MEETING WITH `EVIL'? THE US AMBASSADOR TO THE SOUTH SAID THAT GE:
South Korea and the US have already begun talks about a possible agreement with North Korea formally ending the 1950 to 1953 war on the peninsula, the US ambassador to Seoul said yesterday.

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Pakistan's president ordered authorities to free hundreds of opposition party workers detained during former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's abortive attempt to return from exile, state media said.

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Police maintained a high-profile presence on Manila's streets yesterday as President Gloria Arroyo urged the country to look to the future after the jailing of her predecessor for massive corruption.

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DEAF EAR: Residents of Nithari said 40 people, mostly children, have gone missing since 2004, and accused local police of ignoring the tragedies
A court in India has told police to charge a businessman with rape and murder nine months after the body parts of almost 20 people, mainly children, were found at his home, reports said yesterday.

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China has halted its time-honored goodwill gesture of giving highly endangered pandas to foreign countries, local media reported yesterday, citing a Chinese wildlife official.

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EYE ON THE FUTURE? RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN'S NOMINATION:
Russian President Vladimir Putin's surprise choice as prime minister held talks with lawmakers yesterday before a parliamentary vote on his confirmation, which is virtually assured in Russia's tightly controlled political system.

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The redheaded vulture, a bird that thrived in South Asia feeding on the dead, is itself dying out.

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Scientists investigating the latest outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Britain have not yet identified the strain of the virus, a key clue to tracing the source of the disease, officials said yesterday.

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The EU is to break off negotiations with Bosnia on eventual membership unless its feuding leaders agree to radical police reforms, the country's international governor warned on Wednesday.

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Children with older brothers and sisters are at risk of impaired growth in early life, a study of thousands of British families has found, while those with several older brothers are most affected.

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EVERYONE A WINNER: Eating less meat could help to cut greenhouse gas emissions as well as provide health benefits to people in rich countries
People in rich countries should limit their meat-eating to the equivalent of one hamburger per person per day to help stave off global warming, a study published by The Lancet yesterday suggests.

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`SPECTACULAR STRIKE': The London-based think tank said that the `core' of al-Qaeda proved adaptable and resilient, retaining its ability to coordinate large-scale attacks
Al-Qaeda has revived, extended its influence and has the capacity to carry out a spectacular strike similar to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the US, one of the world's leading security think tanks warned on Wednesday.

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WHEN? BUT IN IRAQ, THE TWO MAJOR GROUPS REMAINED DIVIDED, WITH T:
The rival Palestinian governments in the West Bank and Gaza argued over mosque sermons and collection of donations during Ramadan, but agreed to start observance together yesterday in a rare note of unity for the holiest period for Muslims.

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"Engaging in the banalities of life has become a death-defying act," the seven soldiers wrote of the war they had seen in Iraq.

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The small air force combing the Nevada wilderness for Steve Fossett has spotted a half-dozen uncharted crash sites that may bring some solace to the families of fliers who took off into the desert sky decades ago, never to be heard from again.

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Israelis ushered in the Jewish New Year amid new fears of war, following fresh rocket attacks from Gaza.

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Brazil's Senate decided not to expel the body's president, absolving a key ally of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of charges he took bribes for helping steer government contracts to a construction company.

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■ CHINA
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