ASEAN and China reach agreement on South China Seas: The 10
ASEAN and China reach agreement on South China Seas: The 10 members of ASEAN and China have made a major political breakthrough to prevent an escalation of tensions in the disputed South China Seas, officials said Friday. Chem Widhya, spokesman for the Cambodian foreign ministry, said all members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China had reached a draft agreement on conduct in the region after marathon meetings. --AFP
New "strong" quake hits south-central Italy: A fresh strong tremor rocked south-central Italy on Friday, shaking lamp posts and sparking panic in a town where at least 29 people were killed after an earthquake hit on Thursday. Witnesses said the latest, long-lasting tremor shook the whole town, sending fresh rubble tumbling from buildings, although there were no initial reports of injuries. Witnesses said terrified residents ran into the streets screaming, and many jumped in their cars to flee, blocking ambulances trying to get into town. --Reuters
Security measures focus of Sri Lanka peace talks: Sri Lankan government and Tamil Tiger rebels ended a second day of peace talks to end two decades of war on Friday by agreeing to boost security measures in the volatile east of the island. The negotiations at a palm-lined resort west of the Thai capital, Bangkok, went ahead smoothly even though there had been worries because a Colombo court on Thursday had sentenced the leader of the rebels, in absentia, to 200 years in jail. --Reuters
Rockets land near U.S. bases in Afghanistan: Six rockets landed near American positions in southeastern Afghanistan early on Friday but caused no casualties, the U.S. military said. A military statement said two A-10 ground attack aircraft were scrambled from Bagram Air Base north of Kabul after three rockets landed about one kilometer from a special forces base at Gardez, capital of Paktia province, between midnight and one a.m. It said another rocket landed at the airfield of a U.S. forward operations base in nearby Khost at 12.20 a.m. then two more within 10 minutes of each other at about 4 a.m. --Reuters