SEOUL: South Korea and the United States have agreed on a two-year extension to a civilian nuclear pact that Seoul wants amended to allow it to produce its own nuclear fuel, officials said. The current pact, signed in 1974, had been due to expire next year. The extension was agreed to allow more negotiations on the heated topic of allowing the South to reprocess spent fuel rods. “The two sides reached a temporary agreement on extending the current accord by two years on the grounds that they need more time,” Foreign Ministry official Cho Tai-Young said.
HK protests China quake donation
Hong Kong: Hong Kong lawmakers yesterday protested against a government plan to donate $13m to a Chinese earthquake disaster fund, claiming the money would go into the pockets of corrupt officials. The 6.6-magnitude quake which hit Sichuan last Saturday has left at least 193 dead and more than 12,000 injured. But many Hong Kongers object to leader Leung Chun-ying’s plan for the city government to donate HK$100m ($13m) to a Sichuan provincial government disaster fund. “To donate money is not to help the victims, but it is to award corrupt officials,” pro-democracy lawmaker Raymond Chan told a legislative meeting.
Taiwan confirms first case of H7N9
TAIPEI: Taiwan yesterday reported the first case of the H7N9 bird flu outside of mainland China. The 53-year-old man, who had been working in the eastern Chinese city of Suzhou, showed symptoms three days after returning to Taiwan via Shanghai, the Centres for Disease Control said, adding that he had been hospitalised since April 16 and was in a critical condition.
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