41.   HONG KONG -- The United States suspends negotiations with China on intellectual property rights, two weeks ahead of a U.S. deadline that could trigger trade sanctions against Beijing.

42.   Hoping to avoid labor unrest during the World Cup, the government has urged management and unions to suspend labor negotiations during the tournament.

43.   In early July, it suspended negotiations with Taiwan on direct shipping, investment guarantees and other links and scuttled discussions of summit meetings in Beijing and Taiwan.

44.   In the past, Israel has suspended peace negotiations in reaction to such killings.

45.   Israel has briefly suspended negotiations in the past over Palestinian attacks on Israelis.

46.   Israel responded by suspending peace negotiations and confining Palestinians to their towns and villages.

47.   Israel suspended negotiations with Syria amid a series of suicide bombings by Palestinian extremists in Israel in February and March.

48.   Israel suspended peace negotiations with Syria after the bombing.

49.   Israel, which has suspended peace negotiations, also insists that restoring calm is a precondition for new talks.

50.   Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak suspended the negotiations late Tuesday in response to the killing of two Israelis by Palestinian gunmen in the West Bank.