Beijing, October 15
China and Pakistan today signed 11 agreements covering a range of fields, including energy, infrastructure, agriculture, trade and space technology as they vowed to strengthen their “all-weather” strategic ties.

No information on a possible accord on civil nuclear cooperation, sought by Pakistan, was immediately available in the state-run media of the two countries.

Islamabad has been striving hard to strike a comprehensive nuclear pact with Beijing after the Bush administration ruled out any such cooperation with Pakistan on the lines of the nuclear deal with India.

The signing ceremony held at the Great Hall of the People here was witnessed by visiting Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao after three-hour long interaction between the two sides.

The two Presidents are expected issue a joint statement tomorrow reflecting their resolve and commitment to carry the bilateral relations new heights.

Earlier, both sides agreed to strengthen strategic partnership in all dimensions, reinvigorate the multi-faceted bilateral relations, intensify economic cooperation and foster people-to-people contacts in the coming years.

Zardari, in his first official bilateral visit since taking office last month, was accorded a red carpet welcome by Hu at an impressive formal ceremony at the Great Hall.

The two sides held wide-ranging discussions, Pakistan’s Ambassador to China Masood Khan told reporters.

The talks focussed on economic cooperation amid a severe financial crunch in Pakistan brought on by higher oil and food prices. Media reports had been speculating that Zardari will seek a bailout package of upto 1.5 billion from China to help him shore up an increasingly moribund economy. — PTI

Thousands of Indian nationals from the bordering areas of India, who were rendered homeless due to the devastating floods in Kosi in August, have been taking shelter inside various camps set up by the Nepal government in Sunsari district in eastern Terai.

“Over 12,000 Indians, who had entered Nepal seeking relief in the wake of the floods are still living inside various camps in Inaruwa, Singiya, Laukahi and Haripur of Sunsari district,” a news report quoted Durga Prasad Bhandari, chief district officer of Sunsari as saying. “We have decided to return these Indian families to their home country after providing them with necessary humanitarian assistance,” Bhandari said.

According to him, around 55 flood victims’ families from Bihar were already returned to their homes.

A large number of people from the districts such as Supaul, Saharsha, Purniya of Bihar had swarmed to Sunsari district in search of shelter and food after the Saptakoshi floods ravaged their homes and properties on August 28. Meanwhile, when asked about the issue Gopal Baglay, spokesperson at the Indian embassy in Kathmandu, said the embassy has not received information about it.

“We have to contact to the state government of Bihar to learn about the issue,” he said.

Bangkok, October 15
Thai Foreign Minister Sompong Amornvivat said plans were in place to evacuate Thai citizens from Cambodia following an escalation of border tensions, which saw the Thai and Cambodian troops exchange fire today.

The minister urged Thai nationals to leave Cambodia immediately after troops from the two nations clashed briefly along a disputed stretch of border this afternoon.

The clash took place near the disputed Phreah Vihar temple in the Cambodian territory, barely two weeks after a similar incident in the area.

Thai army spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said Thai troops reacted to the firing by Cambodian soldiers into the Thai territory. The Thai army official said one Cambodian soldier was killed and four Thai army personnel injured in the gunfight.

The incident follows an ultimatum earlier this month by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen asking Thai troops to pull out from the disputed area near the Preah Vihar temple.

The dispute over the 900-year-old Hindu temple, awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice four decades ago, stirs strong nationalistic passions in both countries. — UNI

Hempstead, October 15
Democrat Barack Obama has a 4-point national lead over Republican John McCain as the White House rivals head into their final debate, according to a Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby poll released today.

Obama leads McCain 48 per cent to 44 per cent among likely US voters in the latest four-day tracking poll, down slightly from Obama's 6-point advantage yesterday. The poll has an error margin of 2.9 percentage points.

Obama's lead in the poll has remained stable, drifting between 4 and 6 percentage points for the last week.

''It's not over, but it's not moving a lot,'' pollster John Zogby said.

''There does not seem to be a dramatic shift going on.'' Obama and McCain meet in their third and final debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, giving McCain one last chance to reshape a presidential race that appears to be tilting toward Obama with less than three weeks before the November 4 election. Some other national polls in the last few days have shown Obama with a double-digit lead on McCain, fuelled by perceptions Obama would do a better job managing the faltering economy. — Reuters

London, October 15
More than 2,000 Gurkhas, who had retired from the British Army before 1997, will now be able to settle down in the UK following the passage of a new Bill in the House of Lords.

The Immigration (discharged Gurkhas) Bill, adopted in the House without a vote, amends the Immigration Rules in connection with the requirements for indefinite leave to enter and remain in the UK as a Gurkha discharged from the army. — PTI

BRIEFLY

Air strike kills 70 Taliban
KABUL: About 70 Taliban fighters were killed in an air strike by foreign forces in the southern Afghan province of Helmand near the Pakistan border, the provincial governor said on Wednesday. The attack took place on Tuesday in Helmand’s Baram Cha district. Violence in Afghanistan is running at its highest rate since the US-led invasion to wrest control from the militant Islamist Taliban movement in 2001. — Reuters

Babies boost mothers’ IQ
LONDON: Babies not only bring happiness in family, but they also boost the intelligence level of their mothers, a new study has claimed. Previous studies had shown pregnant women suffer a decrease in mental capacity, dubbed “baby brain”. Now, a team at Richmond University has found that having a toddler makes a woman brighter. According to researchers, moms-to-be rewire their brains to cope with motherhood and their intelligence soars when the tots are actually born. — PTI

Madonna to divorce Guy?
LONDON: Speculation that the US pop singer Madonna and her husband Guy Ritchie plan to divorce grew on Wednesday after a report in a British newspaper said the couple would announce the split “imminently”. When asked about the report in the Sun tabloid, Barbara Charone, Madonna’s London-based publicist, replied: “No comment.” Madonna and British film-maker Ritchie have denied previous reports that they planned to end their eight-year marriage. — Reuters