South Korea

North Korea agrees to six-nation nuclear talks

North Korea has agreed to six-nation talks on its nuclear weapons development starting Feb. 25, Yonhap news agency reported today, citing North Korean media.

“Regarding the next round of six-nation talks, the primary countries involved in the talks — the DPRK, the United States, and the host China — have held several rounds of consultations and agreed to hold six-nation talks beginning Feb. 25,” Yonhap quoted North Korean radio stations as reporting.

DPRK stands for Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, North Korea’s official name.

South Korean’s Foreign Ministry could not immediately confirm the report and had no comment.

London

Government plans inquiry into Iraq intelligence

The British government said Monday it was prepared to follow the U.S. lead and investigate the intelligence on which Prime Minister Tony Blair based his decision to join the United States in going to war with Iraq.

Blair was expected to announce today an official inquiry in an appearance before a parliamentary committee, just days after a senior judge cleared the government of allegations it distorted what it knew about Iraq’s weapons programs to build a case for war.

Washington, D.C.

Halliburton subsidiary to halt billing for meals

A Halliburton Co. subsidiary has agreed to stop billing the government for feeding U.S. troops in Kuwait until the two sides settle what the company says is an accounting dispute. Pentagon auditors are raising the possibility of overcharging.

Halliburton’s Kellogg Brown & Root subsidiary had been charging the government for the projected number of meals instead of the actual number served. Pentagon auditors are questioning whether that amounted to overcharging, since the projected number of meals was significantly higher than the number served.

Houston-based Halliburton has complained repeatedly that criticism of its work in Iraq is politically motivated, in part because of its past ties with Vice President Dick Cheney, the company’s chairman from 1995 to 2000.

London

Hormone trial halted for high cancer risk

Scandinavian scientists announced today that they have called off a study of the effects of hormone replacement therapy for women with a history of breast cancer because early results showed an “unacceptably high” risk of recurrence.

Their findings, published today by The Lancet medical journal, add to the already solid evidence that using hormone replacement to control menopausal symptoms carries significant health risks.

Eighteen months ago, U.S. government scientists abruptly ended the nation’s biggest study of HRT using the combined hormones estrogen and progestin, saying long-term use significantly increases women’s risk of breast cancer, strokes and heart attacks. That study involved older women who were well past menopause.