Asia-Pacific

China, Singapore agree on cultural cooperation

Chinese Culture Minister Cai Wu and Singapore's Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts Yaacob Ibrahim signed the Sixth executive program on cultural cooperation in arts, heritage and library here Saturday.
India testfires Akash missile

India Saturday successfully testfired its home-made surface-to-air missile Akash from Chandipur in the eastern state of Odisha, sources said.
4 killed in US drone strike in NW Pakistan

The strike came before 4:30 am local time on Saturday and the target was a house suspected of being a militant's hideout in Miranshah.

US concludes China isn't a currency manipulator

But US will "press for policy changes that yield greater exchange rate flexibility" in the yuan.
Peru lifts antidumping duties on Chinese textiles

Peru is lifting the antidumping duties levied on Chinese blended fabrics, the South American country's competition watchdog said Friday.
US amends directive on Confucius Institutes

The US Department of State on Friday reassured the US universities in collaboration with Confucius Institutes that it will help fix the visa mess-up for Chinese language teachers in need.

Rooftop gunman kills two in Finland

A gunman opened fire from a rooftop in a Finnish town centre in the early hours of Saturday, killing two people and wounding several others, police said.
1 killed, 8 injured in southern Finland shooting

A shooting occurred early Saturday morning in the southern Finnish city of Hyvinkaa, leaving one killed and eight others injured.
EU leaders to focus on growth at G20 Summit

Heads of the European Commission and European Council on Friday urged European leaders to focus on enhancing growth and creating jobs at the forthcoming G20 Summit in Mexico.

Rich smartphone users play games, tweet less

Wealthier smartphone users are less likely to play games or tweet and will opt for news, travel or finance apps, according to a new study.

US soldier recalls little

The US soldier implicated in the massacre of 16 villagers in Afghanistan "has no memory" of the incident, his lawyer said on Monday after their first face-to-face meeting.

Curtains for Humphries' Dame Edna Everage

Australian comedian Barry Humphries said on Sunday he would retire iconic character Dame Edna Everage, a gaudy lilac-haired parody of suburbia, because he felt a "bit senior" and was ready to move on.

James Murdoch: 'I could have asked more questions'

News Corp executive James Murdoch has acknowledged that he could have done more to get to grips with the phone hacking scandal.

Police said a gunman, who on Friday held several people as hostage in a real estate office in Valpapaiso, a small city in Indiana State of the US, shot himself after all hostages were released.

4 killed in US drone strike

The strike came before 4:30 am local time on Saturday and the target was a house suspected of being a militant's hideout in Miranshah.

China wants deeper ties with Japan

China wants to deepen the strategic and mutually beneficial relations with Japan and hopes Tokyo will respect Beijing's core interests and major concerns

Japan 'eager' to join trilateral FTA

Japan is becoming increasingly "eager" to join a free trade agreement with China and South Korea.

Middle East

Saudi envoy kidnapped begs king for help

A Saudi Arabian diplomat kidnapped by al Qaeda militants in Yemen urged the Saudi king to meet his captors' demand for the release of women prisoners, in a video message posted on the Internet on Saturday.
Iran plays down U.N. nuclear report

Iran has played down a United Nations report that said Iranian nuclear scientists had enriched uranium to a higher-than-expected level, state media reported on Saturday.
Traces of higher-grade uranium detected in Iran

IAEA said its inspectors have detected traces of up to 27 percent-purity enriched uranium in Iran's Fordow nuclear fuel enrichment plant.

Africa learns from China in anti-desertification

The United Nations Convention to Combat Decertification (UNCCD) will help share China's experiences in controlling decertification with Africa, said an official with the UNCCD on Friday.
Ban calls on Sudan, S Sudan to resume talks

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the announcement of the governments of Sudan and South Sudan to resume talks in Ethiopia, next week.
Egypt wraps up presidential election

Egypt wrapped up the first presidential election since Hosni Mubarak was ousted last year.

Chinese Culture Minister Cai Wu and Singapore's Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts Yaacob Ibrahim signed the Sixth executive program on cultural cooperation in arts, heritage and library here Saturday.

India Saturday successfully testfired its home-made surface-to-air missile Akash from Chandipur in the eastern state of Odisha, sources said.

The strike came before 4:30 am local time on Saturday and the target was a house suspected of being a militant's hideout in Miranshah.

But US will "press for policy changes that yield greater exchange rate flexibility" in the yuan.

Peru is lifting the antidumping duties levied on Chinese blended fabrics, the South American country's competition watchdog said Friday.

The US Department of State on Friday reassured the US universities in collaboration with Confucius Institutes that it will help fix the visa mess-up for Chinese language teachers in need.

A gunman opened fire from a rooftop in a Finnish town centre in the early hours of Saturday, killing two people and wounding several others, police said.

A shooting occurred early Saturday morning in the southern Finnish city of Hyvinkaa, leaving one killed and eight others injured.

Heads of the European Commission and European Council on Friday urged European leaders to focus on enhancing growth and creating jobs at the forthcoming G20 Summit in Mexico.

Police said a gunman, who on Friday held several people as hostage in a real estate office in Valpapaiso, a small city in Indiana State of the US, shot himself after all hostages were released.

A Saudi Arabian diplomat kidnapped by al Qaeda militants in Yemen urged the Saudi king to meet his captors' demand for the release of women prisoners, in a video message posted on the Internet on Saturday.

Iran has played down a United Nations report that said Iranian nuclear scientists had enriched uranium to a higher-than-expected level, state media reported on Saturday.

IAEA said its inspectors have detected traces of up to 27 percent-purity enriched uranium in Iran's Fordow nuclear fuel enrichment plant.

The United Nations Convention to Combat Decertification (UNCCD) will help share China's experiences in controlling decertification with Africa, said an official with the UNCCD on Friday.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the announcement of the governments of Sudan and South Sudan to resume talks in Ethiopia, next week.

Egypt wrapped up the first presidential election since Hosni Mubarak was ousted last year.

Kaleidoscope