A fresh round of international talks aimed at convincing North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons ambitions will finally resume Tuesday in Seoul, South Korea, after a 13-month hiatus, but analysts expect little progress.
TURKEY BLAST KILLS 3: A bomb blast at an Istanbul cafe injured three people Sunday. The blast, which police say was set off by either a remote control or a timer, struck a cafe at the bottom of the Galata bridge, a popular area for tourists and Turks to go for dinner.
KIDNAPPING RING RAIDED: Mexican authorities have arrested five suspects in connection with a kidnapping ring that filmed its victims being held in a cage and beaten, the federal attorney general’s office in Mexico City confirmed Sunday.
SPAIN MAKES DRUG BUST: Spanish police seized more than three tons of cocaine on a fishing boat intercepted in international waters and arrested 18 people, authorities said Sunday. The crew of the “Ceres II,” four Koreans, two Spaniards and 12 Ghanians, were arrested, according to the police statement. The ship was coming from South America carrying the cocaine bound for Europe.
MYSTERY ILLNESS HITS HONG KONG: Hong Kong hospitals were on the lookout Sunday for a mysterious illness apparently related to pig farming that has killed nine and reportedly causes fever, vomiting and internal bleeding. The World Health Organization said the cases may be linked to pig or sheep slaughtering.
THE COST OF APPEARANCES: British Prime Minister Tony Blair has spent more than $3,128 of taxpayers’ money on makeup and cosmetic artists over the past six years, according to the government. In a written answer to Parliament, the government revealed Blair’s office had spent $1,826.66 on cosmetics for the prime minister’s media appearances since 1999.
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Compiled from news services and edited by Patrick Olsen (polsen@tribune.com) and Scott Kleinberg (skleinberg@tribune.com)
