Hong Kong - Like most things from the cradle to the grave in Hong Kong, it used to be simply a question of money. If you had it, then a bed in a maternity ward at a private hospital was yours. Hong Kong's birth rate was falling, and maternity care was very much a buyer's market.

But things have changed dramatically in the past five years. Now women opting to give birth in one of Hong Kong's private hospitals have to book their beds as soon as they discover they are pregnant, with some of the hospital's maternity units already fully booked until May.

Beijing - The death toll has risen to at least 22 with 45 people still missing after heavy rain caused several landslides in mountainous areas of southwestern China's Yunnan province, the government said Monday.

Torrential rain caused mud and rock to flow down valleys and hillsides in at least 13 counties of Yunnan over the past few days, affecting more than 411,000 people, the provincial Civil Affairs Department reported on its website.

At least 284 homes collapsed and more than 700 others were damaged with electricity and telecommunications cut off to several areas, the report said.

State media quoted officials as saying it was still too early to confirm the exact number of landslides in remote areas.

Taipei - Chinese negotiator Chen Unlin arrived in Taipei Monday for the highest-level talks between Taipei and Beijing in half a century.

Chen and his 74-member delegation arrived in a chartered Air China plane which landed at the Taoyuan International Airport near Taipei at 11:45 am.

The talks will begin at the Grand Hotel in Taipei Monday afternoon and last until Thursday.

Taipei - Beijing has agreed in principle to allow Taiwan airlines to fly over China to other countries, which will boost Taiwan airlines' international competitiveness, a newspaper reported Monday.

The Commercial Times, quoting an unnamed source, said that China has agreed in principle to approve Taiwan airlines' requests to fly over China's airspace en route to other countries, which will save time and fuel on flights to Europe.

If China grants the fly-over rights, or "first freedom rights," it could cut Taiwan airlines' routes to and from Europe by four hours.

Taipei - Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou on Sunday urged China and Taiwan to recognize each other's sovereignty.

"If the two sides recognize each other, the cross-strait problem will no longer exist," he said in an interview with the Taichung Radio Station, referring to the Taiwan-China feud which began with the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949, which the Nationalists, who fled to Taiwan, lost.

Ma added that he hopes that when Chinese negotiator Chen Yunlin visits Taiwan this week for talks, Chen would call him "president."

Before Taiwan and China extend mutual recognition to each other, each side for the time being should not deny the other side's existence, Ma said.

Taipei  - Nearly 1,000 Taiwanese, Chinese and foreign reporters have applied to cover the upcoming Taiwan-China dialogue - their most important contact in half a century - in Taipei, the Central News Agency (CNA) said Saturday.

Some 800 Taiwan reporters and 200 Chinese and foreign reporters have applied to cover the dialogue to be held in Taipei next week, CNA quoted the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), which is in charge of ties with China, as saying.