Teheran-Riyadh war of words heats up as Iranians miss pilgrimage

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif accused Saudi authorities of "bigoted extremism" late on Tuesday in an increasingly bitter war of words over Iran's exclusion from this year's hajj pilgrimage.

50 million children 'uprooted' worldwide

Almost 50 million children around the world are "uprooted", forcibly displaced from their home countries by war, violence or persecution, the United Nations children's program said on Wednesday.

Koizumi: Fukushima not 'under control'

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's promise that the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant was "under control" in his successful pitch three years ago for Tokyo to host the 2020 Olympic Games "was a lie", former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi said on Wednesday.

Happy landings: 3 ISS crew members back on Earth

After watching more than 2,750 sunrises from above the Earth, three crew members of the International Space Station returned to the planet for a sparkling sunrise back on Earth on Wednesday.

Aiming for closer Lao ties, Obama honors its culture

Aiming to cement closer ties to Laos, US President Barack Obama toured a Buddhist temple on Wednesday and paid tribute to Lao culture after pledging Washington would fulfill its "profound moral and humanitarian obligation" to clean up millions of unexploded bombs.

IN BRIEF (Page 12)

East Asia Summit likely a compass for future course

In Hangzhou, at the just-concluded G20 Summit, President Xi Jinping called on the participating global leaders to avoid making the meeting a "venue for empty talk", and instead build an "action team".

Investment talks just first step

During a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province on Sept 4-5, President Xi Jinping and US President Barack Obama confirmed that the two countries have made significant progress in their talks on a bilateral investment treaty.

Telecom companies must do more to combat fraudsters

FOLLOWING SOME RECENT HIGH-PROFILE TELEPHONE FRAUD CASES, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has said telecom enterprises must fulfill their social responsibilities. Beijing News commented:

Preferential policies not equal to fair education

AMONG THE 4,380 students admitted by Peking University this year, more than 700 are from the less developed regions, the highest number in recent years. China Youth Daily commented on Tuesday:

Pain of poverty unimaginable to urban residents

A PHOTO of an 8-year-old boy begging with a disabled man in the Beijing subway was posted online on July 29. The attention the photo attracted prompted the police to investigate. After DNA tests and a thorough investigation, the police discovered the boy was sent out to beg with his disabled uncle by his mother. Beijing News comments on Tuesday:

Cartoon