TOKYO - A JAPANESE court on Friday turned down a damages suit filed by a group of Chinese who were brought to Japan to perform forced labour at a copper mine during World War II.

The suit, filed in 2004 by eight plaintiffs, sought 184 million yen (US$1.9 million dollars) from Japan's government and Mitsubishi Materials, the successor to the mine's operator in southern Miyazaki prefecture.

PESHAWAR (Pakistan) - A SUICIDE bomber blew himself up in a mosque packed with hundreds of worshippers for Friday prayers in northwestern Pakistan, killing at least 50 people and injuring scores more, officials said.

The blast badly damaged the mosque in Jamrud, a town near the Afghan border in an area beset by Taleban attacks as well as vicious feuds between rival tribes and militant groups. Authorities did not immediately speculate on a motive.

TOKYO - JAPAN'S parliament on Friday passed a record 88.5 trillion yen (S$1.38 trillion) budget for the 2009 fiscal year designed to boost the recession-hit economy.