TOKYO - JAPAN and China agreed on Wednesday to oppose a nuclear North Korea and to continue seeking a solution within six-party disarmament talks, a report said.

Japanese vice foreign minister Mitoji Yabunaka was visiting Beijing to meet his Chinese counterpart Wang Guangya.

SINGAPORE - TIMES are tough these days and money is a worry, but many Asians believe the best way to weather the global economic crisis is to indulge in little luxuries, according to a new regional survey.

The economic downturn started a long way away from Asia, but it has caused 86 per cent of people in the world's most populous region to worry about their finances, and spurred 80 per cent to save for the future, according to the annual 'Eye on Asia' survey, by global marketing communications firm Grey Group.

DHAKA - BANGLADESH is trialling a text message service to warn people of natural disasters, including floods and cyclones, a government official said Wednesday.

Disaster Management Bureau spokesman Syed Ashraf told AFP the service would be piloted for six months in the southeastern districts of Cox's Bazar, where cyclones frequently hit, and Sirajganj in the north, prone to flooding.