Xinhua Asia-Pacific News Summary at 1600GMT, July 23

A Taliban key commander Mullah Zindani was killed in militants' former stronghold southern Helmand province on Thursday, Interior Ministry said in a statement released here.

"Acting upon intelligence report, units of police organized an ambush on a road used by Taliban commander Mullah Zindani in Musa Qala district today morning and killed him," said the statement. ( Afghanistan-Taliban)

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TOKYO -- Former Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama, 91, on Thursday addressed several hundreds of protesters on the street near the country's Diet building opposing a series of controversial security bills pushed forward by the government here.

Murayama said the Japanese war-renouncing Constitution protect Japan from any armed conflicts in the past 70 years since the end of the World War II, adding the security bills will damage the country's pacifism. (Japan-Security Bill)

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CANBERRA -- Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) published a statement on Thursday about the violent attack by Tibetan separatists on Chinese Consulate General in Sydney, vowing to protect foreign diplomatic and consular missions.

"The Australian Government takes very seriously its obligations to protect the safety and dignity of foreign diplomatic and consular missions and condemns all forms of violent protest," the statement said. (Australia-Chinese Consulate-Attack)

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TOKYO -- Japan's Nikkei Inc. said late Thursday that it has reached an agreement with Britain's Pearson to purchase its Financial Times Group at about 160 billion yen (about 1.29 billion U.S. dollars).

Established in 1888, the Financial Times is one of the world's most prestigious news organization on financial news. Both companies have made an announcement on the purchase. (Japan-FT- Purchase) Endi