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U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, right, shakes hands with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Wednesday, July 23, 2008, during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, Ministerial Meeting held at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore. Rice held talks with Lavrov Wednesday before meeting North Korea's top diplomat in what will be the Bush administration's highest-level contact with the Stalinist state in four years. (AP Photo)

Rice pushes top North Korean diplomat on nukes

1 hour, 48 minutes ago

SINGAPORE - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pushed North Korea on Wednesday to accept terms to verify the dismantling of its nuclear weapons program, as the two countries held cabinet-level talks for the first time in four years.

  • US Democratic presidential contender Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill, listens to Israel's President Shimon Peres, not seen, during a meeting in Jerusalem, Wednesday, July 23, 2008. Obama pledged Wednesday that as president he would preserve the close ties between the United States and Israel, and that the Jewish state's security would be a top priority in his administration.(AP Photo/Baz Ranter, Pool)
    Obama tries to reassure Israelis and Palestinians 1 hour, 6 minutes ago

    SDEROT, Israel - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Wednesday it is in Israel's interest to achieve a lasting peace with the Palestinians, but he emphasized Israeli's right to defend itself.

  • Chinese paramilitary soldiers rehearse an oath taking ceremony near the Bird's Nest National Stadium at the Olympic Green in Beijing, Tuesday, July 22, 2008. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
    Beijing to set up Olympic protest zones 2 hours, 18 minutes ago

    BEIJING - Beijing will set up specially designated zones for protesters during next month's Olympics, a security official said Wednesday, in a sign China's authoritarian government may allow some demonstrations during the games.

  • Brother Luka Karadzic, center left, lawyer Svetozar Vujacic, center right, and a nephew, left, are checked by security on their way to visit war crimes suspect Radovan Karadzic at the special war crimes court where he is being detained, in Belgrade, Serbia, Wednesday, July 23, 2008. A Serbian official says genocide suspect Radovan Karadzic will be handed over to the U.N. tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, this weekend or early next week. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
    Serb's fugitive life had mistress, bogus family 6 minutes ago

    BELGRADE, Serbia - Radovan Karadzic's secret life included a mistress, a bogus family he claimed he left behind in the U.S., and frequent visits to a Belgrade pub called "The Madhouse," acquaintances said Wednesday.

  • Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., left, shakes hands with Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat, upon his arrival in the West bank city of Ramallah, Wednesday, July 23, 2008. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas wants Barack Obama to take away one message from their meeting Wednesday if elected U.S. president, he should focus immediately on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or any gains made in peace talks could vanish. (AP Photo/Tara Todras-Whitehill)
    Obama's West Bank trip raises hope, skepticism Wed Jul 23, 8:15 AM ET

    RAMALLAH, West Bank - Barack Obama's trip to the West Bank on Wednesday appeared to generate some goodwill among Palestinians, though deep skepticism about U.S. policy remains.

  • REUTERS NEWS PICTURES COVERAGE HIGHLIGHT ADVISORY WEDNESDAY JULY 23, 2008 AT 0330 GMT. SRI SA KET, THAILAND- Villagers make air raid shelter near Preah Vihear national park along Thai-Cambodian border. SINGAPORE - ASEAN Regional Forum. SHAH ALAM, MALAYSIA - Mongolian murder trial resumes. NEPAL - Swearing-in ceremony of new president. Event scheduled from 1200 GMT. NEW DELHI - Covering celebrations after India's ruling Congress party won vote of confidence in parliament. NORTHWEST TRIBAL AREA, PAKISTAN - Government troops suspend their operations against suspected insurgents and hold negotiations. KIMPO, SOUTH KOREA - Military training camp for civilians organised by Marine Corps. Event scheduled from 0100 GMT. VARIOUS - Monitoring situation after arrest of fugitive Bosnian Serb wartime President Radovan Karadzic. JERUSALEM - U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama visits Israel and the West Bank. BERLIN - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki speaks in Berlin. Event scheduled from 1045 GMT. ZIMBABWE - Monitoring situation after Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai on Monday signed a framework deal committing their political parties to talks to end the country's deep crisis. GENEVA - World Trade Organisation (WTO) holds a meeting of a select group of ministers to push the Doha round of global free trade talks toward conclusion. LONDON - Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga to hold talks with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Foreign Secretary David Miliband. MOSCOW - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez continues his visit to Russia. TEMPLATE OUT
    Zimbabwe talks are starting at secret location 51 minutes ago

    JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - South Africa's presidential spokesman said Wednesday that power-sharing talks between Zimbabwe's ruling and opposition forces were under way at a secret location.

  • Armed members of an ethnic group in the creeks of the Niger Delta. The most prominent armed gang in Nigeria's restive oil region, MEND, has said it has not collected protection money from the country's national oil group, and vowed new attacks within 30 days to "prove it."(AFP/MEND-HO/File)
    Militants threaten Nigeria's main oil pipelines 2 hours, 4 minutes ago

    LAGOS, Nigeria - Nigeria's main militant group on Wednesday threatened to destroy the nation's major oil pipelines within 30 days to counter allegations it had struck a $12 million deal with the government to protect them.

  • A displaced Somali woman sits outside her shelter in a makeshift camp outside Mogadishu, July 20, 2008. The United Nations said on Friday food shipments to Somalia were grinding to a halt as few vessels were willing to hazard the country's pirate-infested waters, and it called on governments to provide naval escorts. REUTERS/Feisel Omar (SOMALIA)
    Hardline Islamist takes over Somali opposition Wed Jul 23, 4:11 AM ET

    NAIROBI, Kenya - A fundamentalist Muslim whom the U.S. suspects of collaborating with al-Qaida says he has taken over leadership of Somalia's opposition.

