Britain and Ireland plan June talks

LONDON € Britain and Ireland set a date for Northern Ireland peace talks yesterday, and waited to see whether the IRA chooses to continue bombing or have its allies take seats at the negotiating table.

For 17 months, the Irish Republican Army had suspended its violent campaign to end British rule of Northern Ireland. The lull was shattered Feb. 9 when the IRA, fed up with the slow progress toward talks, called off the cease-fire and set off a bomb in east London, killing two.

Prospects for peace seemed to collapse under the renewed violence, but in a dramatic turnaround yesterday, Prime Minister John Major of Britain and Irish leader John Bruton announced in London that talks would begin June 10.

Princess Di agrees to royal divorce

LONDON € Princess Diana has agreed to a divorce from Prince Charles, ending a stormy marriage that began with a glittering ceremony in 1981 and collapsed 11 years later after both sought solace in affairs.

The decision to divorce means that Diana will never become Queen of England.

No financial settlement for Diana was announced, and there was no word about whether she had won the role she wanted as an informal goodwill ambassador for Britain.

European Union increases standard condom length

BRUSSELS, Belgium € The European Union is taking unity to new lengths: Condoms must now be at least 6 4/5 inches long to earn the EU stamp of approval.

Testing will be standardized to ensure the safety of condoms, used to prevent pregnancy and the transmission of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. They must be filled with water to check for holes, and mechanically stretched and inflated to test strength.

The guidelines probably will be in force by the end of the year in all 15 EU nations, as well as Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland.

Compiled using Associated Press reports