CANADA
OTTAWA -- Canada has detected a case of H5 avian flu in the eastern province of Prince Edward Island and plans further testing over the weekend to determine the strain and virulence, government officials announced yesterday. A gosling in a backyard poultry flock in the western end of the tiny eastern province contracted the disease. Officials said there was a low risk of human illness and no evidence of transmission through the consumption of poultry and eggs. No pathogenic strain of the H5N1 virus has been found in North or South America. (Reuters)
CHINA
Iran sees positive step in the nuclear standoff
SHANGHAI -- President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran said yesterday that a US-endorsed incentive package was a positive step toward resolving the standoff over Tehran's nuclear program. Ahmadinejad's remarks were the highest-level sign that Iran was preparing to negotiate over the package, which calls for direct talks with the United States over halting uranium enrichment. Ahmadinejad spoke after meeting with President Hu Jintao of China. (AP)
Trial ends, no verdict yet in researcher's trial
BEIJING -- A Chinese researcher for The New York Times pleaded not guilty yesterday to charges of leaking state secrets in a case that rights activists say underscores Beijing's continued rejection of press freedom. The closed-door trial for Zhao Yan, 44, who has been detained for 22 months, ended yesterday after one day with no verdict, one of his lawyers said. The lawyers sought to have Zhao released on bail, but the court denied the application. (AP)
10 killed, 26 injured in chemical plant blast
BEIJING -- An explosion at a chemical plant in eastern China killed 10 people and injured 26, the official Xinhua News Agency said today. It wasn't immediately clear what caused yesterday's blast at a workshop belonging to Dun'an Chemical Group Co. Ltd. in Anhui Province, Xinhua said. The plant makes explosives for mining. (AP)
UNITED STATES
Possible N. Korean test of missile raises worry
WASHINGTON -- North Korea is accelerating preparations for testing the Taepodong-2 long-range missile, which has the potential to strike the United States, a US government official said yesterday. The official agreed to speak but only on the condition of anonymity. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters that any missile launch would violate North Korea's 1999 commitment not to carry out such tests, but did not confirm a test was close. (AP)
ST. KITTS AND NEVIS
Japan's setback calms concern over whaling
FRIGATE BAY -- Japan suffered a setback yesterday at the International Whaling Commission, calming fears among conservationists that it had won enough support to start attacking a ban on whaling. The commission voted against two proposals by Japan, one for secret ballots so member nations could back its pro-whaling stance without retribution, and another seeking to prevent the panel from discussing the fate of dolphins and porpoises. (Reuters)
VENEZUELA
US seeks to halt sales of fighter jets to Chávez
CARACAS -- The United States said yesterday that it will ask Russia to reconsider selling two dozen fighter jets to Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez after Washington banned all US arms sales to Caracas. The US government, which calls Chávez an autocrat threatening regional stability, has already opposed Spanish and Brazilian aircraft and warship sales to Venezuela, the world's fifth-largest oil exporter. (Reuters)
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