hPeruvian farmers shear vicunas during 'Chaccu'

hPeruvian farmers shearvicunas during 'Chaccu'
A highland Peruvian farmer, left, examines a protected vicuna after it has been sheared on an Andean plain near Ayacucho, 205 miles southeast of Lima. The state-sponsored event, known as "Chaccu," occurs once a year so that Andean Indians can shear thousands of the wild animals, a delicate relative of llamas and alpacas, for their highly prized wool.
The animals' ears are cut and a small amount of blood is collected for a ceremony to mark the event. The vicunas are then released.
Karzai: Taliban won't last
KABUL, Afghanistan -- The Taliban do not pose a long-term threat to Afghanistan's stability, President Hamid Karzai said Sunday.
Karzai spoke after the release of an audio recording purportedly of fugitive Taliban leader Mullah Omar saying the Afghan government did not have the wisdom to solve the nation's crisis. A self-described Taliban spokesman denied the recording aired on Pakistani television was authentic.
The U.S. military said two coalition soldiers had been killed in combat that also left about 45 militants dead. U.S.-led forces are waging their largest anti-Taliban offensive to date across southern Afghanistan to quash the deadliest campaign of militant violence since the Islamists' ouster in 2001.
'All options' on the table
SEOUL, South Korea -- Japan said Sunday that "all options" would be considered against North Korea, including oil and food sanctions, if the communist country tested a long-range missile that could reach the United States. The United States, Japan and other countries have been trying to head off a potential missile launch. Intelligence reports say fuel tanks have been seen around a missile at a launch site on North Korea's northeastern coast, but officials say it is difficult to determine from satellite photos if the rocket is actually being fueled. In Washington, leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said the Bush administration should talk directly with North Korea -- something Pyongyang has been seeking for years.
Be patient, Iran says
TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran said Sunday it was seriously considering incentives to halt its nuclear program and that the United States and other nations should be patient about getting a response. Meanwhile, the oil minister warned again that petroleum-rich Iran could disrupt the world's supply if the standoff led to open conflict. "If the country's interests are attacked, we will use oil as a weapon," state television quoted Kazem Vaziri Hamaneh as saying. That would drive oil prices above $100 a barrel, he said. Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told reporters that specialized committees in key state agencies were studying the nuclear incentives offered June 6 by the United States, Britain, China, France, Russia and Germany.
WTC health concerns
NEW YORK -- The nation's largest police union is considering setting up a registry to track the health of officers who toiled amid the rubble of the World Trade Center following the terrorist attack, a spokesman said Sunday. Health and government officials are trying to track the health effects of the dense smoke and dust on thousands of emergency workers, residents and others, and the Bush administration has appointed an official to oversee the federal response.
Buffett to donate billions
OMAHA, Neb. -- The world's second-richest man, Warren Buffett, became one of the world's biggest philanthropists Sunday with the announcement that he would bequeath the bulk of his roughly $44 billion fortune to the foundation established by billionaire Bill Gates and his wife.
The decision to start giving next month through annual stock donations represents a stark reversal for the investment wizard, who for years had said his wealth would be pledged to philanthropies after his death.
Buffett's gift will radically boost the resources of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which is already the world's largest philanthropy with assets of more than $29 billion.
Associated Press