  • Woeser, a Tibetan writer and activist is seen during an interview in Beijing, China, Friday, June 27, 2008. Woeser is a rarity, a Tibetan in China who publicly speaks out. She has been denied a passport for three years. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
    A rare Tibetan critic sues China's government Wed Jul 23, 3:04 AM ET

    BEIJING - The poet Woeser has long been a rarity — a Tibetan living in China who doesn't flinch from publicly criticizing the Chinese government. Now the activist is taking another unusual step.

  • US Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama pauses while making a speech at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem. Obama said on Wednesday that a nuclear Iran would pose a "grave threat" and that the world must prevent it from obtaining the atomic bomb.(AFP/Pool/Daniel Berehulak)
    Iran praises US participation in nuclear talks 57 minutes ago

    YASOUJ, Iran - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Wednesday that the United States' participation in the latest round of nuclear talks is a step toward recognizing Tehran's right to acquire nuclear technology.

  • In this photograph of a sketch by courtroom artist Janet Hamlin, reviewed by the U.S. Military, defendant Salim Hamdan attends his trial inside the war crimes courthouse at Camp Justice, the legal complex of the U.S. Military Commissions, at Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base, in Cuba, Tuesday, July 22, 2008. Hamdan, the former driver for Osama bin Laden, is the first prisoner to face a U.S. war-crimes trial since World War II. (AP Photo/Janet Hamlin, Pool)
    Guantanamo prisoners reportedly not told of rights 55 minutes ago

    GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba - A former FBI agent testifying at the first Guantanamo war crimes trial said interrogators did not advise detainees here of any rights because the military prison is dedicated to intelligence gathering, not law enforcement.

  • Pirates seize ship with 20 Filipinos off Somalia Wed Jul 23, 4:37 AM ET

    MANILA, Philippines - Pirates have seized a cargo ship with 20 Filipino sailors on board off the coast of Somalia, a Philippine government official said Wednesday.

  • An Afghan man, right, displays a religious book to a customer in the city of Kabul, Afghanistan, on Wednesday, July 23, 2008. (AP Photo/Allauddin Khan)
    British soldier wounded in Afghan ambush dies Wed Jul 23, 6:17 AM ET

    KABUL, Afghanistan - A British soldier died after being wounded in an ambush in southern Afghanistan, while U.S.-led coalition troops killed several militants near the capital, officials said Wednesday.

  • Etiquette guide: What not to ask Olympic visitors Wed Jul 23, 1:47 AM ET

    BEIJING - Questions about salaries are out. Ditto queries about the age of a foreigner visiting Beijing for the Olympics. And an inquiry about someone's love life? Forget it.

  • 5 kidnapped SKoreans released in Mexico Tue Jul 22, 10:40 PM ET

    REYNOSA, Mexico - Five South Koreans abducted in Mexico were set free unharmed on Tuesday, more than a week after they were kidnapped and held for ransom, officials said.

  • Italy's Senate on Tuesday passed into law a bill that effectively grants Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, pictured on July 13, immunity from prosecution during his time in office, the ANSA news agency reported.(AFP/File/Gerard Cerles)
    Immunity law passed in Italy Tue Jul 22, 6:10 PM ET

    ROME - Italy's Parliament gave final approval Tuesday to a contentious law that grants immunity from prosecution to Premier Silvio Berlusconi and other top Italian officials.

  • This two picture combination shows: on the left, Bosnian Serb Leader Radovan Karadzic in an April 1996 file photo during the Bosnian Serb assembly session in Pale, some 16 kilometers (10 miles) east of Sarajevo, and on the right, Karadzic in an undated photo released by Belgrade's 'Healthy Life' magazine Tuesday July 22, 2008, made at an undisclosed location in Belgrade with glasses, long white hair and a beard. (AP Photo)
    Karadzic hid in plain view to elude capture Tue Jul 22, 4:25 PM ET

    BELGRADE, Serbia - For more than a decade, the world's most-wanted war crimes fugitive displayed a talent for eluding international justice. His secret? Hide in plain sight.

  • David Knudson of Democrats Abroad displays an invitation card as supporters of U.S. Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama hand out invitations for Obama's speech at the Victory Column in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, July 22, 2008. Obama will visit Berlin on Thursday, July 24, 2008 and will also meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier. (AP Photo/Herbert Knosowski)
    Obama meets Obamamania in Europe eager for change Tue Jul 22, 3:06 PM ET

    BERLIN - Barack Obama comes face to face this week with a constituency truly eager for change after eight years of George W. Bush: Europeans.

  • In this April, 15 1995 file photo, Bosnian Serb Leader Radovan Karadzic, left, and Bosnian Serb Army commander General Ratko Mladic, right, listen during a Bosnian Serb assembly session in the western Bosnian town of Sanski Most some 80 kms (50 miles) west of Banja Luka. The office of Serbian president says former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic has been arrested in Serbia. President Boris Tadic's office says in a statement that Karadzic was arrested on Monday July 21, 2008 evening 'in an action by the Serbian security services.' (AP Photo/Sava Radovanovic, File)
    Will Mladic be next behind bars? Tue Jul 22, 2:26 PM ET

    BELGRADE, Serbia - Serbian authorities made a startling disclosure Tuesday in describing the arrest of Karadzic: They basically stumbled across him while searching for Ratko Mladic, a far more brazen figure who reportedly made daring forays into downtown Belgrade.