Around Asia: The coming flood, Asian newspapers and record number of Chinese Muslims on Hajj

• Asia's papers keep newspaper flags flying [Asia Times]
  With a little help from the Internet, the future of newspapers looks bright in Asia where seven of 10 of the world's best selling dailies are published, with China, India and Japan accounting for more than half. Advertisers, the lifeblood for newspapers, are also smiling.
• Asian mega-cities to be swallowed up by sea [Asian Offbeat]
  They include Dhaka, Bangladesh; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Shanghai (gosh!) and Tianjin in China; Alexandria and Cairo in Egypt; Mumbai and Kolkata in India; Jakarta, Indonesia; Tokyo and Osaka-Kobe in Japan.
• Malaysia's Mahathir discharged after heart operation [Channel News Asia]
  Former Malaysian premier Mahathir Mohamad was discharged from hospital Sunday, seven weeks after undergoing his second heart bypass surgery.
• Bangkok: Canadian paedophile suspect mum over charges [Channel News Asia]
  A detained Canadian paedophile suspect has said nothing about allegations that he sexually abused young boys across Southeast Asia, a Thai police official said Sunday.
• China halts rail freight to N Korea [FT]
  China suspended key rail freight services into North Korea last week after 1,800 wagons carrying food aid and tradeable goods crossed into Kim Jong-il’s hermit state but were never returned.
• Australian PM denies pulling TV coverage of debate [Channel News Asia]
  Australia's embattled prime minister John Howard Monday denied that a television network's coverage of an election debate was cut because a live graph showed he was losing to his opponent.
• Record number of Chinese Muslims on pilgrimage to Mecca [China.org.cn]
  A record number of more than 10,500 Chinese Muslims are expected to fulfill their pilgrimages to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, according to the Islamic Association of China (IAC) Sunday.

Photo from Remmokov: Chinese Muslims in Khotan, Xinjiang, face Mecca in prayer. A record number of them are on pilgrimage to Islam's holiest city this year.