IN BRIEF (Page 8)

China

Foreign leaders congratulate Li

Newly elected Premier Li Keqiang accepted congratulatory phone calls from foreign leaders on Friday afternoon. German Chancellor Angela Merkel was the first foreign leader to call Li, saying her government attaches great importance to developing relations with China. Li said China will continue working with Germany in international affairs to boost Sino-German ties. In talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh later, Li said mutual interests will grow as the two countries enhance cooperation. Singh said there is enough room in the world for China and India, the two biggest developing countries, to develop at the same time.

United Nations

US drones violate sovereignty

The head of a UN team investigating casualties from US drone strikes has concluded that the attacks violate Pakistan's sovereignty. The Pakistani government made clear to him it does not consent to the strikes, said Ben Emmerson, the UN special rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism.

Japan

Tokyo wants TPP talks: Abe

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Friday that Japan wants to take part in talks on US-led Pacific free trade that could involve 40 percent of the world's economy. "I have decided to join negotiations for the TPP, the Trans-Pacific Partnership," Abe told a news conference. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said later that differences should be respected as countries push forward with economic integration in Asia and the Pacific.

Afghanistan

8-ton truck bomb defused

Security forces in the Afghan capital have defused a truck bomb packed with nearly 8 tons of explosives, the biggest of its kind discovered in the country, the National Directorate of Security said on Friday amid heightened security. Intelligence forces discovered the explosives in eastern Kabul, wired and ready for detonation, security officials said. Five al-Qaida-linked Haqqani network insurgents were killed in a resulting firefight.

Germany

More than 300 flights canceled

More than 300 flights have been canceled at Germany's Duesseldorf and Cologne-Bonn airports after security personnel walked off the job to press wage demands ahead of a new round of negotiations. About 250 workers started a day-long strike at 4 am, causing the cancelation of 228 flights in Duesseldorf and 78 in Cologne-Bonn, the DPA news agency reported on Friday.

China Daily-AFP-AP-Reuters

(China Daily 03/16/2013 page8)