World Briefs

DAMASCUS, Syria - Syria established diplomatic relations with Lebanon Tuesday, ending six decades of non-recognition of its neighbor's sovereignty in an apparent bid to curry favor with the West as it pursues indirect peace talks with Israel.

The move by President Bashar Assad is part of his recent efforts to meet long-standing demands by the United States and Lebanon's anti-Syrian politicians, who hope that normalizing Syrian-Lebanese relations will bolster regional stability.

Some experts say Syria is more comfortable dealing with Lebanon now that its ally Hezbollah has gained a veto power in the government.

BEIJING - China is ordering all liquid and powdered milk manufactured before Sept. 14 to be taken off the shelves for melamine testing, a news report said Tuesday, the first time Beijing has issued a blanket recall of products since the tainted dairy scandal broke last month.

It is the latest in a series of measures China has taken to allay worries over the quality of Chinese products and restore consumer confidence since four babies died and tens of thousands of children were sickened after drinking tainted milk. Authorities have blamed dairy suppliers for the crisis, saying they added the industrial chemical melamine.