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Local Pakistan gov't holds dialogue with Taliban on ceasefire
ISLAMABAD, May 9 (Xinhua) -- The ruling party in northwestern Pakistan province on Friday held dialogue with local Taliban operating in Swat valley to settle issues on negotiating table and restore peace in the area. The Awami National Party (ANP) of

Official: Myanmar accepts US humanitarian aid
YANGON, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar has accepted an offer of the United States to send humanitarian aid to the country's cyclone victims, state radio reported Friday in a night broadcast. Myanmar Deputy Foreign Minister U Kyaw Thu gave the assurance Friday

Malaysia's AirAsia to offer air assistance to Myanmar
KUALA LUMPUR, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia's low-cost carrier AirAsia plans to offer air assistance to facilitate the transportation of aid to Myanmar which was hit by cyclone last week, Airasia said in a statement here on Friday. The assistance includes

UN halts Burma aid after seizure
Aid from a number of Asian countries has been arriving in Burma The World Food Programme has halted aid shipments to Burma after two plane-loads of food were impounded on arrival by the military authorities. The UN body says the Burmese government seized

Australian FM urges restraint after violence erupts in Lebanon
CANBERRA, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said here on Friday that he was concerned by the escalation in violence and tension in Lebanon following a third day of fighting in the war-torn country. Smith urged all sides involved

Japan to sign international parental abduction treaty
Japan will sign a treaty obliging the government to return to the rightful parent children of broken international marriages who are wrongfully taken and kept in Japan, sources said Friday. The Justice Ministry will begin work to review current laws with

Indonesia urges Myanmar more open to foreign relief
JAKARTA, May 9 (Xinhua) --Indonesia is hoping Myanmar will respond more openly to the international humanitarian assistance to help the country recover from the last Saturday's cyclone, a spokesman said Friday. 'We do hope that the Myanmar government

Burma shuns foreign aid workers
People in affected regions are living in horrific conditions, experts sayBurma's military junta says the country is not ready to accept foreign aid workers, amid mounting criticism of its response to the devastating cyclone. The foreign ministry said

Japan set to open up defense use of space
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan cleared the way for a law allowing non-aggressive military use of space on Friday, overturning a decades-old policy of limiting space development to peaceful uses. The move comes during a visit by Chinese President Hu Jintao aimed

Myanmar assures int'l community best doing of its cyclone relief work
YANGON, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar has assured donors and the international community the best doing of its cyclone relief work, saying that it is transporting all donated relief supplies to the cyclone-torn areas by using the country's own helicopters,

China hails doctor for raising child virus alarm
BEIJING (Reuters) - A deadly strain of hand, foot and mouth disease has killed two more children in China, bringing the death toll in recent weeks to 32, state media said on Friday, as it praised a doctor who alerted authorities to the epidemic. An

China's producer price index up 8.1% in April
China's producer price index up 6.6% in February Producer price index rises fastest in 3 years PPI sparks inflation fears Control measures could be imminent China's producer price index up 3.2% in October

Tropical storm "Rammasun" gains strength
MANILA, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Tropical storm 'Rammasun', locally called 'Butchoy', continued to gain strength Friday as it was moving northward in the high seas east to the Philippines, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services

New health woes as China moves from famine to feast
BEIJING (Reuters) - Evening exercise classes at the Nirvana fitness centre in Beijing are in high demand these days as young professionals whose mothers once counted ration cards seek to stay svelte despite lavish lunches. China has gone from famine to

A new health scare in China
Extract not available.

China and Japan's blossoming friendship
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North Korea hands over some nuclear documents: U.S.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea has handed over thousands of pages of nuclear weapons documents to a U.S. diplomat visiting Pyongyang that will help verify the North's plutonium holdings, a senior U.S. official said on Thursday. The official said the

Meets his match? Chinese President Hu Jintao plays against table tennis star Ai Fukuhara at Waseda University in Tokyo on Thursday. (POOL)
Chinese President Hu Jintao went up against a formidable opponent in Tokyo on Thursday: Japanese Olympian Ai Fukuhara. In the closest he got to pingpong diplomacy, Hu played a friendly rally with Ai-chan, 19, who ensured that he had his moments. Earlier,

IMF cuts Chinese economic growth forecasts to about 9%
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said Thursday it has adjusted its forecasts for the global economic growth in 2008 downward to below 4 percent, with a growth of just above 9 percent for the Chinese economy. The recovery in the global economy will

South Korea bans US pedophiles from entering country
SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korea has banned 21 Americans convicted of sex crimes against children from entering the country. South Korea's Justice Ministry says it took the measure after U.S. authorities provided a list of convicted pedophiles who have

During Talks, China Urged to Halt Repression in Tibet
BEIJING, May 8 -- The Dalai Lama's senior envoy said Thursday that he used a recent resumption of talks with China to urge a halt to repression in Tibet, release of Tibetan prisoners and suspension of 'patriotic education' in which Buddhist monks are

UN aid flights to Burma under way
Burma has faced international appeals to allow more helpThe UN says its first aid flight has now arrived in Burma, bringing much needed relief to up to one million people made homeless by Cyclone Nargis.The flights had been delayed amid growing

Thailand to export 500,000 tons of rice to Malaysia
BANGKOK, May 8 (Xinhua) -- Thailand will export 500,000 metric tons of rice to its neighbor Malaysia to help relieve imminent domestic shortage in the country, a Thai government spokesman said Thursday. Of the total, Thailand will export about 100,000

India moves to stem inflation with futures ban
India has suspended futures trading in four commodities with immediate effect in its latest move to rein in soaring inflation, sending prices of other commodities higher on Thursday as traders switched contracts. India has taken a series of fiscal

New Zealand contributes further 1 million NZ dollars for Myanmar relief
WELLINGTON, May 8 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand will contribute another one million NZ dollars (773,000 U.S. dollars) to the United Nations efforts to help Myanmar recover from the devastation caused by Cyclone Nargis, Prime Minister Helen Clark announced on

U.S. envoy returns to N.Korea to extract nuclear list
SEOUL (Reuters) - A team led by the U.S. State Department's nuclear envoy was set to enter North Korea on Thursday to persuade Pyongyang to declare its nuclear activities as called for in a six-nation disarmament deal, an official said. U.S. envoy Sung

Chinese orchestra plays for Pope
By David WilleyBBC News, RomeThe Vatican's audience hall was packed for the concertThe China Philharmonic Orchestra has given a performance of Mozart's Requiem Mass for the Pope inside the Vatican. Analysts believe the landmark concert could be a sign of

Fukuda, Hu put focus on future
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda and Chinese President Hu Jintao agreed Wednesday to make 2008 the year for boosting their nations' 'mutually beneficial' relationship, as Tokyo hosted the first Chinese leader to visit in 10 years. Show of friendship: Chinese

China torch team to scale Everest
China will broadcast the torch's Everest ascent on live TVA team of Chinese climbers is due to begin an ascent of Mount Everest with the Olympic flame, officials have said. The weather has cleared after a snowstorm damaged the team's advance camps on the