Gaza City  - Palestinian reconciliation negotiators in Cairo signed an agreement to prohibit fighting or the use of weapons to settle internal disputes, a Palestinian academic said Saturday.

The agreement was ratified as rival Palestinian factions continued intense talks to reach an agreement on broader issues such as the formation of a unity government to replace the Hamas-led government in the Gaza Strip and the Western-backed government in the West Bank formed by President Mahmoud Abbas of the Fatah movement.

Zamboanga City, Philippines  - Three public school teachers were seized by unidentified gunmen in the southern Philippines, the latest in a string of kidnapping in the area, a military spokeswoman said Saturday.

First Lieutenant Esteffani Cacho said the teachers were riding a motorized boat when gunmen in another boat seized them off Naga town in Zamboanga Sibugay province, 990 kilometres south of Manila, Friday afternoon.

"The navy has already deployed ships for possible maritime interjection," she said.

Manila - The Philippines has requested that the venue of a regional Davis Cup match with Pakistan in July be changed from Lahore for security concerns, officials said Friday.

Randy Villanueva, vice president of the Philippine Lawn Tennis Association, said the request was made in a letter to the International Tennis Federation (ITF).

He cited concerns over the safety of players following the March 3 attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore, which killed six police officers and a driver.

Manila - The Philippines and China on Friday vowed to expand bilateral cooperation despite President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's signing of a new law that lays claim to disputed areas in the South China Sea.

China's Ambassador to the Philippines Liu Jianchao met with Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo and pledged to work on boosting bilateral relations, according to the Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs.

Liu said China was keen to enhance trade and economic ties with the Philippines, especially in the areas of mining and infrastructure.