Korean Peace Talks Continue

North Korea has agreed to continue today planning landmark Korean peninsula peace talks with the United States, South Korea and China. There was "a very cozy and a very good atmosphere. We had very substantive talks today but nothing has been agreed upon," a South Korean official who spoke anonymously said after yesterday's first day of talks in New York. The goal of the talks is to set a date and agenda for launching substantive negotiations to replace the fraying 1950-53 Korean War armistice with a more permanent peace, presumably in a treaty.

Clinton to Hold News Conference

The White House says President Clinton will hold a formal news conference at the White House at 2 p.m. EDT today. The last formal news conference Clinton held alone at the White House was on March 7. The president is expected to be asked or touch on a number of issues, including Middle East peace efforts, the balanced budget legislation, the UPS strike and a Senate probe of campaign finance irregularities.

DEA Targets Colombia Heroin

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration head Thomas Constantine has announced the creation of a bi-national force to stem the growing flow of Colombian heroin into the United States. The specialist anti-heroin unit, to be based in Bogota, will be made up of DEA agents and their Colombian National Police counterparts and will see both countries pooling intelligence efforts and funds and sharing logistical support. During a lightning seven-hour visit to Bogota, Constantine said a new breed of Colombian heroin traffickers had emerged.

Law Signed to Protect Tax Returns

President Clinton has signed into law legislation to protect the confidentiality of tax returns filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Clinton said that the law provides new criminal penalties for those who view tax information without authorization, a practice known as browsing, as well as additional civil remedies for people whose privacy is violated. Under current law, it is illegal to intentionally use a federal computer without authority to obtain information from any government department.

Crackdown on Sales Rack Scams

The government says it is cracking down on companies that fraudulently sell franchises that can cost investors tens of thousands of dollars to start up and often leave them penniless. The Federal Trade Commission is starting an enforcement and education campaign to cut down on the number of consumers burned by in-store display rack scams. According to the agency, some companies sell licenses for the racks, promising a handsome return to entrepreneurs. But in reality, the FTC says, investors often end up paying hidden set-up costs and selling outdated products at retail prices.

Clinton Seeks Latam Partnership

President Clinton, who plans to visit South America twice in the next 10 months, is seeking a new partnership with the hemisphere's nations, his top adviser on Latin America says. Thomas "Mack" McLarty said the Americas II Summit to be held in Chile next April will launch hemispheric free trade negotiations long awaited by Latin American nations. The plan, however, may hinge on obtaining fast-track negotiating authority from an increasingly protectionist Congress.

Clinton Personnel Chief Quits

The Office of Personnel Management says its director, James King, will leave his job by Labor Day to take a senior position at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn. King, who has served as OPM director since April 1993, headed the National Transportation Safety Board under President Jimmy Carter. A native of Ludlow, Mass., King also held senior positions on the staffs of Sen. John Kerrey and Sen. Edward Kennedy, both Democrats from Massachusetts. Deputy OPM Director Janice Lachance will assume King's responsibilities until President Clinton nominated someone to fill the post.

US Backtracks on Canada Row

Commerce Secretary William Daley has backtracked from comments that suggested that an illegal blockade of an Alaskan ferry by Canadian fishermen had forced the two sides to focus on solving their salmon dispute. And the Canadian government quickly moved to try to quell encouragement of any vigilante action in the future. Canadian fishermen blockaded the ferry in the British Columbia port of Prince Rupert for three days last month to protest against what they claimed was overfishing of salmon by their U.S. counterparts in Alaska.

INS May Split Up

A U.S. advisory panel may recommend next month splitting the Immigration and Naturalization Service into three separate parts, a congressional source says. U.S. officials note that the draft recommendations from the U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform could change before the final report is issued Sept. 30. The draft report calls for splitting the INS into three parts. The Justice Department would maintain control of U.S. borders and stemming illegal immigration, the State Department would handle immigration services and the Labor Department would address rules about foreign workers.

Former FBI Director Dies

Former FBI Director Clarence Kelley has died in his home after a long illness, the bureau reported. Kelley was 85. Kelley was director of the FBI from July 1973 to February 1978. Before becoming director he was chief of police of Kansas City, Mo. He was an FBI agent from 1940 to 1961. Kelley is survived by his wife, a son, a daughter and three grandchildren. Funeral services will be held Friday at the Country Club Christian Church in Kansas City.

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