News Briefs

Ahead of political conference, N. Korea mends ties with South

North Korea remained silent Saturday about a kickoff date for a political conference widely expected to mark a hereditary power transfer, but it took a step in the meantime toward mending frayed ties with South Korea.

The North's state-run news agency reported Saturday that the Pyongyang government wants to resume a reunion program for families living on opposite sides of the border that divides the peninsula. If the South agrees, as observers say is likely, select Koreans will be able to see relatives for the first time in a year.

However, no further clues were offered about an upcoming Workers' Party conference in Pyongyang, which state media had initially slated for "early September." Nor was any mention made of leader Kim Jong Il's youngest son, Kim Jong Eun, who analysts predict will emerge from the conference with a key party position, confirming his anointment as the Stalinist dictatorship's future leader.

The widely accepted assumption had been that the North would hold its meeting last week, before the Sept. 9 holiday commemorating its foundation.

In Seoul, some analysts have wondered whether the holdup is linked to economic difficulties. Some speculate that it has to do with last-minute security checks on delegates. Others say it reflects ongoing debates about policy changes, given that the conference is a stage for announcements, not arguments.

North and South Korea used early September to step back slightly from hostility that dates to the March torpedoing of the South's Cheonan warship. In recent weeks, Seoul proposed an $8.4 million donation of flood aid to the North. The North released a captured South Korean fishing boat. Then it requested rice, cement and machinery.

Karzai calls for new approach to terrorism fight as Afghans mark 9/11

Afghan President Hamid Karzai called for a new approach to fighting terrorism, saying Saturday that the strategy in place is at odds with "the bitter reality on the ground."

The anniversary drew a few protests across Afghanistan, though most Afghans spent the day celebrating the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. Thousands of protesters irate at the now-canceled plan by a small church in Florida to burn copies of Islam's holy book took to the streets in Logar province, near Kabul, according to the Associated Press.

The Florida pastor's decision to call off the bonfire and Americans' repudiation of the plan appeared to stave off violent riots targeting American and other Western targets in Afghanistan. Many Westerners in Afghanistan were on high alert, fearing that images of burning Korans could incite widespread violence.

The Afghan Taliban marked the anniversary with a statement calling for the immediate withdrawal of foreign troops.

First ladies remember flight 93 victims

They sat onstage, one in gray and the other in cream, the first lady and her predecessor, as 40 bell tolls rang for 40 souls lost. Before that, they stood side by side with grieving family members, observing the crash site of United Airlines Flight 93, one seeing the flag-marked space for the first time, the other with the memory of a scorched field and fresh grief.

Michelle Obama and Laura Bush greeted Flight 93 families in a white tent on a windswept hill away from cameras, offering hugs, photos and healing. They then took to the podium, ovations greeting both, each with a different part of the story to tell.

Bush, whose White House years were shaped by the Sept. 11 attacks, spoke of terrorism and evil that gave way to heroism and compassion, recalling the unity of that day, the prayers spoken in different voices and tongues.

Obama spoke of service and sacrifice, telling the stories of those who hatched a bold plan to down a plane they knew had become a weapon.