13 dead, 86 still buried three days after landslide in SW China
The number of bodies recovered from a deadly landslide in Guizhou now stands at 13, after another two people were pulled dead from the mud in the suburbs of the city of Anshun.
Some 2,000 rescuers are still digging through the mud but concede chance of survival for the other 86 villagers still missing is very slim after being buried under the mud for three days.

China welcomes U.S. defense chief's visit at "an appropriate" time
A senior Chinese general says China will welcome a visit by U.S. defense chief Robert Gates at a time "appropriate to both sides."
The remarks come from General Ma Xiaotian, who is deputy chief of general staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army.
Gates was scheduled to visit China earlier this year, but China cut off some military exchanges with the U.S. following the Pentagon's decision to sell a nearly 6.4-billion-U.S.-dollar arms package to Taiwan.

Deadly blasts hit Sufi shrine in Lahore, Pakistan
At least 37 people have been killed and 175 others injured after suicide bombers launched a three-pronged attack on a Sufi shrine in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore.
"I heard a very loud sound of a blast. I was sitting down at the time and the people who were sitting around me, most of them were killed. Around 20 people were busy in prayer at that time and none of those survived."
Death toll is expected to increase significantly, with at least 20 of the injured said to be in critical conditions.

US chief Petraeus vows to protect Afghan civilians
The new chief of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan vows to protect Afghan civilians when he takes up his post.
General David Petraeus has been briefing allies and partners at NATO Headquarters in Brussels before heading to Kabul.
He says there will be no change in the counterinsurgency strategy implemented by his predecessor, General Stanley McChrystal, which limits some use of force to prevent civilian casualties.
"In a counterinsurgency the human terrain is the decisive terrain. And therefore, you must do everything humanly possible to protect the population, and indeed, again, to reduce the loss of innocent civilian life."
But the general also says he will look into the application of the rules, which critics say put US troops in danger.

Turkey and Israel hold talks on mending fences
Turkey has told Israel at face-to-face talks in Brussels this week what it must do to mend ties between the two, which have been damaged significantly after nine Turkish pro-Palestinian activists were killed when Israeli commandos stormed a Gaza aid ship nearly a month ago.
According to Turkey's Foreign Ministry, it wants Israel to apologize, pay compensation, agree to a U.N. inquiry into the incident and lift the blockade of 1.6 million Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip.
Turkey has withdrawn its ambassador to Israel, canceled joint military operations and also barred Israeli military aircraft from Turkish airspace.

NASA postpones end of U.S. space shuttle program to 2011
NASA says it is postponing the end of its space shuttle program until next year.
Two more flights are set to take place before the shuttle program is completely shut down.
However, the payload for Discovery's planned flight in September won't be ready in time.

Cyprus issues warrant for Russian spy suspect
Police in Cyprus have issued an arrest warrant for a suspected Russian spy wanted by the United States.
American authorities are accusing Robert Metsos of being the paymaster for a network of Russian agents on US soil.
The 55-year-old Canadian disappeared after a Cypriot judge freed him earlier this week on some 30-thousand USD bail.
Police says there are "no indications yet" that the man has left the island.

Shanghai-Nanjing intercity high-speed railway starts operation
From all indications, the new Nanjing to Shanghai high-speed rail service is becoming a hit with passengers.
The new service is now shuttling people between the capital of Jiangsu and Shanghai at some 350 kilometers per hour, making the trip between the cities around 80 minutes long.
The Ministry of Railways says the new line will "definitely boost regional modernization" and the number of railway travelers in the region.
The ministry also forecasts more than 3 billion trips will be made this year.

Beijing to combine city districts to balance development
The State Council, or China's cabinet, has now approved a plan which calls for combining four key administrative districts of Beijing into two larger ones.
According to the plan, Chongwen and Xuanwu districts, which border Dongcheng and Xicheng Districts on the bottom of the 2nd ring road, are now going to be rolled into Dongcheng and Xicheng.
Officials say the adjustment is aimed at balancing the development of the city's core districts, especially in terms of social resources and administrative costs.