World briefs 8/10/06

Man arrested in Japan amid nuclear crackdown

TOKYO -- A man who allegedly exported machinery to North Korea that can be used to make weapons biological was arrested Thursday amid a Japanese crackdown on trade with its communist neighbor over concerns about its nuclear program. The suspect is a former president of a trading company.

Retired Russian colonel convicted of spying

MOSCOW -- A military court Wednesday gave a 13-year prison sentence to a retired Russian colonel who reportedly helped British intelligence unmask dozens of Russian agents. Sergei Skripal was found guilty of passing along state secrets to Britain, said Anton Yeliseyev, an official at the Moscow District Military Court. His case was this year's second espionage case in Russia involving Britain. A white-haired Skripal was shown in televised footage standing in the cage typically used in Russian courtrooms, looking serious as the judge read the verdict.

-- From wire reports