Violinist plays for taxi driver

A violinist who left his 285-year-old instrument in the back of a New York cab has played a concert to thank the driver who returned it to him.

Philippe Quint gave a private 30-minute performance on Tuesday in the taxi waiting area at Newark Liberty International Airport.

He left his violin, a 1723 Kiesewetter Stradivarius, in a taxi on the way back from the airport last month.

The driver, Mohamed Khalil, got in touch the next day to return it.

After leaving it in the taxi on his return from a performance in Dallas, Mr Quint rang the police and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

The following day Mr Khalil was put in touch with Mr Quint, and soon the violin was returned.

Reward

Mohamed Khalil, who was born in Egypt, was given a reward of $100 (£50) by Mr Quint, and was also presented with a medal from the City of Newark.

In addition to the airport performance, he and his family are also being given tickets to Mr Quint's next New York performance, at Carnegie Hall in September.

The violin was made by the Italian Antonio Stradivari, and then owned by the 18th-Century German composer and violinist Christophe Kiesewetter. It has been valued at $4m (£2m).

In 2006 the Stradivari Society arranged a loan of the instrument from its current owners, Clement and Karen Arrison, to Mr Quint, who has been nominated for a Grammy award.

Landmark China-Japan deal agreed

China and Japan have signed a historic deal agreeing a "new starting point" in relations, after summit talks in Tokyo.

China's President Hu Jintao and Yasuo Fukuda of Japan agreed a blueprint for future ties - including a yearly summit between the nations' leaders.

The deal comes after years of strained relations, caused by rows over wartime history and offshore resources.

Mr Fukuda also urged Mr Hu, on his first state visit to Japan, to continue trying to resolve the crisis in Tibet.

The Japanese prime minister told reporters he "rated highly" Mr Hu's decision to hold talks with representatives of Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

But Mr Hu said the Dalai Lama would need to stop "acting to separate the homeland" and "inciting violent acts" for the talks to succeed.

Beijing has made similar allegations several times since recent unrest in and around Tibet. The Dalai Lama denies any role in the unrest and says he is not seeking independence for Tibet.

The deal signed by Mr Hu and Mr Fukuda was the fourth such agreement since 1972.

"The two nations agreed that Japan and China both share larger responsibilities for the world's peace and development in the 21st Century," a joint statement issued after the summit read.

His visit is the first by a Chinese leader since 1998, when incumbent Jiang Zemin caused controversy by lecturing Japan's politicians on their country's wartime past.

China suspended high-level contact with Japan from 2001 to 2006 during the premiership of Junichiro Koizumi, who made repeated visits to the Yasukuni war shrine, a place most Chinese believe glorifies militarism.

Mr Fukuda has promised not to visit the shrine while he is in power and has called for Japan to be humble about its past.

China has now overtaken the US as Japan's top trading partner, with bilateral trade increasing 12% last year to $236.6bn.

And analysts say this increasingly important economic relationship has played a vital role in warming the ties between the two nations.