Dhaka, Aug 29: The 9th Home Secretary level talks between India and Bangladesh will begin here today.

The two-day meeting is expected to discuss various security related issues, border management issues as well as ways of enhancing cooperation between the law enforcement agencies of both sides.

The Indian delegation is led by the Union Home Secretary, Madhukar Gupta and the Bangladesh delegation by their Secretary, Ministry of Home Affair, Mohammad Abdul Karim.

The last meeting was held at Delhi on August 2-3, 2007.

Manila - The Philippine military on Friday vowed not to hamper the observance of Ramadan by Muslims in the country's southern region despite rejecting calls to halt an offensive against Muslims rebels during Islam's holy month.

Government troops have been conducting airstrikes and ground assaults against Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels in various areas in the southern region of Mindanao since earlier in the month when the guerrillas launched a spate of deadly attacks.

Karachi, Aug 29: Taking a note of a large number of Hindus migrating to other places in the Sindh province due to an increase in the number of kidnappings for ransom, robberies and other threats, the Pakistan Government has reportedly asked the Sindh provincial government to submit a report on the displacement of Hindus and other minorities.

The federal Interior Ministry has also directed the Sindh government to take action against the worsening law and order situation, the reason for the migration of the minorities, particularly from Kashmore and Jacobabad, reported the Daily Times.

New Delhi, Aug. 28 : Links between Central Asia and South Asia stand a chance of improving only if the historical linkages of the past are given their due importance and applied in the modern context, a strategic affairs expert has said.

Beijing - An explosion at a chemical plant has left 16 people dead and six missing in south-western China's Guangxi region, the State Administration of Work Safety said on Wednesday.

A series of explosions and a fire also injured 57 workers at the Guangwei Chemical Company on Tuesday, state media said.

The fire spread over 10,000 square metres and forced the evacuation of 11,500 local residents in Guangxi's Yizhou city, the official Xinhua news agency said.

New Delhi, Aug 26: A strong earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale hit Zhongba County, Xigaze prefecture in Tibet on Monday, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.

There were no reports of casualties, it said. The quake occurred at 9:22 p. m. The epicenter was about 10 km underground at 31 degrees north and 83.6 degrees east. According to a Zhongba county government worker, the quake was strongly felt in some townships and cracks had appeared in some buildings. There were no reports of casualties.

Special personnel have already been sent to carry out relief work and assess the situation after the quake.

The tremor was also felt in Gerze and Coqen counties, the regional earthquake bureau reported.