US vies to placate Turkey after 'genocide' vote
 AFP Photo
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The White House, fearing fallout on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, battled Thursday to repair ties with Turkey after a US vote to label the World War I massacre of Armenians as "genocide."

Thai Muslims To Celebrate Aidilfitri On Saturday
BANGKOK, Oct 11 (Bernama) -- The 7.5 million Thai Muslims will celebrate Aidilfitri on Saturday, it was announced tonight.

The announcement was made by Sheikul Islam or Chularachamontri who is appointed by the Thai King to be the leader of Thai Muslims.

Indonesia's Blindness Rate Highest In Southeast Asia
JAKARTA, Oct 11 (Bernama) -- Indonesia's blindness rated as the highest in Southeast Asia, following an estimation of 1.5 percent of its population, a Health Ministry official said here on Thursday.

Rat Poison Incident Leaves One Dead, 12 Hospitalized In China
WUHAN, Oct 11 (Bernama) -- Twelve people fell ill and a 30-year-old man died after eating breakfast, which was contaminated with rat poison at a government unit's dining hall in central China's Hubei Province on Thursday.

Roh Names New Prosecutor General Ahead Of Presidential Election
SEOUL, Oct 11 (Bernama) -- President Roh Moo-hyun on Thursday appointed Lim Chai-jin, chief of the Legal Research & Training Institute, as the nation's new prosecutor general, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported Thursday quoting Roh's office Cheong Wa Dae as saying.

Macao Tightens Curb On Drunk Driving
MACAO, Oct 11 (Bernama) -- Macao is stepping up curb on drunk driving as three suspects have been sentenced to jail terms over the past week, local media reported Thursday.

Malaysians over the moon at their first astronaut
 AFP Photo
KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - Malaysia celebrated Thursday as its first astronaut hurtled through space on board a Russian Soyuz rocket, in a landmark for the nation which is marking 50 years of independence.

Olympics Torch Everest Bid On Track
BEIJING, Oct 11 (Bernama) -- China's ambition to carry the Olympic flames up Mount Everest to mark the hosting of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing is on track, a key organising official said Tuesday.

UN To Curb Human Trafficking In Sub-continent
NEW DELHI, Oct 11 (Bernama) -- Concerned about the rising human trafficking in the Indian sub-continent, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) launched an initiative to prevent young girls and boys from becoming victims of this international scourge.

ASEAN Determines To Speed Up Fight Against Terrorism
NEW YORK, Oct 11 (Bernama) -- ASEAN member countries are committed to speeding up the fight against terrorism and will continue to cooperate with international community, particularly the United Nations in this effort, a representative from the bloc affirmed.