Washington, Dec 30: Pakistan has been pressurized by the United States to extradite Zaki Al Rahman Lakhvi, the alleged mastermind of the Mumbai terror attacks, to India.

The US reportedly handed over a tape to Pakistan that contained Lakhvi's conversation with the gunmen involved in the Mumbai terror attacks, the Dawn reported.

Sources of the paper revealed that American experts had examined and confirmed that the tape was genuine and one of the speakers was Lakhvi. The tape features Lakhvi in a cellphone conversation with the gunmen holed up inside Mumbai's Taj hotel during the

Islamabad, Dec. 28: In an effort to defuse tension between India and Pakistan, China has sent a seven-member delegation headed by its Deputy Foreign Minister, He Yafei, on a visit to the two neighbouring nations.

The Pakistan foreign office spokesman, Mohammad Sadiq, informed The Dawn that the Chinese minister had arrived in Islamabad on a two-day visit.

After arriving in the capital, He Yafei met Foreign Secretary, Salman Bashir and discussed the current regional situation after the Mumbai attacks.

Yafei said that rising tension was not in the favour of India or Pakistan. He also emphasised the need to maintain peace and stability in the South Asian region.

Hamburg-There are a series of important cultural anniversaries in 2009:

Concerned over declining crude oil prices in the international market, Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) announced to cut production by 2.2 million barrels a day from January 1. Meanwhile, crude prices touched four year low at $40.06 a barrel in the market. Crude prices were $39.44 a barrel on July 13, 2004 and touched peak level of $147 a barrel in July.

OPEC expects increase in demand following proposed production cut. Crude oil demand declined following global financial crisis and fears of recession. Next meeting of oil exporting countries would be held on March 15, 2009 in Vienna.

Vienna- One day before members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) meet to discuss slashing production, the cartel said Tuesday that global oil demand would decrease in 2009, contributing to an overhang of stocks.

As industrialized countries slipped into a recession, global oil consumption would fall to 85.68 million barrels per day next year, a year-on-year decrease of 0.18 per cent, Vienna-based OPEC said in its monthly oil market report.

New Delhi, Dec 16 : In a bid to restore the trust hurt by tainted milk scandal, China has asked its food producers to rid their products of illegal additives.

The investigating team led by Health Ministry, the State Food and Drug Administration, and seven government departments have blacklisted 17 non-food substances that could be added to food production.