World briefs 2/13/07

Tentative accord reached in N. Korea disarmament

BEIJING -- Six countries reached a tentative agreement today on initial steps toward North Korea's nuclear disarmament that could usher in the first concrete progress after more than three years of talks. The U.S. envoy to the talks, assistant secretary of state Christopher Hill, said the draft agreement contained commitments on disarmament and energy assistance along with "initial actions" to be taken by certain deadlines.

VA notifies 1.8 million of missing hard drive

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Department of Veterans Affairs began notifying 1.8 million veterans and doctors Monday that their personal and business information could be on a portable hard drive that has been missing from an Alabama hospital for nearly three weeks. The hard drive may have contained Social Security numbers and other personal information from about 535,000 individuals and billing information on 1.3 million doctors nationwide, the VA said.

Study: Adoptive parents invest more in children

NEW YORK -- Adoptive parents invest more time and financial resources in their children than biological parents, according to a new national study. The study, published in the new issue of the American Sociological Review, found that couples who adopt spend more money on their children and invest more time on such activities as reading to them, eating together and talking with them about their problems.

Iran appears to soften tone as pressure mounts

TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran's hard-line president, who has berated the United States and refused to compromise on his nuclear program, is now softening his tone, saying Monday he wants dialogue rather than confrontation in Iraq. Tehran also denied it gave sophisticated weapons to militants to attack U.S. forces. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad insisted that turmoil in Iraq is bad for his country and dialogue -- not force -- was the solution to the region's conflicts.

-- From wire reports