Carter leaves Pyongyang, DPRK says willing to resume six-party talks
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter has left Pyongyang, taking home a U.S. man detained in North Korea for illegal entry since January.
North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan was at the airport as Carter and Aijalon Mahli Gomes departed.
Meanwhile, North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency says Deputy Prime Minister Kim Yong-nam had informed Carter of his countryu's willingness to return to international negotiations, known as the six-party talks.
According to South Korean media, Carter was originally slated to leave North Korea on Thursday but appeared to have extended his trip.

Chinese, S. Korean nuclear envoy discusses resumption 6-party talks
In a related development, China's top nuclear envoy is now in Seoul to discuss with South Korean officials the resumption of the six-paprty talks.
Wu Dawei, China's vice foreign minister, met with his South Korean counterpart Wi Sung-lac, saying further talks are needed.
"The situation is not good since we have not reached any conclusion. We will have to continue discussing. If there are any different views, we will have to achieve a conclusion through discussion."
North Korea pulled out of the talks last year in protest at an international condemnation of a long-range rocket launch.

Henan Airlines apologises after the planes crash
A senior official from the Henan Airlines has apologized after one of its planes crashed in northeast China, killing 42 people and leaving 54 others injured in the country's worst air disaster since 2004.
A group of officials from the airlines along with local government and China's Civil Aviation Administration, paid a silent tribute to the victims.
Liu Hang, chairman of the board of supervisors of the Henan Airlines, bowed and said his company was sorry.
"Again, I would like to express our deepest grief and sorrow for the death of the victims and our condolences to their families and the injured passengers on behalf of the Henan Airlines. I apologise to the whole of society. Thank you."
Most of the 54 survivors are hospitalized in Yichun and 15 serious cases have been transferred to provincial capital Harbin to get better treatment.
The investigation of the crash is underway.

Chinese rescue team arrives Pakistan to help flood victims
A 55-member Chinese rescue team has arrived in Pakistan and is heading to Thatta in the southern Sindh province, one of the worst flood-hit areas.
The team has brought 25 tons of high-tech medical equipment and medicines and will stay for three weeks to help flood victims fight against water-borne and other diseases.
The team includes 14 female medics. Team leader Huang Jianfa contends "it is more convenient" for women to conduct medical aid in a Muslim country.
"We have deliberately picked female medics for this team for two reasons, the first is because they are needed in the disaster zone; the second is because of Muslim customs."
The Chinese government has already sent three batches of aid worth 60 million yuan to Pakistan since early August, and has also announced another 60 million yuan worth of aid.

SCO to hold anti-terrorism drill in Kazakhstan
A multi-national anti-terror exercise under the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization will be held in Kazakhstan from Sept. 9 to 25.
Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng says more than 5,000 troops from Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan will take part in the drill, "Peace Mission 2010."
The spokesman says the drill is planned in consideration of an increasingly complicated security situation in the regions around member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Canadian Police Arrest Three People Suspected of Plotting Terrorist Acts
Canadian police have arrested three suspects on terrorism-related charges after a year-long investigation. One of the suspects, Khuram Sher, has appeared on the popular show "Canadian Idol".
Police say the suspects were plotting bomb attacks and had connections to a group fighting coalition forces in Afghanistan.
Police say they found the suspects in possession of bomb-making instructions and more than 50 electronic circuit boards that were expected to be used to detonate improvised explosive devices.

China to earmark 21 bln yuan for reconstruction in quake-hit Yushu
China will allocate 21 billion yuan or about 3.1 billion U.S. dollars for reconstruction in quake-hit Yushu, a northwest Chinese region with a predominantly Tibetan population.
Finance Minister Xie Xuren says the central government will earmark 9 billion yuan for this year, 10 billion yuan for 2011 and 2 billion yuan for 2012.
The 7.1-magnitude quake that struck Yushu, Qinghai Province, in April left nearly 2,700 people dead and 270 missing.

Russian towboat sinks in Laptev Sea with 14 aboard, 3 rescued alive
A Russian towboat with 14 crew members has sunk in the Laptev Sea.
Three crewmembers were rescued alive after a tanker nearby rushed to the scene following a distress call.
The emergency authorities have sent two vessels and a helicopter to the scene.

Toyota recalls one million Corolla and Matrix cars
Japan's auto giant Toyota has announced another recall involving more than one million cars in the US and Canada with potentially faulty engine control systems.
The models affected are the Corolla and Matrix made between 2005 and 2008.
The carmaker said three unconfirmed accidents were "alleged to be related" to the problem, one of which resulted in a "minor injury".