White House thinks about Iraq compromise
WASHINGTON, June 25 (UPI) -- The White House is considering striking a deal with Congress on Iraq, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday.
President George Bush has told aides to explore how to craft a compromise that would meet his goals and those of opponents to the war, the newspaper reported.
One possibility could be working toward a decentralized Iraq, the Times reported.
With public support of the war dropping and battles between the Democrat-controlled Congress the White House looming, administration officials "realize they can't keep fighting this over and over," a source told the Times.
The White House has opposed bipartisan congressional proposals to partition or decentralize Iraq. But administration officials appeared to be backing off that opposition recently.
About a week ago, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said a different form of government might be more effective.
"Perhaps we have gotten too focused on the central government, and not enough on the provinces and on the tribes and what is happening in those areas," Gates told reporters, the Times reported.
Suicide bomber hits busy Baghdad hotel
BAGHDAD, June 25 (UPI) -- A suicide bomber set off his device in the lobby of a busy Baghdad hotel Monday, killing 12 people, Iraqi television reported.
Iraqi state television reported that 12 people died in the blast at the five-star Al-Mansour Hotel, CNN reported.
Poet and anchorman Rahim Al-Malki and Sheik Fassal Al-Kaoud, a tribal chief and former Al-Anbar governor, were among those killed in the explosion at the hotel, which was site of a tribal leadership conference, the Kuwait News Agency, KUNA, reported.
The Al-Mansour Hotel was home to the Chinese Embassy and several western organizations and news agencies.
Also Monday, suicide car bomber, killed at least eight people at a Hilla government compound, CNN reported.
Thirty-one people were wounded in the attack about 60 miles south of Baghdad, CNN reported.
North Korea says it will shut down nukes
PYONGYANG, North Korea, June 25 (UPI) -- A North Korean official said Monday the country is ready to shut down its nuclear program.
A spokesman for the North Korean Foreign Ministry told the official Korean Central News Agency that Pyongyang has received the $25 million in previously frozen funds and is prepared to move ahead with an international disarmament agreement, the South Korean Yonhap news agency reported.
On Tuesday, a delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency is due to in Pyongyang for talks on shutting down the North Korean nuclear facilities.
The spokesman also said the $25 million will be spent on humanitarian efforts.
"The released money is planned to be used to improve the livelihood of the people and other humanitarian purposes as agreed," the spokesman said, Yonhap reported.
North Korea agreed in February to shut down its nuclear program under a major international deal that had been held up when the transfer of the $25 million was delayed.
CSPI: Egg producers deceive consumers
WASHINGTON, June 25 (UPI) -- The U.S. Center for Science in the Public Interest claimed egg producers are deceiving consumers by falsely implying their eggs promote heart health.
The Washington-based CSPI said egg producers shouldn't be making heart-healthy claims, noting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration specifically prohibits such claims concerning eggs and other foods high in cholesterol or saturated fat.
"Egg producers have used the omega-3 buzz word to bilk health-conscious consumers -- and so far they've gotten away with it," said CSPI Executive Director Michael Jacobson.
The institute claimed egg producers take advantage of consumers' limited knowledge of the different types of omega-3s. While the FDA permits claims for a possible reduced risk of heart disease linked to two kinds of omega-3s, DHA and EPA, the agency does not allow such claims for other omega-3s.
"The FDA should start enforcing its own rules, instead of letting companies hoodwink shoppers with a myriad of misleading and downright inaccurate claims on labels, ads and Web sites," said Jacobson.
Rain sparks serious flooding in Britain
LONDON, June 25 (UPI) -- Torrential rains caused flooding in Northeast England Monday forcing schools and businesses to close and prompting travel warnings.
In the town of Hull emergency crews worked to free a man trapped in a flooded manhole, the BBC reported.
Earlier in the day, rescue workers pulled a woman and three children from a flooded car in the Yorkshire town.
Authorities say emergency crews were inundated with hundreds of calls as roads, businesses and homes became flooded from the rains.
Schools were closed and health officials warned parents not to allow children to play in the flood waters.
Sewage backups were reported in some homes in Hill and North East Lincolnshire.
More rain was forecast with the worst expected in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.
