SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea says it is open to new dialogue to defuse tensions over its nuclear weapons program.

The statement today from Pyongyang's Foreign Ministry appeared to refer to direct talks with the United States, though it was not specific.

North Korea said the country won't resume six-nation nuclear talks, but added, "There is a specific and reserved form of dialogue that can address the current situation."

On Friday, the North's ambassador to the United Nations also indicated the regime's interest in bilateral negotiations with Washington, saying the country is "not against a dialogue," according to Japan's Kyodo News agency.

FRENCH PRESIDENT COLLAPSES DURING RUN

PARIS — President Nicolas Sarkozy of France collapsed while jogging yesterday afternoon and was rushed to a military hospital for tests. His office described the incident as a minor fainting spell and said he never lost consciousness.

Sarkozy, 54, fell victim to what officials qualified as a "vasovagal episode" as he ran in 84-degree summer weather on the grounds of the Lanterne hunting lodge, a presidential retreat near the Versailles Palace west of Paris. He was flown by helicopter to Val de Grace military hospital in the capital, where he was said to be awake and talking with his doctors.

A vagal syncope, which involves the vagus nerve, is the most common form of fainting and is not considered life-threatening. It can be brought on by strenuous exercise in hot weather.

Sarkozy's office said that neurological tests administered at Val de Grace were normal but that the president would be hospitalized overnight for further monitoring of his heart.

NASA CLEARS AIR AT SPACE STATION

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA has patched an air-purifying system aboard the international space station.

A machine for removing carbon dioxide from the station atmosphere shut down Saturday. Flight controllers had it working again yesterday, but the temporary solution means extra people are needed in Mission Control, and lots of computer commands have to be sent up. Normally, the machine runs automatically.

NASA rushed to get it back up because of the record 13 people aboard the linked station and shuttle.

The astronauts will perform their fifth and final spacewalk today. Endeavour will undock tomorrow.

INDIA LAUNCHES FIRST NUCLEAR SUBMARINE

NEW DELHI — India yesterday launched the first nuclear-powered submarine built on its soil, joining just five other countries that can design and construct such vessels, the prime minister's office announced.

The Indian navy flooded a dry dock housing the 367-foot-long submarine to send it out for trials at a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

India does not seek to threaten anyone, Singh said at the ceremony in the southern port city of Vishakhapatnam. "Nevertheless, it is incumbent upon us to take all measures necessary to safeguard our country and to keep pace with technological advancements worldwide."

Until now, only the United States, Russia, France, Britain and China had the capabilities to develop nuclear submarines.

The milestone is likely to rattle neighboring Pakistan, which has fought three wars with India.

8 KILLED IN 3-VEHICLE HIGHWAY CRASH

BRIARCLIFF MANOR, N.Y. — A family's minivan going in the wrong direction crashed into two cars on a suburban parkway yesterday, killing eight people, including four young cousins and the mother of one of them.

State police Investigator Joseph Becerra said the minivan was traveling south-bound in the north-bound lanes of the Taconic State Parkway in Westchester County, just north of New York City, when it struck an SUV and then careened into a third vehicle. The minivan rolled down an embankment, where it burst into flames.

The woman driving the minivan and four of the five children inside it were killed, Becerra said. They were part of a family from Long Island.

The children who died were girls ages 2, 5, 7 and 9. The fifth child, a boy, age 5, was hospitalized.

The minivan's 36-year-old driver was the mother of the surviving child, and the other children were her nieces and her daughter, Becerra said.