(AP Online Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) China says it's working to prevent epidemics among 5 million left homeless by earthquakeHANWANG, China (AP) _ Workers in protective suits circled collapsed communities in trucks on Monday, spraying disinfectant on rubble from last month's massive earthquake as part of a government campaign to prevent disease outbreaks among the 5 million left homeless. Providing safe food, drinking water and temporary shelters was a priority following the May 12 earthquake that killed nearly 70,000 people, the Health Ministry said. Bodies discovered in the rubble were being disinfected, ministry spokesman Mao Qun'an said in an interview posted on the central government's Web site.

Car bombing outside Danish Embassy in Pakistan kills at least 6ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) _ A huge car bomb exploded outside the Danish Embassy in the Pakistani capital on Monday, killing at least six people and wounding dozens more, officials and witnesses said. The blast echoed through Islamabad and left a crater over three feet (1 meter) deep in the road in front of the main gate to the embassy. Glass, fallen masonry and dozens of wrecked vehicles littered the area. People, some bloodied, ran helter-skelter in a state of panic.

Senior U.S. diplomat hails Uzbekistan's improving human rights recordTASHKENT, Uzbekistan (AP) _ A senior U.S. diplomat on Monday hailed what he called Uzbekistan's improved rights record and signaled that Washington's ties with the Central Asian state are set to improve. Richard A. Boucher, assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian affairs, also thanked Uzbek authorities for allowing the U.S. military to use a NATO base in the country as a stop-off point to neighboring Afghanistan.

Myanmar junta defends cyclone response as 'prompt,' with schools set to reopenYANGON, Myanmar (AP) _ One month after a cyclone left more than 130,000 people dead or missing, Myanmar's military government reopened schools Monday in several areas despite worries that the extent of the damage could put children in harm's way. Foreign aid workers also criticized the regime for continuing to drag its feet on allowing them speedy and full access to survivors of the disaster.

Officials say Nepal's deposed king will leave palace, live as commonerKATMANDU, Nepal (AP) _ Nepal's deposed king agreed Monday to peacefully leave the royal palace in Katmandu and live as a common citizen after the Himalayan nation last week declared itself a republic, the home minister said. Home Minister Krishna Sitaula was among several government officials who met with Gyanendra at the Narayanhiti palace in the capital on Monday, in the first direct contact between the former king and the government since a newly elected Constituent Assembly abolished the monarchy on May 28. The assembly gave Gyanendra 15 days to vacate the palace.

Nepal's main parties fail to agree on forming new governmentKATMANDU, Nepal (AP) _ Nepal's main political parties are struggling to break a deadlock over how to form a new government in the young republic, party officials said Monday. The former communist rebels, formally called the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), won the largest number of seats for a constitution-drafting assembly in April but failed to get a clear majority and will have to form a coalition government.

South Korea to delay resumption of US beef importsSEOUL, South Korea (AP) _ The South Korean government said Monday it was delaying the planned resumption of U.S. beef imports, after a request from the ruling party and large weekend street protests. Agriculture Ministry spokesman Kim Hyun-soo said the ministry had decided to put off the final administrative step needed to clear the way for imports to begin.

Australian Prime Minister warns against repeating mistakes of IraqCANBERRA, Australia (AP) _ Australia's prime minister accused his predecessor of abusing intelligence information to justify joining the Iraq war, saying Monday the Australian people were misled.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made one of his most strident attacks on the former government's decision to join the Iraq war as he fulfilled an election pledge to withdraw Australian combat troops.%mlink( %)

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) _ Anti-government street protests and rumors of a military coup are hurting Thailand's economy and investors' confidence, the finance minister said Monday as the stock market dropped 2.8 percent. Protesters were back on the streets for an eighth day of demonstrations to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej and his coalition government.%mlink( %)

THUWANA, Myanmar (AP) _ As students filed into Middle School No. 1 on Monday for the first day of classes since Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar a month ago, all eyes stared skyward _ at the gaping hole in the roof. The school in Thuwana, a southern suburb of Myanmar's biggest city, Yangon, was one of 4,100 schools that were damaged or destroyed by the May 2-3 cyclone, according to UNICEF. More than 100 teachers died in the storm and aid agencies say it is still too soon to say how many of the 78,000 victims were children.%mlink( %)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) _ Extending the tours of U.S. troops serving in South Korea to three years and allowing them to bring their families is overdue, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday as he arrived in Seoul. The change in deployments is caught up in the ongoing transfer of military bases to South Korean control, but Gates said it's time to stop the one-year, unaccompanied tours that forces currently serve here because it is considered a war zone.%mlink( %)

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) _ Blasts suspected to be caused by a ruptured gas pipeline sparked a fire in a hotel in the Bangladeshi capital, injuring at least 45 people, authorities said Monday. Officers were investing the explosions that occurred late Sunday at Hotel Orchard, a 12-floor building in central Dhaka, senior police official Mrinal Kanti Saha said.%mlink( %)

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) _ An Islamic hard-liner in Indonesia urged his followers Monday to prepare for war against a minority Muslim sect and said he would not hand over supporters involved in a bloody attack on the group. Habib Rizhiq's remarks raised the threat of more violence in the country and set the stage for a showdown with Indonesia's secular president, who has called on police to crack down on Rizhiq's followers.%mlink( %)

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) _ Lawmakers were likely to consider proposals on reducing the powers of President Pervez Musharraf during a meeting Monday of the party of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The proposals have been drawn up by the main partner in the country's ruling coalition, led by Asif Ali Zardari.%mlink( %)

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) _ Clashes between government troops and Tamil Tiger rebels around Sri Lanka's northern guerrilla stronghold killed 17 insurgents and a soldier, the military said Monday A military official said the fighting broke out Sunday on four fronts, in Jaffna, Vavuniya, Mannar and Welioya regions. He spoke on condition of anonymity, citing government rules.

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