Cotabato City, Philippines - Four Muslim rebels, one soldier and one pro-government militiaman were killed in clashes in the southern Philippines, a regional army chief said Wednesday.

Major General Raymundo Ferrer said four Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) guerrillas and one pro-government militiaman were killed Tuesday in fierce fighting in Datu Piang town in Maguindanao province, 960 kilometres south of Manila.

Ferrer said a soldier was also killed Tuesday in a clash with a separate group of MILF rebels in nearby Mamasapano town, also in Maguindanao.

Tokyo - Japan's central bank has supplied 50.17 billion dollars in its first unlimited dollar-supplying money market operation, the bank said Wednesday.

The Bank of Japan's move to lend dollar funds at a fixed rate for one month was intended to ease the stress in the short-term money markets.

Jakarta - Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono left Jakarta on Wednesday morning for Beijing to make a five-day official visit to China, where he will attend the 7th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM).

Yudhoyono, accompanied by his wife Ani Yudhoyono, and a number of cabinet ministers, including Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda, Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu, State Minister for Environment Rachmat Witoelar and Energy Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro.

San Francisco - If anyone still questioned the power of the internet to play a key role in the general elections, the recent fundraising figures touted by Barack Obama should put all doubts to rest.

The Democratic presidential nominee raised a staggering 150 million dollars in September - most of which came from small donors who gave less than 100 dollars each through Obama's website.

The government is taking various steps to ease the liquidity situation in the country. Now, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) cuts rapo rates after successive cuts in the cash reserve ratio (CRR). The apex bank slashed rapo rates by 100 basis points. This is the step against the tight monetary policy adopted by the central bank. It is the first ever reduction in the rapo rates after March 2004. Rapo rates now stands at 8 percent.

The banks also started to slash the interest rates for consumers after revision of rapo rates. The fifth-largest state-owned bank, Union Bank of India reduced interest rates on home loan by 50 basis points up to a loan Rs 30 lakh.

Kathmandu - Nepal's government has warned dozens of armed rebels groups to take up the offer of peace talks or face the consequences, media reports said Wednesday.

Home Minister Bam Dev Gautam said the government would use force to disarm the rebel groups if they do not take up the offer of peace talks, Kantipur newspaper reported.

The warning came less than a month after the government invited dozens of rebel groups in southern and eastern Nepal to start negotiations to end violence that has claimed hundreds of lives in the past two years.