Decision expected 'soon' on US-Korean talks

Sources in South Korea say the US is set to decide ’soon’ whether to accept North Korea’s offer of bilateral talks over its nuclear future.

The North said yesterday it had finished reprocessing 8,000 spent nuclear fuel rods, which experts say would provide enough weapons-grade plutonium for at least one more nuclear bomb. The state is believed to have enough plutonium for half a dozen nuclear weapons already.