror to stream in from around the country.

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The US Air Force announced on Wednesday that it will retire the most modern cruise missile in the US nuclear arsenal, a "stealth" weapon developed in the 1980s with the ability to evade detection by Soviet radars.

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CENSORSHIP: Reading a skit from a famed play got three high-school honor students in trouble, but they have won support from their peers, family and the playwright
The three girls had been warned by teachers not to utter the word. But they chose to say it anyway -- vagina -- in unison at a high school forum, and were swiftly punished by their school.

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House Democratic leaders intend to propose legislation requiring the withdrawal of US combat troops from Iraq by the fall of next year, and even earlier if the Iraqi government fails to meet security and other goals, congressional officials said.

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A former US Navy sailor was arrested on Wednesday for supplying a pro-al-Qaeda Web site with information on US ship movements and vulnerabilities, the Justice Department said.

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NASA on Wednesday fired a female US astronaut who made international headlines when she was arrested for driving halfway across the country in a diaper to confront a love rival.

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■ Japan
Domestic violence growing
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