Enriched

Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg arrived here Wednesday with a warning that world leaders would take steps to press their objections to North Korea's uranium enrichment program. Steinberg said last week's Washington summit between President Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao sent a "clear message" that Kim Jong Il's nuclear ambitions violated international agreements. "It's very important that the international community send a strong message that the uranium enrichment program, indeed any uranium enrichment program by North Korea, would be inconsistent with its international obligations, with Security Council resolutions and with its own commitments," he said.

A high-stakes international standoff over Iran's nuclear ambitions came no closer a resolution Saturday as the latest round of talks aimed at curtailing the controversial program ended in failure in Turkey. The two-day meeting in Istanbul between Iran and six world powers was in effect stalled from the very start, with Tehran insisting that it has the right to continue enriching uranium and demanding an end to United Nations sanctions. The United States and its allies believe that Iran is intent on acquiring nuclear weapons.

Iranian officials declared at the start of two days of diplomatic talks in Turkey on Friday that they would not discuss suspension of their country's uranium enrichment program. Suspension is one of the key demands of Western countries, which view Iran as intent on acquiring nuclear weapons. Iran insists its program is for peaceful purposes, and has continued the enrichment activities despite four rounds of sanctions approved by the U.N. Security Council. The United States and European Union have added their own sanctions.

Just a few months ago, U.S. and Israeli officials were warning that Iran was a year away from having the capability to rapidly build a nuclear weapon. Speculation was intensifying that Israel would launch airstrikes to prevent that from happening. But as the new year dawned, Western officials, with little fanfare, significantly revamped their estimates of Iran's nuclear progress. Israel's strategic affairs minister, Moshe Yaalon, said Dec. 29 that the Islamic Republic was at least three years away from a bomb.

Milk and eggs have earned their place in the American diet because they're good sources of calcium and protein, respectively. These days, some brands are also being touted as a good source of another nutrient: omega-3s. Omega-3 fatty acids are in demand because of their proven beneficial effects on heart health. The Institute of Medicine, which advises the government on health issues, recommends 1,100 milligrams of omega-3s per day for women and 1,600 mg for men. Two types of omega-3s ?

Leaked classified U.S. diplomatic documents reveal strong doubts that Pakistan can keep nuclear fuel and expertise out of the hands of terrorists, alarmingly illustrated by a report that Pakistani nuclear workers have been kidnapped by Islamic extremists and not heard from again. Although the U.S. has long expressed wariness about a nuclear weapons program in a country that remains a seedbed for terrorism, in public it has expressed steadfast confidence in the layers of security the Pakistani government and military use to safeguard the country's nuclear facilities.

Calling its former top administrator an embezzler who stole millions from the city treasury, the city of Bell on Wednesday took legal action against Robert Rizzo for unjust enrichment, negligence, breach of fiduciary duty and fraud. The complaint seeks to have Rizzo return millions to the city. "Robert Rizzo embezzled, stole, and misappropriated millions of dollars in city funds by obtaining grossly excessive and completely unwarranted compensation packages," the complaint alleges.

A steady expansion of Iran's nuclear program was interrupted at least briefly this month by the complete shutdown of its uranium enrichment production, according to an analysis of a report Tuesday by the United Nations' nuclear watchdog. Despite international sanctions and reports in the Western media that a computer virus had damaged sensitive equipment, Iran ramped up its production rate of enriched uranium and apparently worked out technical glitches to increase the number of delicate centrifuges producing the nuclear fuel, the latest quarterly report by the International Atomic Energy Agency indicates.

The mayor of Anaheim was irate. Planners at the California High-Speed Rail Authority were suggesting that local officials consider moving a proposed multimillion-dollar transportation mega hub to the other side of a freeway so it would be easier to connect tracks for a bullet train. "This borders on complete incompetence," Mayor Curt Pringle fumed in a message to the state agency's top executive. "I am very angry.... I am NOT KIDDING!" On one level, the outburst wasn't surprising.

The U.S. special envoy for North Korea on Monday sought to downplay revelations that Pyongyang is building a new facility to process uranium that can be used in nuclear weapons. State Department special representative Stephen Bosworth met with South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan, later telling reporters that the U.S. has been monitoring construction at North Korea's main Yongbyon atomic complex. "This is obviously a disappointing announcement. It is also another in a series of provocative moves" by North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, Bosworth said.