The U.S. Navy announced it will double the number of aircraft carrier battle groups within striking distance of Iraq, raising the total to four. The two battle groups there currently are positioned in the Mediterranean Sea and in the northern Persian Gulf. (Yahoo/AP)

A delegation from North Korea arrived in Seoul to begin high-level talks with South Korea. North Korea suggested that it doesn't wish to discuss its nuclear weapons program, which it considers an issue between it and the U.S., and that the meetings should focus on collaboration between the two countries. (ABC News/AP)

Nobel Peace Prize winner Jimmy Carter, after meeting with President Hugo Chavez and with opposition leaders in Venezuela, suggested a plan for ending the opposition-led general strike, now in its seventh week. Chavez said he would accept a constitutional reform if it was approved by the Venezuelan National Assembly and a national vote. (IHT, Reuters)

The Israeli army demolished more than 60 shops in the West Bank village of Nazlat Issa, on the Israeli border, saying the shops had been built without permits. (BBC, VOA)

Two American civilians were attacked, and one killed, by an unknown assailant or assailants while driving from the U.S. military's Camp Doha in Kuwait. Police said the shots came from military rifles. (CNN)

The Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah fired artillery shells on Israeli army positions along Israel's northern border. It was the first such attack in over four months. Israel retaliated with both artillery fire and air strikes. (Ha'aretz, BBC)

Firefighters in Britain began a 24-hour walkout to protest a wage dispute. British military personnel are responding to emergencies in their stead. (Sky News)

Iraqi officials, responding to demands from U.N. weapons inspectors, agreed to specific measures to facilitate the inspections, including encouraging Iraqi scientists to agree to private interviews with inspectors. (WaPost, NYT)

France said that Iraq's compliance with the ongoing U.N. weapons inspections made military action against it unnecessary. France is a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council and can veto Security Council resolutions. (NYT, WaPost)

The U.S. Navy announced it will double the number of aircraft carrier battle groups within striking distance of Iraq, raising the total to four. The two battle groups there currently are positioned in the Mediterranean Sea and in the northern Persian Gulf. (Yahoo/AP)

Two American civilians were attacked, and one killed, by an unknown assailant or assailants while driving from the U.S. military's Camp Doha in Kuwait. Police said the shots came from military rifles. (CNN)

Concerns about the health risks associated with the smallpox vaccine have led some hospitals to decide not to administer the vaccine to their staffs. More than 80 hospitals across the country have resisted health officials' requests that they do so as part of the Bush administration's plan to vaccinate 11 million Americans against smallpox. There are some 3,000 hospitals involved in the plan. (USAT)

Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives, wanting lobbyists to be able to give them stuff, have been relaxing restrictions against gifts of meals and entertainment. House Republicans instituted the restrictions in 1995, when they were unhappy that lobbyists had been able to give stuff to Democrats. (WaPost)

U.S. stock markets fell for the fourth straight trading day. The Dow fell 1.68 percent, to 8,442.90, the Nasdaq dropped 0.87 percent, to 1,364.25, and the Standard & Poor's slid 1.57 percent, to 887.62. Investors are showing caution in the face of a number corporate earnings announcements due in the next two weeks and the possibility of war in Iraq. (Reuters)

Microsoft Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co. announced they would expand a partnership focused on selling network attached storage products. The products target businesses that need additional network storage but not additional network servers. (InfoWorld)

Concerns about the health risks associated with the smallpox vaccine have led some hospitals to decide not to administer the vaccine to their staffs. More than 80 hospitals across the country have resisted health officials' requests that they do so as part of the Bush administration's plan to vaccinate 11 million Americans against smallpox. There are some 3,000 hospitals involved in the plan. (USAT)

Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives, wanting lobbyists to be able to give them stuff, have been relaxing restrictions against gifts of meals and entertainment. House Republicans instituted the restrictions in 1995, when they were unhappy that lobbyists had been able to give stuff to Democrats. (WaPost)