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ByBradleyKlapperand Jamey Keaten The Associated Press GENEVA TheUnitedStates and Russia announced early Saturday a breakthrough agreement on Syria that foresees a nationwide cease-fire starting early next week, followed by an unlikely new military part- nership between the rival governments targeting the Islamic State and al-Qaida. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the plan could reduce violence in Syria and lead to a long- sought political transition, ending more than five years of bloodshed. He called the deal a potential "turning point" in a conflict that has killed as many as 500,000 people, if complied with by Syria's Russian-backed government and U.S.-sup- ported rebel groups. The cease-fire begins at sundown Monday, Kerry said, coinciding with the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday. Kerry's negotiating part- ner, Russian Foreign Min- ister Sergey Lavrov, con- firmed the agreement and said it could help expand the counterterrorism fight and aid deliveries to Syr- ian civilians. He said Syrian President Bashar Assad's government was prepared to comply. The deal culminates months of frenetic diplo- macy that included four meetings between Kerry and Lavrov since Aug. 26. The arrangement hinges on Moscow pressuring Assad's government to halt all offen- sive operations against Syr- ia's armed opposition and civilian areas. Washington must persuade "moderate" rebels to break ranks with the Nusra Front, al-Qaida's Syria affiliate, and other ex- tremist groups. Both sides have failed to deliver their ends of the bar- gain over several previous truces. But the new arrangement goes further by promising a new U.S.-Russian counter- terrorism alliance, only a year after President Barack Obama chastised Russia for a military intervention that U.S. officials said was mainly designed to keep Assad in power and target more moderate anti-Assad forces. The deal includes intel- ligence sharing and target- ing coordination, a level of U.S.-Russian interaction that has upset several lead- ing national security offi- cials in Washington, includ- ing Defense Secretary Ash Carter and National Intelli- gence Director James Clap- per. The joint military work would only begin after sev- eral days of adherence to the new cease-fire. US , Ru ss ia s ea l ce as e- fi re , new military partnership SYRIA KEVINLAMARQUE—POOLPHOTOS U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, le , and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, meet in Geneva, Switzerland, on Friday to discuss the crisis in Syria. By Eric Talmadge The Associated Press TOKYO Mark up another first for North Korea — two nuclear tests in one year. And that's not all. With leader Kim Jong Un smil- ing broadly all the while, bigger and better ballistic missiles have been flying off the North's shores, and now even from under its waters, at breakneck pace. Alarming? Certainly. Surprising? Hardly. With few other options, or allies to rally behind it, this is how Pyongyang likes to play its cards in the power game that is north- east Asian politics. The question is whether it can play them well enough to get what its ruling regime really wants: international recognition, security guar- antees and, at the most fundamental level, its own continued survival. This is shaping up to be the busiest year ever for North Korea's nuclear and missile programs. It rang in 2016 with what it said was its first H-bomb test and has been shooting off various kinds of long-range missiles — including one from a submarine — more frequently than normal. It conducted its second nu- clear test of the year Fri- day, this time to indicate it can arm those ballistic mis- siles it's been testing with nuclear-tipped warheads. While most of the world has singled Pyongyang's nuclear program out as a dangerous source of in- stability on the peninsula, North Korea has consis- tently said it needs a nu- clear deterrent to what it believes is a very real threat from the United States. The two countries are, after all, still technically at war. The 1950-53 Korean conflict ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty. Right after announcing its test, the North's state- run Korean Central News Agency once again made that argument. "The U.S. desperate moves for unilaterally put- ting sanctions and sti- fling the DPRK are a hid- eous crime against human- ity aimed at subversion of the social system of a sov- ereign country," the re- port said, using the acro- nym for North Korea's offi- cial name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "The U.S. should never underestimate the tremen- dous mental power and in- exhaustible might of the DPRK," it added. "The U.S. will be made to clearly see how the DPRK rises impos- ingly out of chains of sanc- tions, blockade and pres- sure." That's been Pyongyang's position for decades. And it hasn't gotten a lot of trac- tion. Its test Friday was im- mediately criticized by its neighbors — including its nominal ally, China — and by Washington. Japan, which is within range of the North's missiles and hosts tens of thousands of U.S. troops, called for an emer- gencymeetingoftheUnited Nations Security Council. The North is already un- der the toughest sanctions it hasfacedindecadesbecause of its January nuclear test. More now are almost cer- tain, though some experts question whether North Korea has anything signif- icant left to apply effective sanctions to. Advocates of a tougher approach are hop- ing the latest test will gal- vanize support from China and Russia, which have not been totally on board with Washington's approach to Pyongyang. So why does Pyongyang insist on stirring the pot? Its flurry of demonstra- tions of military might this year may reflect a greater sense of urgency to prove it can make good on Kim Jong Un's vow to build ever better nukes while also keeping its economy afloat despite all of the pressure, isolation and international sanctions that policy gen- erates. There are indications it is, in reality, making prog- ress on both fronts. Largely thanks to con- tinued business with China and Russia, the North's economy — though hardly robust — long ago emerged from the disastrous famine years of the 1990s and now shows signs of a growing domestic consumer mar- ket, where small-time en- trepreneurialism is allowed and sometimes tacitly sup- ported by the authorities. ANALYSIS North Korea seeks leverage by playing the nuke card WONG MAYE-E — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE North Korean soldiers turn and look towards their leader Kim Jong Un from a military parade vehicle as they carry packs marked with the nuclear symbol during a ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of the Korean War armistice in Pyongyang, North Korea. InPrintEveryTuesday-Thursday-Saturday Online:Publishes24/7 www.redbluffdailynews.com Threeadditionalonline locations at no extra cost! Print and On-Line HOMESERVICESDIRECTORY Full Size $ 117 .50 Per Month No early cancellation, non-refundable TWOSIZESTOCHOOSEFROM Half Size $ 70 .00 Per Month Construction Burrows Constructi on Remodel, New Additions, Siding Repair and Replacement, Water and Dryrot New Construction Foundation to Finish Ph:(530) 515-9779 Residential•Commerical PATIOS•DECKS REFRENCES Lic#824770 Roofing Call for Estimates! 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