National / International News

North Korea says it is ready to talk if UN sanctions against it are withdrawn and if the US and South Korea put an end to joint military drills.

John Terry says he understands Rafael Benitez's squad rotation policy at Chelsea, despite making only three league starts in 2013.

Disney announces a new Star Wars film will appear yearly from 2015, alternating between new episodes in the ongoing space saga and spinoff character films.

US Secretary of State John Kerry says Washington is not yet ready to recognise the election victory of Venezuela's President-elect Nicolas Maduro.

The Dalai Lama of Tibet is on a two-day visit to Londonderry where he will be guest of honour at a 'Culture of Compassion' event.

Today's final note brings with it a shake of the head and a 'no, c'mon...you're kidding, right?'

From the Federal Reserve, we have news that some of the checks sent to victims of foreclosure abuse — robo-signing, wrongful eviction — have bounced.

The good news is that it seems to be a paperwork snafu, not actually insufficient funds in the $3.5 billion settlement account.

But still.

The funeral of Margaret Thatcher, which passed off more harmoniously than predicted, was an occasion rich in ironies, writes Dominic Sandbrook.

About 10,000 tonnes of cardboard are on fire at a paper mill on an industrial estate in Birmingham.

Prosecutors in Mexico dismiss the case on drug charges against ex-assistant defence minister Gen Tomas Angeles.

Journalist killed in Syria is shortlisted for Orwell Book Prize, which celebrates political writing.

Britain's most successful Olympian, cyclist Sir Chris Hoy, is expected to announce his retirement from active competition later.

A flagship scheme to help home buyers in Wales is dropped only weeks before it was due to start after the housing industry withdraws support.

When Yuri Valazza started a small imported food shop in Shanghai eight years ago, his target consumers weren’t Chinese.

"At that time it was almost 90 percent foreigners," recalls Valazza, sitting at a small table in shop in the city's former French Concession neighborhood.

Not anymore, thanks to a rising consumer class and a string of scandals that damaged the reputation of China’s domestic food supply, nearly half of the business here at Valazza’s shop comes from local Chinese. And what are they buying?

"We see a lot of fresh milk being bought a lot, yogurt, especially, anything that children tend to eat, aby foods," says Valazza.

One of Valazza's sales clerks feeds the day’s catch through a money counter. Valazza’s shop, Feidan, saw a 30 percent increase in revenue last year. Imported food is an $18 billion business in China, thanks to consumers like Zhang Qi, a 33-year-old lawyer who browses the aisles with his three year-old daughter.

"With imported food, if the label says it’s organic, I trust that," says Zhang, "Food made in China -- especially children’s food -- is often labeled organic, but it’s easy to fake that. So we’re sticking with imported food, organic or not."

And that’s good news for American companies like Organic Valley, which started exporting milk to China three years ago. CEO George Siemon says his consumers in China aren’t just looking for the organic seal.

"You also have the USDA seal of quality control," says Siemon, "So it really is a double premium that we’re able to offer people."

And the premium for Organic Valley is China-sized revenue growth: After studying the market, the company estimates sales of its milk in China will go from $4 million today to $100 million in five years.

Feidan customer Zhang Qi says all this new imported food may be a catalyst for change. He says it’s sure to put more pressure on Chinese food companies to raise their standards.

Or not. China’s government is placing more and more restrictions on food from other countries. It’s a move aimed to protect Chinese companies at the expense, says Zhang, of health-conscious consumers like him.

 

A massive explosion at a fertilizer plant near Waco on Wednesday injured dozens of people and killed an unknown number of others. The blast left the factory a smoldering ruin and leveled buildings for blocks in every direction.

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Most people think of Superman as a native of Krypton, or perhaps the rural Kansas village of Smallville. Not so fast, say Clevelanders. The creators of the Man of Steel grew up in the city that steel built, and this year, Cleveland is pulling out all the stops for the superhero's 75th birthday.

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Senior Conservatives in Wales describe Baroness Thatcher's funeral as a fitting tribute to a "one of a kind amongst politicians".

The troubled health and care regulator is promising "swift change" as it attempts to re-launch itself amid criticism of its performance.

Councils across the south are hoping to recoup more than £500,000 in unpaid parking fines issued to foreign-registered vehicles.

What connects dubious theories with a 1952 murder?

Images of a potential suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings have been found on surveillance camera footage, officials say.