US envoy to join Iran nukes meeting

A top U.S. diplomat heading to Geneva has no plans to meet separately with Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, but the mere presence of the Bush administration official at talks between the Iranian negotiator and representatives of other world powers will be a sharp break with past administration policy.

William Burns, America's third highest-ranking diplomat, will attend talks with the Iranian envoy, Saeed Jalili, in Switzerland on Saturday. The talks are aimed at persuading Iran to halt activities that could lead to the development of atomic weapons. It will be the first time such a high-ranking U.S. official has attended such talks.

Official contacts …

Start with an EGG: ; Any kind, any size; Egg artist's creation in White House display

DAILY MAIL STAFF

RUPERT - Deborah Stevens' eggceptional talent spans alloccasions.

"A lot of people think of the egg as strictly for Easter,"Stevens said. "The egg is just a canvas. It's endless what you cando." Stevens creates works of art from a variety of eggs such asgoose, chicken, emu, duck, ostrich, turkey, quail, finch, swan andpheasant. Her Christmas tree each year is decorated entirely withelaborate eggs. She also uses eggs to create everything from lampsand jewelry boxes to jewelry and clocks.

One of her artworks is part of an Easter display this year inWashington, D.C. A chicken egg containing three tiny coal minersrepresents West Virginia in a …

ABC Captures Election-Night Ratings Race

NEW YORK - A savvy last-minute scheduling shift enabled ABC News' Charles Gibson to claim bragging rights as television's elections source of choice in his first prime-time competition with NBC's Brian Williams and Katie Couric of CBS.

Meanwhile, news organizations pronounced themselves generally satisfied Wednesday with their exit polling and vote counting systems, despite some concerns. With caution the byword, the national organizations made no wrong calls with the information they received.

Gibson, Williams and Couric were back on the air quickly Wednesday as all networks ran two special reports on President Bush's news conference and his announcement of Defense …

2 killed by bomb in Colombian capital

Police say a bomb blast has killed two people outside a Blockbuster video store in an upper middle-class district of Colombia's capital.

The explosion occurred in an area of northern Bogota where restaurants and retail stores are plentiful.

City police chief Rodolfo Palomino says the bomb appeared to be about 11 pounds (five kilograms) of explosives and was placed in an …

After missing out on World Cup, Adu looks to 2014

Freddy Adu is heading back to Greece this week, his mind already on Brazil.

While definitely disappointed to be left off the U.S. roster for the World Cup in South Africa, the 21-year-old former phenom is focusing on the 2014 tournament after starting to revive his career this year at the Greek club Aris Thessaloniki.

"I really wanted to be a part of this World Cup team," Adu said in a telephone interview this month from his home in Maryland. "That didn't happen, but now I have to look forward to the next one. The preparation really starts now for me. You have to become a regular on the national team and keep helping the team and make a …

Control without ownership?

Canam Group's Marcel Dutil did it, as did the founder of �erna Laboratories and Gildan. These business leaders renounced the control their multiple voting shares gave them over their companies. Dutil's move brings back the question of whether ownership and control shouldn't become synonymous. What's the opinion on this at Jean Coutu, Quebecor or Bombardier?

Dutil decided to relinquish his control over Canam in exchange for a conversion premium. He submitted a proposal to convert his class C multiple voting shares into class A subordinate shares and subsequently eliminate this dual-share structure. As a result, his shares became convertible into cash and acquired a market value …

Musharraf Expects Elections by Jan. 9

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan _ Pakistan's military ruler said Sunday that parliamentary elections should be held on schedule, but that a state of emergency would stay in place to ensure that the polls were free and transparent.

"We should have elections before the 9th of January," President Gen. Pervez Musharraf said at a press conference, refusing to set a timeline for lifting emergency rule.

"Certainly the emergency is required to ensure peace in Pakistan, to ensure an environment conducive to elections," he said, also noting, "The emergency contributes toward better law and order and a better fight against terrorism."

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