ASIAN NEWS: NORTH KOREAN TALKS STALL; US DEPLOYS STEALTH FIGHTER JETS TO OKINAWA

NYTIMES/"Reuters":

The U.S. envoy to six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear arms program said on Sunday it was time to wrap things up and reach a resolution but South Korean and Japanese delegates held out little hope.

Envoys to the talks from North and South Korea, the United States, Russia, Japan and host China have agreed on most of a plan that would oblige Pyongyang to shut down nuclear activities in return for economic and security assurances.

But North Korea is at odds with the other five countries over a single paragraph of the draft agreement, U.S. envoy Christopher Hill told reporters as he headed into a fourth day of talks.

MAYBE THESE WILL HELP CONVINCE KIM JONG IL TO DO THE RIGHT THING:

The deployment of United States Air Force (USAF) F-22 stealth fighter jets to a base on Japan's Okinawa island has prompted protests from residents. It is the first time the jets, the latest in the USAF's arsenal, have been deployed outside the US. The 12 aircraft are due to land at the island's Kadena airbase, where they will be stationed for three months.

THESE JETS SEND A MESSAGE TO BOTH NORTH KOREA AND CHINA. AND PUTIN. THEN AGAIN, ACCORDING TO MURTHA, OKINAWA ISN'T FAR FROM IRAQ... OR IRAN!