N Korea nuclear talks open in Beijing

Six-party talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear weapons program opened Tuesday in Beijing, a day after Washington and Pyongyang held a rare bilateral meeting. China, which has hosted all the previous six-party talks, urged both sides to be pragmatic and show flexibility, making "positive" progress in this round without posturing. Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said maintaining a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula and a stable region was in the interests of all parties North and South Korea, China, Japan, Russia and the US.