Beijing - The Chinese government has agreed to buy shares worth 3 billion yuan (441 million dollars) in each of two major airlines hit by the global economic crisis, the airlines and state media said on Thursday.

China Eastern and China Southern both said they had agreed to issue additional shares valued at 3 billion yuan via the Shanghai and Hong Kong stock markets.

The government bailout should "improve the carrier's financial condition and free up cash," the official Xinhua news agency quoted China Eastern spokesman Luo Zhuping as saying.

Hong Kong - A cull of tens of thousands of chickens was continuing in Hong Kong Thursday as officials tried to calm fears over a new outbreak of bird flu.

More than 75,000 chickens had been slaughtered by Thursday afternoon at the farm in the Yuen Long district where the outbreak was detected and at a nearby wholesale market in Cheung Sha Wan.

Meanwhile birds killed by the virus were tested to find out if the type of bird flu they contracted was the H5N1 strain that jumps more easily from chickens to humans.

Taipei - Taiwan's cabinet on Thursday approved amendments to a law that would greatly ease current restrictions on Chinese spouses living on the island.

"With the amendments, mainland spouses will be able to get identify cards here in six years instead of eight years as required currently," said Lai Shin-yuan, chairwoman of the Mainland Affairs Council, the island's top China policy planning body, at a news conference.

She said the revisions, which still need approval from parliament, would also allow Chinese spouses of Taiwanese people to work immediately after they enter Taiwan legally.

Beijing, Dec. 11: Activity in initial public offerings in China has fallen to a three-year low, according to a report released by market researcher Zero2IPO Group.

The amount of money raised by Chinese companies in the first 11 months of the year through IPOs fell 70 percent over last year to 21.8 billion dollars, the China Daily quotes the report, as saying.

The number of IPOs and total capital raised also touched three-year lows, falling 44.3 percent and 75.3 percent respectively year-on-year.

Washington, Dec. 11: A senior Chinese negotiator involved in talks with the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, has expressed strong opposition to the internationalization of the Tibet question.

Saying that the issue involves China''s sovereignty and territorial integrity, vice-minister of the United Front Work Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, Sitar, who is on a tour to the US, said he and his delegation were visiting the country "to introduce the real situation in Tibet to all sections of the American society".

Beijing - China's authorities are moving against the signatories of a public appeal asking for more freedom and democracy in the country, human rights activists said Thursday.

Several prominent activists who signed the document, called Charter 08, have been detained by the authorities, Human Rights Watch said in a statement released in Hong Kong.

At least 10 other people have been questioned by police, the statement said.

"The drafters and signatories of an historic public appeal for human rights and democracy in China are facing unprecedented retaliation by the government," Human Rights watch added.