China courts Africa with aid, projects China paid for the marble and tile parliament building soaring above the crumbling homes of this former Portuguese colony, and is also promising a dam and a military hospital -- all with none of the political strings Western donors might attach. African Union Extends Darfur Deadline The African Union extended the Tuesday midnight deadline for a peace pact aimed at resolving violence in Sudan's Darfur region that has claimed tens of thousands of lives, the chief AU mediator said. Bird Flu Spreads to Third African Country The deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu was confirmed Monday in birds in a third African country, deepening experts' fears that the disease may be far more widespread than reported on the continent.