Taiwanese unis probed over 'One China' pacts

TAIPEI • Several Taiwanese universities have reportedly signed agreements with Chinese universities to abide by the "One China principle", according to Taiwan's state-owned Central News Agency.

In Taipei, Shih Hsin University's School of Lifelong Learning was said to have agreed not to include topics related to Taiwanese independence in classes for exchange students from China.

Taiwan's Ministry of Education said an investigation has found that five other universities here had signed similar pledges.

A spokesman for Taiwan's presidential office, Mr Alex Huang, said yesterday that the government will defend academic freedom, a right that is protected by the island's Constitution.

10 killed in China after bus collides with truck

SHANGHAI • Ten people were killed and another 38 injured when a passenger bus collided with a cement truck in south-western China, state media reported.

The collision late on Thursday in Yunnan province, near the border with Myanmar, tossed the bus on its side and flipped the truck off the road, Xinhua news agency said.

Nine people were killed instantly while another died after being taken to hospital.

Deadly road accidents are common in China. There were more than 180,000 traffic accidents in 2015, causing 58,000 deaths, the authorities said.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE