Main news of January 8

A roundup of what has happened in the past 24 hours

WORLD

* Japan and Saudi Arabia agreed to cooperate in building nuclear power plants, Japanese officials said.

* Ankara is not opposed to Greek plans to build a wall across its border with Turkey to prevent illegal immigration, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said

* The Dutch cabinet has approved sending a new 545-man mission to Afghanistan, just six months after pulling out of the military efforts there, national media reported

* Chinese President Hu Jintao will make an official visit to the United States on January 18-21 at the invitation of U.S. President Barack Obama, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said

* Tehran is capable of making its own nuclear fuel plates and rods, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran said, according to Fars News Agency

 

RUSSIA

* Russia's agricultural watchdog has decided to strengthen monitoring of food products of animal origin imported from Germany and some other EU countries, Rosselkhoznadzor announced

* Human rights organization Amnesty International has called for the immediate release of several Russian opposition leaders and declared them prisoners of conscience

* Two boats, a helicopter and 14 land vehicles are searching for a trawler last heard from off the coast of Sakhalin in Russia's Far East, a regional emergencies spokesman said