BEIJING - CHINA on Thursday celebrated 60 years of communist rule with a massive military parade and elaborate pageantry on Beijing's Tiananmen Square showcasing the nation's revival as a global power.
Thousands of troops marched in tight formations, fighter jets flew over the city and the world's largest military displayed an array of high-tech weaponry including intercontinental ballistic missiles in a patriotic show of force.
TAIPEI - TAIWAN on Thursday reacted to a call by Chinese President Hu Jintao to move towards reunification by stating that the island is an 'independent sovereign state'.
'The Republic of China is an independent sovereign state, and it is a reality that the two sides do not belong to each other,' the Mainland Affairs Council said in a statement, referring to Taiwan by its official name.
ISTANBUL - THE International Monetary Fund said on Thursday that the global economy is recovering faster than expected - but warned governments against premature withdrawal of stimulus efforts.
The positive report card was likely to feed a cautious but widespread relief that - despite continuing unemployment woes and halting efforts to improve regulation of financial markets - the downturn is easing and may prove less devastating than initially feared.
JAKARTA - INDONESIA said on Thursday it expected the death toll from a massive earthquake to climb into the thousands, as rescue workers dug with their bare hands to reach those trapped under rubble.
The first flights laden with food, medicine and body bags began arriving in the devastated region on Sumatra island, even as another powerful quake struck further south, sending residents fleeing their homes in panic.
