Japanese unions staged their first major May Day protests in seven years on Friday, holding demonstrations against the handling of the country's faltering economy instead of the usual festive gatherings. Kyodo news service estimated two million people attended rallies at more than 1,000 locations in the biggest turnout on May Day for years. The rallies denounced prime minister Ryutaro Hashimoto's handling of the economy and demanded measures to end record high unemployment and tax cuts to improve people's standard of living.

China sets record in FDI: China, the world's second most-favoured foreign investment destination, on Saturday said it had successfully reversed last year's fall in contractual foreign investment by recording a 10.07 per cent growth during the first quarter of 1998. "Contractual foreign investment in China has reversed last year's pessimistic trend to achieve a significant 10.07 per cent increase during the first quarter this year," the official`China Daily Business Weekly' reported.

Sri Lanka airline sale: Sri Lanka's sale of a 40 per cent equity stake in its national carrier, Air Lanka to emirates airline of Dubai attracted more criticism on Sunday ahead of a parliamentary debate over the deal. The Sunday leader newspaper said emirates was to receive 60 million dollars from Rolls Royce for each of the six airbus A-330 planes Airlanka was committed to buying in line with the privatisation deal.

China demands withdrawal of film: The Chinese embassy here has demanded the withdrawal of screening of a film that depicts the occupation of Tibet by China and repression of people there. The organisers of the Washington International Film festival, however, have refused the Chinese demand. The academy award winner producer of the movie "windhorse", Paul Wager, defended the film saying it depicted the imprisonment and torture of Tibetan Buddhist nuns for their religious beliefs and Chinese government's ban on photos of Dalai Lama in publicplaces.

Pak heroin addicts see little hope: Mohammad Yusuf inhales the fumes rising from heroin burning on cigarette packet foil, resigned to the idea of death at the hands of the drug that has already claimed the lives of his four addict friends. ``I have to go too because I am living in this valley of death,'' said Yusuf, 23, as he sniffed at the smoke from the deadly white power melted by a candle passed under the foil. Unshaven and dirty, Yusuf and thousands of others can be seen on pavement in sewers and gutters.