S. Korea spy agency sees no recent N. Korea counterfeiting activity

February 2, 2006

South Korea's chief spy agency told lawmakers on Thursday it has seen no sign that North Korea has been circulating counterfeit U.S. dollars in recent years, according to Yonhap News Agency. Officials from the National Intelligence Service made the report to a closed-door session of parliamentary intelligence committee, Yonhap said.

Blast at coal mine in N. China kills 23: Xinhua

February 2, 2006

An explosion at a coal mine in northern China's Shanxi Province killed 23 miners and sickened 53 others, China's Xinhua News Agency reported Thursday. The blast occurred at the Sihe Coal Mine under the state-owned Jincheng Mining Group at around 7 p.m. Wednesday, the report said, quoting an official with the provincial coal mine safety supervision bureau.