BEIJING (AFP) - A seven-year-old girl is Beijing's first human case of H7N9 bird flu, local authorities said on Saturday as China's outbreak of the disease spread to the capital.The girl, whose parents are poultry traders, was in a stable condition in hospital, the Beijing health bureau said. Her ...

BEIJING (AFP) - China has agreed to buy two dozen fighter jets and four submarines from Russia, state media reported Monday, the country’s first large-scale weapons technology purchases from Moscow in a decade.The agreement to buy the 24 Su-35 fighters and four Lada-class submarines was ...

BEIJING (AFP) - China’s capital Beijing will strengthen measures to combat pollution, state media reported Tuesday, amid public anger over the dangerous air quality in the sprawling metropolis. Acting mayor Wang Anshun told the city’s legislature that steps will include removing old ...

BEIJING - Mask-wearing Beijing residents endured a third day of pollution at hazardous levels on Sunday, as authorities warned that a thick cloud of smog may not lift from the Chinese capital until midweek. As the dense smog shrouded large swathes of northern China, flights were cancelled and ...

BRAHMA CHELLANEY - The rest of the world may have forgotten the anniversary, but a neglected border war that took place 50 years ago is now more pertinent than ever.Before dawn on the morning of Oct 20, 1962, the People’s Liberation Army launched a surprise attack, driving with overwhelming ...

BEIJING - Japanese runners will be allowed to take part in this year’s Beijing marathon, Chinese state media said, following reports that they were barred. Japan’s media had reported that the runners were previously banned from taking part in the Nov 25 event due to concerns for their ...

TOKYO  - Organisers of the Beijing marathon have barred Japanese runners from taking part due to safety concerns after a fresh flare-up in a territorial dispute between Japan and China, a report said Saturday. “If they choose other nationalities including China, Japanese can take ...

BEIJING (AFP) - Beijing and Taipei on Thursday dismissed Manila’s renaming part of the South China Sea as the “West Philippine Sea”, with both saying the designation did not affect their own sovereignty claims.Beijing asserts its sovereignty over nearly all of the South China Sea, ...

BEIJING  - China’s state-run media hit back at US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday for comments she made calling for greater democracy in Asia, describing her as a “preacher for human rights”. The editorial in the ruling Communist Party’s People’s ...

Whether India-Pakistan ties will be discussed is not known, but Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna is sharing what is being called the "holding room" with Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Afghan President Hamid Karzai at the Great Hall of the ...

BEIJING - A group of young scientists from Pakistan is arriving here Monday to take part in the first-ever China-Pakistan Young Scientists Forum, focused on energy.Prominent among them who will address the opening ceremony are leaders of the China People’s Association for Friendship with ...

NEW DELHI  - India’s defence minister said Monday that China’s comments on his visit to a territory disputed by the neighbours were “highly objectionable,” sparking a new war of words over the contested border.Beijing on Saturday reportedly called for India “to ...

ISLAMABAD - The CAS-TWAS-WMO Forum (CTWF) will organise its 10th international training workshop in collaboration with the Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the south (COMSATS), in Beijing, China, from September 26 to 29. A press release issued by COMSATS said on ...

OUR STAFF REPORTER ISLAMABAD - Amjad Saddique, a scholarship awardee of National University of Modern Languages (NUML), won three medals in 'Beijing Inter Universities Athletic Competition held at Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU). Amjad, son of M Siddique, scored two silvers in 800 ...

GUANGZHOU (China) (AFP) Chinese star hurdler Liu Xiang has admitted to having conquered the demons he said haunted him after his disastrous outing in the 2008 Beijing Olympics when he limped out injured. Liu became Chinas first track gold medallist at the 2004 Athens Games and went on to be ...

BEIJING (AFP) US Open runner-up Vera Zvonareva survived a first-round scare from former world number one Dinara Safina at the China Open on Monday, as mens fifth seed Tomas Berdych was sent home in a shock upset. The 26-year-old Zvonareva the Russian second seed at the joint WTA/ATP event and ...

BEIJING (Agencies) China is close to deploying its new super-weapon, carrier-killer missiles, which they say would be used to counter balance US Naval supremacy in the Pacific, reports Indian mag-azine Outlook. The anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBP) is close to becoming operational, the Global ...

BEIJING (AFP) - Chinas banking regulator has confirmed it asked banks to conduct stress tests on property sector loans, but said the move did not signal any policy changes, boosting market confidence on Friday. Earlier media reports suggested that regulators had ordered lenders to test the possible ...

LAHORE - A Chinese delegation led by former foreign minister, Li Zhaoxing met Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif at Chief Ministers Secretariat, here on Sunday. Chinese Ambassador in Pakistan Luo Zhaohui, Senior Advisor Zulfiqar Ali Khan Khosa, Senator Pervez Rashid, Member National Assembly ...

Ruling coalition tightened the screw on President Pervez Musharraf Sunday, saying it would launch impeachment proceedings by Tuesday if the key US ally does not stand down. Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar told a foreign news agency that "the charge sheet will be presented in parliament by ...

Federal Information Minister Sherry Rehman said Tuesday impeachment motion against President Musharraf would be tabled in the Parliament next week. Talking to media in Islamabad, she said ruling coalition government has got two third majority and added alliance would get more than required number ...

ISLAMABAD - Provincial Minister for Sports Aqil Shah, who is the Chef-de-Mission of the Pakistan's contingent bound to leave for Beijing on July 31 to participate in the 29th Olympic Games 2008, said Tuesday that Pakistan would take part in the four disciplines of the Beijing Olympics. Talking ...

LONDON (AFP) - Jamaica's Usain Bolt ran the second-fastest 200 metres in the world this year as he won the London Super Grand Prix event in a time of 19.76 seconds at Crystal Palace here Saturday. The 21-year-old, who in May set a new 100m world record with a time of 9.72secs, finished well ...

EUGENE (Oregon) (AFP) - LaShawn Merritt held off Olympic and world 400-meter champion Jeremy Wariner in the final straightaway Thursday to upset his long-time nemesis and seize bragging rights for the Beijing Olympics. Merritt had lost 11 of 13 prior races to Wariner but edged him June 1 at ...

BEIJING (AFP) - Eight giant pandas were flown Saturday from quake-ravaged southwestern China to Beijing, where they will be housed at a new zoo exhibit built for the Olympic Games, state press said. The endangered bears arrived from the famed breeding ground in Wolong, a town only 30 kilometres ...

LAHORE - The Pakistan Olympics Association's executive committee Saturday approved a 36-member contingent for the Beijing Olympic Games and devised an action plan spanning a two-year period pertaining to training and coaching of players for the next South Asian Games at Dacca and the Asian Games to ...

MOENCHENGLADBACH (Germany) (AFP) - Netherlands, Argentina, Germany, Australia, China and Japan will meet in the women's Champions Trophy starting here Saturday, the last major international tournament before the Beijing Olympics in August. Australia have won six Champions Trophys and the ...