Sri Lanka Military Says 17 Tiger Rebels Killed Last Updated: Aug 8 2008 8:14AM COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lankan troops killed 17 Tamil Tiger rebels in fighting in the far north of the island, the military said on Friday, while the rebels said military shelling killed three civilians, including an infant, and injured 16. The fighting in the island's far north came as government forces continued their push against the rebels' northern stronghold. "Troops had killed 17 LTTE terrorists and 35 were wounded from the fighting on Thursday," said military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara, referring to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). "Four soldiers had also died and 16 were wounded."   China Hits Back At Bush On Human Rights Last Updated: Aug 7 2008 8:14AM China hit back Thursday at criticism by US President George W Bush on religion and human rights, saying it opposed any interference in its internal affairs. "We firmly oppose any words and deeds that use human rights and religion to interfere in other countries' internal affairs," foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in a statement on the ministry's website. The statement was in response to a speech by Bush earlier in the day in Bangkok in which he repeatedly highlighted Washington's "deep concerns over religious freedom and human rights" in China. Bush was due to arrive soon in Beijing to attend Friday's opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. "The Chinese people enjoy religious freedom according to law.   Bush Chides China, North Korea On Rights Records Last Updated: Aug 6 2008 8:34AM US President George W. Bush chided China and North Korea on Wednesday on their human rights records but defended his decision to attend this week's Beijing Olympics opening ceremony. The US leader, in a strong message to North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il, said Kim would continue to lead "the most sanctioned regime in the world" unless he honors nuclear disarmament commitments. Bush said it was premature to drop the communist North from the "axis of evil" he had proclaimed back in 2002. He was speaking at a press conference after summit talks with South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak.   Bush Set To Open Massive US Embassy In China Last Updated: Aug 6 2008 8:28AM US President George W. Bush on Friday will open the massive new US embassy in Beijing, which its designers hope will stand as a testament to the crucial, but delicate, China-US relationship. The ribbon-cutting at one of America's biggest embassies comes during Bush's trip to Beijing for the Olympic opening ceremony, and just days after the Chinese opened their own sparkling new complex in Washington. During a sneak peek at the Beijing facility, the US ambassador to China, Clark Randt, described the two state-of-the-art structures as "tangible symbols of the growth and importance of our bilateral relationship." The US embassy here is only the third that Bush has opened during his presidency - after Kabul and Kigali.   China Guarantees Safe Olympic Games Amid Terror Threat Last Updated: Aug 5 2008 8:13AM China declared Tuesday it could guarantee a safe Olympics, even as it announced that Islamic militants were trying to wage a holy war aimed at destroying the Beijing Games that begin in three days. "Terrorists" from home and abroad seeking an independent Muslim state for China's northwest Xinjiang region were involved, authorities said as security was increased there after an attack on Monday that killed 16 policemen. The terror alert came as athletes continued to arrive in Beijing ahead of Friday's opening ceremony to launch the Games, which are being seen as a coming-of-age party for China after three decades of dramatic economic reforms.