Report: Kim Jong Il meets Hyundai official

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il met with Hyundai’s chairwoman, who had come from South Korea seeking the release of an employee detained since March, South Korean media reported. Yonhap, South Korea’s official news agency, said Hyundai Group Chairwoman Hyun Jeong-eun traveled to North Korea on August 10 for what was planned as a three-day mission. Yu Seong-jin — the employee detained since March — was freed and returned home Thursday, Yonhap added.

Share

Iraqi foreign minister asks Iran about detained hikers

Iraq’s foreign minister asked for details about three American citizens arrested in Iran during a meeting with Iran’s ambassador in Baghdad last week, Iraq’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari met with Iranian Ambassador Hassan Kazimi Qummi on Thursday, the statement said.

Share

Georgia, South Ossetia trade jabs

The former Soviet republic of Georgia and one of its breakaway territories, Russia-backed South Ossetia, accused each other of violating the cease-fire that ended last year’s Russian-Georgian war, days before the conflict’s anniversary. The European Union, which monitors the boundary in place since the 2008 conflict, said on Tuesday it had not seen any evidence to confirm either side’s claims but expressed concern about the allegations. “The EU urges all sides to refrain from any statement or action that may lead to increased tensions at this particularly sensitive time,” the union said in a statement issued Tuesday

Share

NFL suspends Stallworth indefinitely

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte Stallworth has been suspended indefinitely by the National Football League, days after he pleaded guilty to killing a pedestrian while driving under the influence of alcohol, the NFL said. Stallworth, 28, pleaded guilty in a Florida court Tuesday to DUI manslaughter charges in the March death of construction worker Mario Reyes. Under terms of a plea agreement, he will serve 30 days

Share

Officer survives New Mexico crash; pilot’s fate unknown

A New Mexico police officer was rescued Wednesday after surviving a helicopter crash in the snowy Santa Fe National Forest, but the fate of the pilot remained unknown. The simple fact is that the blizzard of airworthiness directives, company memos, weather reports, technical specifications and diverse other documents that have surfaced since last week constitute entirely circumstantial evidence. Aviation history is replete with accidents with causes utterly unrelated to what first seemed the obvious explanation

Share

Air France crash: What do we know?

In one way we know a huge amount about the loss of Air France flight 447 — much more than is usual so soon after an accident. But in another, we know nothing at all. The simple fact is that the blizzard of airworthiness directives, company memos, weather reports, technical specifications and diverse other documents that have surfaced since last week constitute entirely circumstantial evidence

Share