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Chinese hostages in Iraq freed

     Dubai: Eight Chinese hostages held by insurgents in Iraq have been freed, an Arab television said today, citing a statement by their captors. According to The News, the eight Chinese were freed and handed to the Committee of Muslim Scholars, a leading Sunni religious group in Iraq, a correspondent for the satellite channel reported from Baghdad. The liberation of the eight hostages came after China agreed to no longer send its citizens to Iraq, the reporter added.

Indian students to get work rights in New Zealand

     Wellington: There are a good times ahead for the foreign student community, including Indians, as the New Zealand Government's education arm -- Education New Zealand (ENZ) -- has reportedly given the green signal for allowing foreign students to work while studying. The ENZ proposal would mean more than 50,000 English language students would be eligible to work for 20 hours a week, reports The New Zealand Herald. According to the paper, this proposal is being initiated as part of a wider plan to attract students back to New Zealand and boost the ailing export education industry.