[July 12, 2008]

AP International NewsBrief at 5:37 a.m. EDT

(AP Online Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) North Korean nuclear talks lead to agreementBEIJING (AP) _ Negotiators from six nations agreed Saturday on steps to verify North Korea's nuclear disarmament, opening the final phase in tortuous efforts to rid the North of nuclear weapons. The agreement, reached after three days of talks, requires North Korea to finish disabling its main nuclear facility by the end of October. Meanwhile the United States, China and the other three nations taking part would complete promised deliveries of fuel oil and other economic aid.

Iraqi security better; governance falling shortCOMBAT OUTPOST RADWANIYAH, Iraq (AP) _ In the rural outskirts of Baghdad, where the war seems distant in Iraq's new period of relative calm, a prominent Sunni tribal chief makes no bones about what is lacking in the drive to turn security improvements into lasting economic and political change. "Up to now we have seen nothing from the government," Sheik Ayad Abdul-Jabar al-Jabouri, wearing traditional headdress and robe, said with more than a hint of disdain for the Shiite-dominated leadership in the capital.

S. Korea: North not cooperating in shooting probeSEOUL, South Korea (AP) _ North Korea has shown no willingness to cooperate with efforts to investigate the death of a South Korean tourist at a mountain resort in the communist nation, a Seoul official said Saturday, as the South's leader escalated criticism of the killing. South Korea has been trying to send the North an official message asking for help in an investigation into the shooting Friday of a 53-year-old female tourist by a North Korean soldier.

As violence recedes in Iraq, rebuilding gets toughBAGHDAD (AP) _ Violence in Iraq is at its lowest level in four years, but ask Capt. Mike Forbes, and he will tell you his job as a troop commander in Baghdad has gotten harder, not easier. He spends less time worrying about roadside bombs and battling armed extremists than on his previous two tours to Iraq, and he and his soldiers are happy about that.

Russia, China veto UN sanctions on Zimbabwe regimeUNITED NATIONS (AP) _ Russia and China vetoed U.S.-proposed sanctions on Zimbabwe's leaders Friday, the global community's latest attempt to take action against an authoritarian regime widely criticized for a violent and one-sided presidential election. Western powers mustered nine votes, the minimum needed to gain approval in the 15-nation council. But the resolution pushed by the Bush administration failed because of the action by two of the five veto-wielding permanent members.

Pope Benedict leaves for pilgrimage to AustraliaROME (AP) _ Pope Benedict XVI has left Rome on a flight to Australia for a 10-day pilgrimage. A special Alitalia flight with Benedict, Vatican officials and journalists aboard departed from Rome's Leonardo da Vinci airport Saturday about 10:30 a.m.

Venezuela's Chavez mends Colombia tiesPARAGUANA, Venezuela (AP) _ Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and Colombia's Alvaro Uribe mended relations Friday after months of sniping that threatened trade and unleashed a diplomatic crisis between Latin America's top U.S. opponent and closest U.S. ally. Chavez, who just months ago called reconciliation impossible, said the talks allowed the two to "completely turn the page after the storm that passed."

Hurricane Bertha heads toward BermudaHAMILTON, Bermuda (AP) _ Hurricane Bertha was spinning over open water and headed toward Bermuda, but tourists didn't expect it to wreck their weekend on the idyllic Atlantic island. Surfers and swimmers remained in the water despite reports of stronger surf and rip currents along the southern coast.

3 injured in packed bull run at Spanish festivalPAMPLONA, Spain (AP) _ A packed running of the bulls left one daredevil gored and two others slightly injured Saturday at Pamplona's annual San Fermin festival, officials said. Six massive fighting bulls slipped on morning dew-dampened cobblestones and tossed people aside as they ran with them on the half-mile course through the narrow city streets to the bull ring.

Study finds arsenic threats in southeast AsiaBANGKOK, Thailand (AP) _ Myanmar's cyclone-devastated Irrawaddy delta and Indonesia's Sumatra island face high risks of arsenic contamination in groundwater that could cause cancer and other diseases in residents, according to a new study. Using a digitalized model that examines geological features and soil chemistry in Southeast Asia, researchers writing in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Geoscience mapped several likely hot spots that had never been assessed for arsenic risks.

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