Pyongyang all set to test: US

Meanwhile, North Korea today called US President George W. Bush a ‘‘hooligan’’ and said it expected no solution to the standoff over its nuclear programme during the Bush administration.

‘‘Bush is a hooligan bereft of any personality as a human being…And a philistine whom we can never deal with,’’ said North Korea’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, according the official Korean Central News Agency. North Korea does not expect any progress in relations with the US during Bush’s term, the unnamed spokesman said, calling the US President a “world dictator”.

‘‘Over more than four years since Bush’s inauguration, (North Korea) has shown magnanimity and patience. It can no longer do so, waiting for any shift in the US policy,’’ he said.

Iran might resume nuclear work

Iran warned on Saturday it may resume uranium enrichment-related work next week after failing to reach a breakthrough in talks with the EU over its nuclear programme. ‘‘Iran will decide whether to resume its uranium enrichment programme this week in Tehran,’’ official IRNA news agency quoted Tehran’s chief nuclear negotiator, Hassan Rohani, as saying. —Reuters