KIEV, Ukraine -- Russia apologized Monday for keeping two U.S. senators waiting for three hours in a Russian airport after border guards expressed concerns about letting the U.S. military flight depart without an inspection of the plane.\nSens. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Barack Obama, D-Ill., arrived in the Ukrainian capital later than expected after the delay in Russia's Ural Mountains city of Perm on Sunday night.\n"We are not certain as to why or (what was) the particular activity that caused that delay," Lugar said. "We are pleased that our flight was able to continue to Kiev, albeit three hours later. ... We still had a good night's sleep."\nBoth the Russians and Americans moved to draw a line under the incident, which officials said was unlikely to provoke a serious uproar in relations.\n
Report: N. Korea nuclear talks won't resume this week
\nSEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea's foreign minister said Monday that six-party nuclear talks won't resume this week because of military exercises by the United States and South Korea that regularly draw Pyongyang's ire, according to a news report.\nPaek Nam Sun said the ongoing exercises were "totally responsible for the delay" in the next round of talks, according to a report from Japan's Kyodo News agency.\nStill, Paek said the talks could resume as early as mid-September "if things are going well."\nDelegates to the fourth round of talks aimed at persuading North Korea to give up nuclear development took a recess earlier this month and agreed to meet again this week. After 13 days of talks, the six countries at the meetings -- China, Japan, Russia, the United States and the two Koreas -- failed to agree on a statement of basic principles to guide future negotiations.\n
Reuters TV soundman killed in Baghdad battle
\nBAGHDAD, Iraq -- A Reuters television sound technician was killed and a cameraman was injured Sunday while trying to cover a Baghdad gunbattle involving insurgents and U.S. troops. Police said the men were fired on by American forces.\nWaleed Khaled, 35, was killed and cameraman Haider Khadem was wounded while driving to the scene of the clash in the western Baghdad district of Adil, said Alastair Macdonald, Reuters' chief correspondent in Baghdad.\nThe two appear to have been targeted by a sniper, and Khadem was detained by U.S. troops after being shot, Macdonald said.\nMaj. Mousa Abdul Karim of the Ghazaliyah police said U.S. soldiers opened fire on the two men near Umm al-Qura mosque.\nA statement from the U.S. Army's Task Force Baghdad said troops responded to an attack on an Iraqi police convoy that killed and wounded several officers.\n"One civilian was killed and another was wounded by small-arms fire during the attack," the statement said. "After discovering an abandoned car with explosives material, weapons and a cell phone, units began searching the area for the terror suspects who were believed to have fled on foot"
