Washington, D.C.

Brownback attended funeral in Azerbaijan

U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., returned this morning from Azerbaijan, where he attended the funeral of former President Geidar Aliev.

Brownback was asked by President Bush to accompany the official delegation from the United States attending the funeral. Aliev, 80, died Friday.

Brownback has previously visited Azerbaijan. He also serves on the Foreign Relations subcommittee for that area.

Louisiana

Another Democratic senator won’t run for re-election

Sen. John Breaux, a Democratic centrist and dealmaker who often votes with the Republicans, announced Monday he would not run for a fourth term.

Breaux, 59, becomes the fifth Southern Democrat in the Senate to step down in 2004, further compounding the party’s difficulties in its struggle to retake control of the chamber.

Republicans have a 51-48 majority in the Senate, with one Democrat-leaning independent.

Four other Southern Democrats in the Senate have announced plans to retire: Bob Graham of Florida; John Edwards of North Carolina, Ernest Hollings of South Carolina and Zell Miller of Georgia.

South Korea

Deadly bird flu hits nation

A highly contagious bird flu, strains of which are deadly to humans, has killed thousands of chickens and ducks in South Korea, an agriculture official said today.

Authorities have culled thousands more in an effort to contain the disease.

Tests found the bird flu was caused by the H5N1 virus. But authorities are still investigating whether it is the deadly H5N1-97 strain that crossed from chickens to humans in Hong Kong in 1997, killing six people.