The leaders of North and South Korea have signed a joint declaration calling for a permanent peace deal on the Korean Peninsula.

South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and the North's Kim Jong-il issued the declaration after a three-day historic summit in Pyongyang.

They called for international talks on a treaty to replace the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War.

The agreement came a day after the North agreed to end its nuclear plans.

Officials involved in separate, international talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear programme confirmed that Pyongyang had committed to a timetable to disable its nuclear facilities.

The leaders of the two Koreas have ended a second day of historic talks in Pyongyang with a decision not to extend the summit by a day.

South Korea's President Roh Moo-hyun and North Korea's leader Kim Jong-il will end their meeting as planned on Thursday with a joint declaration.

It is only the second-ever meeting between the leaders of the two Koreas, which are still technically at war.

Adolf Hitler was a great admirer of Jewish and Russian musicians just like Rahmaninof, Tchaikovsky, and Borodin as it was revealed by his personal collection which came to light recently.


A Russian officer’s relatives were keeping Adolf Hitler’s personal collection. The Official had robbed Hitler’s storehouse in 1945. British newspapers report that during Third Reich’s Domination, Hitler had forbidden his followers to listen anything else except German composers’ music.

Portugal Health authorities announced that foot-and mouth disease cases have been detected in 49 farms in Portugal one week after the detection of the first case. Of a total 6.216 cow heads in these farms 121 have already died while another 348 contracted the disease last week stressed Portugal’s Health Ministry. The virus was first detected on September, 21 in a farm in Baracos, in the south part of the country.

Sources: AFP, ÁNA-ΜNA

A historical summit meeting opens in Pyongyang today with South and North Korea leaders meeting just for the second time in 50 years after the 1950-1953 Korean war. The first meeting was held in 2000 signaling willingness for rapprochement policy between Seoul and Pyongyang. For the first time, South Korean President, Roh Moo-hyun and his wife got off their car in the demilitarized zone and crossed the borders on foot. Next they got back on their car and continued on their way to Pyongyang by car.

At the UN General Assembly, Myanmar Foreign Minister Nyan Win, accused political opportunists, supported by foreign countries, of trying to exploit the situation in Myanmar in order to create disorder. "We are very worried because we realize that the new-colonialism has shown its miserable face again", Mr. Min said, stressing the fact that foreign countries are organizing campaigns of misinforming regarding the violation of human rights", "they are imposing sanctions, undermining that way our economy and impoverishing Myanmar’s people. These statements express the government’ first public position on the crisis.

The election process and number of candidates for PASOK’s (Panhellenic Socialist Movement) presidency will be finalized this week after the Political Council’s meeting on Thursday and the National Council’s meeting in the weekend. Meanwhile, at 17:00, Monday, Ms Anna Diamantopoulou announced she would not run for PASOK’s presidency. However, as per information she will not run for the party’s presidency. Meanwhile, Evangelos Venizelos, candidate for the party’s residency made his positions public at noon. He presented a 20-point text on PASOK and Greece, which he described a basis for a dialogue for an honor agreement among party cadres.

The Cabinet had a meeting under the Prime Minister in the morning to discuss the priorities of the government’s legislative work. Finance Minister Mr. Giorgos Alogoskoufis stressed that the government’s first priority is to submit to Parliament the draft bills concerning social security issues, tax evasion, the foundation of a Social Cohesion Fund and the new administrative framework regarding the 4th Community Support Framework (CSF). Answering questions on the previous governmental commitments, Mr. Alogoskoufis said "All our commitments will be materialized in the frameworks of the new budget". According to information, armed and security personnel salaries as well as the abolition of inheritance taxes will be put to a vote in Parliament under special amendments. A bill for property taxes will be passed. In reference to heating oil, according to the same sources the government is considering that consumers can get in banks the sum of the special tax retained with only the presentation of the invoice. Coming out from Maximos Mansion, Foreign Minister Mrs. Dora Bakoyianni stressed that all governmental priorities were discussed and will be submitted soon to Parliament.

Sources: ΝΕΤ-ΝΕΤ 105.8

The discussion on the social security issue is starting within the next 10 days. Invitations will be sent to political parties and other social associates while the framework of changes suggested by the Analytis Competent Commission will also be submitted. State Minister Mr. Theodoros Rousopoulos excluded the possibility of a reduction in national pensions and of an increase in retirement age. A list of 150 categories of heavy and unhealthy professions is also going to be discussed. People occupying heavy and unhealthy positions will be possibly been provided the right of early retirement. According to information, many professions will be included in the list while others will be excluded from the list.

A protection zone has been set up in Suffolk after government vets confirmed bluetongue disease was circulating in the UK and was classed as an outbreak.

Deputy chief vet Fred Landeg said test results had shown the disease, which is transmitted by biting midges, was passing between livestock.

So far there have been five confirmed cases of the disease. All the animals which tested positive have been culled.

The zone will be a minimum of 150km (93 miles) around infected premises.

A stricter 20km control zone has also been set up around the known bluetongue cases, with restrictions preventing animals being moved out of both zones.