Rok

Kaesong staff urged to leave

The government of the Republic of Korea advised all its employees to leave the Kaesong Industrial Complex, ROK Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae said in a statement. The statement came a few hours after the Democratic People's Republic of Korea rejected the ROK government's proposal for working-level talks over the Kaesong issues.

Iraq

Nearly 50 killedin Mosul

At least 15 policemen and 31 Sunni Islamist militants were killed in clashes on Thursday in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, sources said, on the third day of the most widespread violence in Iraq since US troops withdrew in December 2011. Gunmen attacked the city, 390 km north of Baghdad, on Wednesday.

Bangladesh

Building collapse kills at least 304

The death toll in Bangladesh's worst factory disaster climbed past 300 on Friday, as thousands of people still surrounded the site outside the capital in search of missing relatives. "The death toll is now 304", army spokesman Shahinul Islam said, adding that more than 2,300 people have been rescued alive.

India

Border talks with China start

Indian Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid said on Thursday that India and China are holding talks to deal with border issues and expressed confidence that the standoff can be settled peacefully. "Let us allow that mechanism to find its solution. ... We have good reasons to believe that it should be able to do it again," Khurshid said. He will travel to Beijing on May 9.

Philippines

13 dead aheadof May vote

Gunmen killed 13 people in an ambush on a Philippine mayor, police said on Friday, in the deadliest of a string of violent incidents that have marred campaigning for May elections. The attackers opened fire on a truck carrying Mayor Abdulmalik Manamparan and his supporters late on Thursday, killing 12 on the spot with another dying later, police said.

United Kingdom

Three jailed for bomb plot

Three British men were jailed on Friday for planning what a court heard was an al-Qaida-backed plot to carry out a string of bombings that they hoped would rival the Sept 11, 2001, and the 2005 London attacks. Ringleader Irfan Naseer received a life sentence, Irfan Khalid was jailed for 18 years and co-conspirator Ashik Ali was jailed for 15 years.

Xinhua-AP-AFP -Reuters - China Daily

(China Daily 04/27/2013 page8)