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Sydney  - Football fans were convinced Thursday that Australia would make it to a third World Cup, after their team snatched a goal in injury time to clinch a 1-0 victory over Bahrain in Manama.

Washington  - Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso said Saturday in Washington that he looked forward to working with US president- elect Barack Obama.

Bangkok  - To reduce carbon dioxide emissions - blamed for global warming - Asian cities of the future should grow vertically instead of horizontally, a leading transport expert said Wednesday.

Bangkok  - Shi Han Min, who led the Beijing’s effort to clean up its air for the 2008 Olympic Games, on Wednesday won the first Kong Ha Award for excellence in air quality management.

Hong Kong  - India and Indonesia have Asia’s highest levels of consumer confidence in the face of the global economic slump, according to a survey published Friday.

Tokyo - Asian stocks took a big dive Thursday, reacting to a sharp fall overnight on Wall Street and wiping away gains from earlier in the week.

Manila - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said Tuesday Sweden has agreed to contribute 4.7 million dollars to a financing facility that aims to promote clean energy in the region.

Manila - Two South Korean cities have flushed away competition and won a best public toilets contest in Asia, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Monday.

Singapore - East Asia should be able to achieve an annual economic growth of 3 per cent to 5 per cent considering the current global financial crisis, Singapore’s Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said, in press reports Saturday.

Beijing - Asian and European leaders began a second day of talks on Saturday with a focus on measures to fight climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.