US agrees to deal to provide food aid

WASHINGTON - The United States said yesterday that it has reached a deal with North Korea to provide more than 500,000 tons of food aid over the coming year to the closed-off communist nation. The Bush administration says the aid is unrelated to its nuclear disarmament deal with Pyongyang, although both have involved an unusual intensity of US diplomacy. "We don't see any connection," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said of the food aid and disarmament talks. "We're doing this because America is a compassionate nation and the United States and the American people are people who reach out to those in need." The United States last provided food aid to North Korea in 2005. (AP)

TOKYO - A US court-martial sentenced a Marine to four years in prison yesterday for sexually abusing a 14-year-old Japanese girl in February, ending a case that had deepened anger over the American military presence in Japan. The Marine, Staff Sergeant Tyrone Luther Hadnott, 38, pleaded guilty to "abusive sexual contact" at the court-martial at Camp Foster in Okinawa, but was cleared of rape, the US military said. He was also given a dishonorable discharge. In February, Hadnott, who was stationed at a base in Okinawa, was arrested after the girl accused him of raping her inside his car. (New York Times News Service)

HARARE - Seven weeks after the presidential election, Zimbabwe set a runoff date yesterday, saying longtime President Robert Mugabe and rival Morgan Tsvangirai will face off in a June 27 ballot. Tsvangirai had insisted Thursday that the runoff be held next week, amid fears further delays would mean even more violence, but after the Election Commission's announcement, he said he planned to compete. (AP)