Taipei- Some 1,000 Falun Gong practitioners rallied in the Taiwanese capital Taipei on Saturday to protest ten years of persecution in mainland China, where the spiritual group was founded. Standing in front of a huge banner bearing the words Falun Gong Is Good, the Falun Gong members - in total silence - performed meditation rituals.

The protest, which was also held by Falun Gong members in major cities around the world, marked the 10th anniversary of Falun Gong's protest against China's persecution, as Beijing cracked down on the group and declared it a cult in 1999.

Kathmandu- Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has cancelled his official visit to China scheduled for early May due to a developing political crisis in the country, officials said Saturday. "The visit was cancelled to allow the prime minister to engage in political debates in Nepal to resolve the current dispute," said Om Sharma, the prime minister's press advisor.

The cancellation followed growing splits between the ruling coalition partners over the Maoist-led government's attempts to remove the country's army chief.

Sakhir, Bahrain - Jarno Trulli clinched pole position ahead of team-mate Timo Glock in a Toyota one-two in qualifying Saturday for Sunday's Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix. Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel, the winner in Shanghai last week, was third, ahead of Brawn GP's Jenson Button, the overall leader.

World champions Lewis Hamilton in a McLaren-Mercedes was fifth fastest, ahead of Brawn GP's Rubens Barrichello.

Renault's Fernando Alonso, Ferrari's Felipe Massa, Williams' Nico Rosberg and Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen filled the rest of the top 10.

New Delhi, Apr 25 : Chinese President Hu Jintao has said that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy should comprehensively push forward its modernization to constantly enhance its capability to carry out its missions in the new century and new phase.

Hu, who is also the chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks when meeting with veteran officers and model soldiers of the PLA Navy on Friday night, a day after the 60th anniversary of the founding of the PLA naval force.

Beijing - A collision between a bus and a truck Saturday morning killed 18 people and left another 22 injured in south-western China, local media reported. A passenger bus traveling in Chuxiong prefecture, Yunnan Province, veered off the road early morning after being hit from the rear by a truck, according to the Xinhua news agency.

Sixteen passengers on the bus died, along with two passengers in the truck.

The truck collided with the bus, after the bus driver slowed to avoid a swerving vehicle ahead, the report said.