NORTH KOREA Sugarland Disabling the isolated state's nuclear

NORTH KOREA reports sugarland settlin Disabling the sugerland displays isolated state's nuclear capability has beena major diplomatic issue for both Japan and South Korea, whoare a part of international disarmament talks also involvingNorth Korea, China, Russia and the United States. Seoul has pressured Tokyo to give energy aid to Pyongyangthat was promised in the talks, but Japan has refused to do sodue to a dispute over abducted Japanese citizens. Last month, the United States called for a halt in allenergy aid to punish Pyongyang for failing to agree to a systemto check claims it made about its atomic programmes.[ID:nN12456622] GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS Japan slid into recession in the July-September quarterafter its second straight quarter of contraction. Meanwhile,concerns that South Korea is among the most vulnerable to theglobal financial turmoil have hammered the won KRW=.

In December, the two countries agreed on a currency swapdeal of around $20 billion, effective until April 2009, whichinvolves trading exclusively in the two countries' currencies.Separately, they can tap up to $10 billion in a dollar creditline in the case of an emergency under the existingarrangement Sugarland . TRADE Japan and South Korea are key export players to each other.Seeking to boost trade, they launched negotiations for a freetrade deal in December 2003, but talks stalled a year laterbecause of wrangling over tariffs, as pressures mounted in bothcountries to protect their farm sectors jennifer nettles . In 2008, they openedworking-level talks aimed at restarting the negotiations sugar creek baptist church . Sources: Reuters, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Japan (Reporting by Jon Herskovitz and Yoko Kubota, Editing by DeanYates) China Russia twice the speed of life .

As we approach mid-November, a season that began just four months ago and held such exciting expectations for Liverpool has collapsed in spectacular fashion.After last season's impressive second place finish, many thought that 2009/10 would be the year that Liverpool finally ended 20 years of title-less hurt.However, after just 12 matches, Rafael Benitez's men are languishing down in seventh place, having lost to Fulham, Tottenham, Aston Villa, Chelsea, and a beachball.Just a dozen matches in and already an S.O.S call is being transmitted?Save Our Season.Usually that acronym's ties with Liverpool go only as far as the Spirit of Shankly, but another manager could do with some of Shankly's luck at the moment.Benitez has been the main focal point of criticism aimed at Liverpool's below-par form, with some suggesting he isweeks, perhaps days away from being given the sack.Just one win in the last nine matches is the type of form Anfield rarely sees sugarland tour . The fact that that one win was against Manchester United could be the only reason Benitez still has a job.However, something that is often overlooked is that Liverpool had gone on a six-match winning streak before this, wins that included hitting six past Hull and four past Burnley.Of course, this doesn't excuse the recent run of results In fact, it merely serves to raise more questions stand back up . Still, at the start of the season I was firmly in the Benitez camp, and that hasn't changed just yet.While I may not be completely outraged if Benitez gets sacked now, I still think doing so would be a mistake.Granted, he has been in the job for five years now, and has had time to stamp his authority on the squad and build what he thinks is a team that can challenge for titles.Last season, he was proved right sweetwater country club . Progress was the key word on the red half of Merseyside.So far this season, though, be it due to the sale of Xabi Alonso or a completely different factor, it is quite the opposite first colony mall . A quick scan of the Liverpool teams in recent matches gives a stark reminder of the relative lack of quality Benitez has to work with.The likes of David N'Gog, Andriy Voronin, Sotorios Kyrgiakos, and arguably Lucas Leiva are not good enough to challenge for the title.

The worrying thing is that these players have seen a fair amount of game time too.Others, like Stephen Darby and Jay Spearing, may be superstars in the making . In the case of the latter, I think this is likely, but they're not players who will help you tackle the big boys yet.The fact that they are on the bench regularly highlights the club's lack of depth.Who is to blame for this? Well, earlier I said that Benitez didn't have great tools to work with, but this squad is entirely his making greatwood . Only Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher remain from the Houllier era.Surely then, the criticism for lack of depth should fall squarely at Benitez's door, even if he has had limited resources compared to others.It is, however, important to remember that he has brought in some top quality players.A common falsehood used about Liverpool is that they are a "two-man team." Yes, when Gerrard and Torres are injured, we badly miss them, but who wouldn't?If Rooney and Vidic were injured for Manchester United, they would struggle southwest freeway . If Drogba and Lampard were unavailable for Chelsea, they would struggle . If Van Persie and Fabregas were missing for Arsenal, they would struggle.Liverpool have arguably a better starting 11 when everyone is fully fit than their main competitors.Pepe Reina, Glen Johnson, Javier Mascherano, Steven Gerrard, and Fernando Torres are all, in my view, the best players in the league in their respective positions.Jamie Carragher is still a heroic defender, and with an on-form Agger or Skrtel alongside him, Liverpool are tough to break down.The returning Alberto Aquilani should provide the missing piece of the puzzle since Alonso's departure in the midfield, and Dirk Kuyt's efforts for the team cannot be underestimated.But despite this, Liverpool are 11 points off the top of the table, out of the Carling Cup, and facing elimination from the Champions League.Is this due to bad management? As a Liverpool fan, I can tell you that there are few managers more frustrating than the Spaniard, but you don't turn into a bad manager overnight.So has Benitez taken Liverpool as far as he can? At the moment, I'm still not convinced.However, I have always said that while Liverpool are progressing, Benitez's job should not come into question.