WHO: China's H1N1 vaccine safe, effective

U.S. calls for lasting military dialogue with China

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates called for lasting dialogue with China's military as he welcomed a top Chinese general to the Pentagon on Tuesday.

The meeting between Gates and General Xu Caihou, vice chairman of China's Central Military Commission, represented the highest-level military contact between the two countries since 2006.

Later, a Pentagon spokesman said Gates pledged to break the on-again, off-again cycle of their military-to-military relationship.

General Xu Caihou reiterated long-standing obstacles to deepening ties with the U.S. military, including tensions over Taiwan as well as U.S. surveillance of waters off China.

China to spur private investment with stimulus package

The Chinese government says private investment will be encouraged in the next stage of its 4 trillion-yuan or 585 billion-US-dollar stimulus package.

An official with the National Development and Reform Commission says the top economic planner will allocate 3 billion yuan of government investment for small- and medium-sized enterprises. The money will be used to promote their innovation capability, energy saving and emission reduction, and production condition improvement.

He adds the government will roll out policies to shore up private investment in expanding market threshold and improving administrative service.

Chinese medics get special training for critical flu cases

China's Health Ministry has asked medical institutions across the country to train their staff to identify and treat critical cases of A/H1N1 influenza, after three deaths have been reported on the mainland.

The ministry urged medical staff, especially those in grassroots and remote areas, to get training to better diagnose and treat patients.

The Chinese mainland has so far confirmed more than 36 thousand cases of the flu.

WHO: China's H1N1 vaccine safe, effective

A senior official of the World Health Organization says China-made A/H1N1 flu vaccine has proven to be safe and effective.

The agency’s representative in China, Michael' Leary, says nearly all of the adverse reactions from the shot detected so far were mild and temporary.

WHO chief foresees end of A/H1N1 flu pandemic

Meanwhile in Cuba, visiting WHO Director-General Margaret Chan says the A/H1N1 pandemic would reach its natural end when enough people are immunized.

During a conference in Havana, Chan said the WHO considers the pandemic "moderate," despite the virus' fast spread.

She added that the "causal agent has not mutated" and its resistance to antiviral drugs is "very low."

Six Chinese nurses win Florence Nightingale medal for outstanding contribution

Six Chinese nurses have been awarded the Florence Nightingale medal for their prominent contributions to health care.

President Hu Jintao, who is also the honorary president of the Red Cross Society of China, conferred the medals on the nurses in Beijing Tuesday.

A total of 28 nurses from 15 countries worldwide won the award this year.

Mainland welcomes media restriction ease across Strait

The Chinese mainland has welcomed Taiwan authorities' move to ease restrictions on mainland media.

A spokeswoman with the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office urged the two sides to solve problems that media people from both sides concern most.

Taiwan authorities Tuesday increased the staff quota of each mainland media organization on the island from two correspondents to five.

Mainland correspondents posted on the island also no longer need to inform Taiwan's information authorities before making interview trips.

Militants' attack on UN guesthouse kills 9 in Afghan capital

Militants penetrated a UN guesthouse in the fortified Afghan capital Kabul Wednesday morning, killing six foreign UN staff.

Three security guards were also killed in fire exchange with the intruders.

The guesthouse accommodates the international staff of United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.

An Interior Ministry spokesman has confirmed that three suicide bombers were killed.

The Taliban has claimed responsibility, saying the attack aimed at disrupting the presidential runoff vote next month.

Multiple roadside bombings kill 8 U.S. soldiers in S. Afghanistan

Eight U.S. service members and one Afghan civilian were killed Tuesday in multiple roadside bombing attacks in southern Afghanistan.

That increased the US death toll in the country to more than 20 in two straight days.

Three U.S. helicopters went down Monday, leaving 11 troopers and three civilians dead, all Americans.

NASA delays test flight of new rocket due to bad weather

Bad weather has forced NASA to put off the first test flight of its next-generation rocket that could someday replace the aging space shuttle.

The unmanned Ares 1-X prototype moon rocket was scheduled to be launched Tuesday.

The next launch attempt was reset for 8 a.m. Wednesday local time.

The new booster vehicle is intended to launch mission crews into orbit in the Orion spacecraft, which is still under development.