Rice calls for N. Korea to rethink talks
LUXEMBOURG, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged North Korea Thursday to reassess its decision to withdraw from nuclear disarmament talks.
Speaking to Europe's RTL television network in Luxembourg, Rice urged Pyongyang to reassess its announcement it is suspending its role in the six-party talks, saying there was "really no reason" for such a move and that it will only deepen North Korea's isolation.
Earlier Thursday, North Korean announced they had produced a small number of nuclear weapons to protect itself, primarily from the United States, and it was withdrawing from six-nation talks.
Rice told the network the United States has assured North Korea it has no intention of attacking and, at the six-party talks, has offered it multilateral security assurances.
The six-party talks, hosted by China, include Russia, the two Koreas, Japan and the United States. The last round of the talks was held in Beijing in June.
All the parties agreed to resume the discussions in September, but North Korea stayed away, amid speculation it was awaiting results of the U.S. presidential election, Voice of America said.
New Sept. 11 report shows U.S. blunders
WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- A previously undisclosed report from the U.S. Sept. 11 commission shows the risk of suicide aircraft attacks was known months prior to the 2001 attacks.
The report said the Federal Aviation Administration warned airports in the spring of 2001 if "the intent of the hijacker is not to exchange hostages for prisoners, but to commit suicide in a spectacular explosion, a domestic hijacking would probably be preferable," the New York Times reports.
The report criticizes the FAA for failing to invoke domestic security measures that could possibly have altered the events of Sept. 11, 2001, like toughening airport screening procedures for weapons or expanding the use of on-flight air marshals.
However, an agency spokeswoman defended the measures taken.
"We had a lot of information about threats," FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown told the newspaper. "But we didn't have specific information about means or methods that would have enabled us to tailor any countermeasures."
Completed last August, the report said FAA officials appeared more concerned with reducing airline congestion, lessening delays, and easing airlines' financial woes than deterring a terrorist attack.
Abbas fires general over settlement attack
GAZA, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas fired his top Gaza security commanders Thursday after Hamas militants shelled Israeli targets.
Abbas, in what may be the first serious test of his authority, dismissed Brig. Gen. Abdel Razek Majaydeh, chief of public security, and two other senior commanders, Haaretz reported.
The attack on the settlements broke the relative calm that followed Tuesday's summit in Egypt between Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon that culminated in a cease-fire.
Earlier Thursday, Hamas claimed responsibility for the mortar and rocket shelling, saying it was in retaliation for the Wednesday killing of a Palestinian youth.
Hamas said it did not intend to abide by the cease-fire.
In a statement released by Wafa, the official Palestinian news agency, Abbas said he is totally committed to enforcing the cease-fire reached between Palestinian factions.
Gossip begins on Camilla's wedding ring
LONDON, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Just hours after the announcement Britain's Prince Charles would marry Camilla Parker Bowles, speculation began Thursday over the design of her wedding ring.
IcWales.com reported the ring would likely follow a tradition begun by the late Queen Mother in 1923, where a nugget of Welsh gold is incorporated into the rings at royal weddings.
Since then, the rings of Queen Elizabeth in 1947, Princess Margaret's in 1960, Princess Ann in 1973, and Princess Diana in 1981 were all made from the same nugget.
However, there is only a tiny, 1-gram sliver of the original nugget left, which was mined from the Clogau St. David's mine at Bontddu in North Wales.
If Bowles follows with tradition, her nugget would likely come from a 36-gram piece of 21-carat Welsh gold presented to the queen by the British Royal Legion in 1981, the report said.
