Proposal to resume talks is rejected

SEOUL - North Korea's state media says the country has rejected a proposal from South Korea's president to resume reconciliation talks. President Lee Myung-bak of South Korea offered Friday to resume stalled talks with the North. Tension between the Koreas flared after Lee took office in February with a vow to take a tougher line on the North. (AP)

PESHAWAR - At least six security officers and three insurgents died yesterday in Pakistan's northwest. Militants ambushed a Frontier Constabulary convoy in the Zargari area, and the paramilitary forces returned fire, police said. Meanwhile, the fate of 29 hostages held by Taliban fighters remained unclear hours after a deadline to start killing them had passed. (AP)

HAMILTON - Slow-moving Bertha barely clung to its hurricane status as it hovered near Bermuda late yesterday, but forecasters said it could intensify and deal a glancing blow to the island. The Bermuda Weather Service issued a tropical storm warning as Bertha's outer bands were expected to brush the island in the coming days. (AP)

LONDON - Violent clashes in Northern Ireland left 14 police officers and five other people injured early yesterday, as Protestants held annual parades marking their 1690 victory in the Battle of the Boyne. (AP)