UNITED NATIONS Reuters – A U

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – A U.N. Security Council committee is close to a deal on blacklisting several North Korean companies for aiding Pyongyang’s missile and nuclear programs, diplomats said on Friday. World  |  China  |  Russia  |  Japan  |  South Korea  |  North KoreaDiplomats on the North Korea sanctions committee said they were hoping to meet a Friday deadline set by the Security Council earlier this month to agree to a list of goods and North Korean entities to be blacklisted under council resolution 1718, passed after Pyongyang’s October 2006 nuclear test.”We’ve narrowed it down to three key companies,” one Western diplomat told Reuters on condition of anonymity. “Hopefully we can get all 15 members of the committee on board by the end of the day.”The United States had proposed a list of 11 North Korean firms it hoped to blacklist. The list was trimmed after objections from Russia, China and several other delegations, diplomats said.Another Western diplomat said the three companies the sanctions committee was considering blacklisting were on the U.S. list, as were several subsidiaries of those three which would automatically be sanctioned as well.Japan had proposed listing 14 companies — the 11 the U.S. delegation suggested and three additional firms.The three top candidates for the corporate blacklist are linked to North Korea’s military, diplomats said.Committee members, they said, were also expected to ban the import or export of items on an international list of sensitive technologies used to build long-range missiles capable of delivering weapons of mass destruction.’AGAINST INTERNATIONAL LAW’After North Korea’s April 5 rocket launch, which the Security Council condemned, the 15-nation council ordered the North Korea sanctions committee to end a two-year hiatus and get back to work.North Korea’s Deputy U.N.

Ambassador Pak Tok Hun said earlier this week that his country was ignoring the Security Council condemnation as well as its demand for tougher enforcement of sanctions against Pyongyang.”We don’t recognize that statement, because it runs against .. international laws,” he said. “We have the rights, as I told you, the rights to make peaceful use of outer space.”The United States, Japan and South Korea have accused Pyongyang of launching a ballistic missile in violation of Security Council resolution 1718 of October 2006 that forbids North Korea from firing such missiles. The North says it launched a satellite and was not in breach of the resolution.After the Security Council’s statement this month, Pyongyang announced it would boycott six-nation nuclear disarmament talks, restart a plant that makes bomb-grade plutonium and threatened war with South Korea if it joined a U.S. initiative to halt the proliferation of illicit weapons.Even though resolution 1718 imposed financial sanctions, banned arms sales and imposed a limited trade embargo on North Korea, the measures were largely ignored once Pyongyang returned to aid-for-disarmament talks with the United States, China, Russia, Japan and South Korea in 2006.(Editing by Vicki Allen) World China Russia Japan South Korea North Korea.

While watching the Penguins v. Flyers game last night, I became increasingly bitter about the Leafs' situation. I couldn’t see any scenario in which the Leafs would be able to compete with Pittsburgh or Philadelphia over the next few years. I don’t like their chances against Montreal or the Rangers either. The Capitals figure to be much improved next season and a healthy Patrice Bergeron will give the Bruins more punch as well.

Jersey is on the decline but they play a sufficiently effective system that they should be playoff regulars for the next couple of seasons.  So where does that leave us in a best case scenario situation?  Fighting for the MLSE Holy Grail, the 8th and final playoff spot.  Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) CEO Richard Peddie has announced that a new GM will be in place by September The new GM will hire the new coach. Last year the Leafs’ training camp started on September 13th and their first regular season game was October 3rd. It is expected that the 2008-09 season will start with similar start dates.  Before getting to training camp here’s what I see happening in Leafland this summer:  The next “logical” step is for acting GM Cliff Fletcher to hire a coach since he’s acting in “full GM capacity” with the blessing of the Board, Mr.