Japanese PM in Canada:

new Prime Minister Yoshiro Morl arrived In Ottawa late Wednesday to hold his firs talks with Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien, an official said. AFP reports from Ottawa.

Morl flew in from London where he met British Prime Minister Tony Blair during his five-hour stopover alter holding talks with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in Berlin earlier In the day. The Japanese premier Is making a whirlwind, nine-day trip to meet world leaders before he hosts this year's summit of the Group of Eight (G 8) major countries in the southern Japanese island of Okinawa.

Lightning kills 5 in Malaysia: Five inmates of a Malaysian drug rehabilitation centre have been killed and 17 injured by llghtlning, the official Bernama news agency said. AFP reports from Kuala Lumpur.

It said the lightinlng struck Wednesday afternoon at the Rawang Centre near Kuala Lumpur as the inmates were resting In the garden. Sazall Ismail, commandant oi the centre was quoted as saying there was no sign of an Impending thunderstorm at the time.