The 48-hour deadline given by Islamist insurgents for Beijing to “clarify” its position on Iraq expired, with no word on the fate of the eight Chinese they are holding. The Chinese embassy in Baghdad declined to comment on the situation when the apparent deadline expired at around 3:00 pm (1200 GMT). The Xinhua news agency earlier reported that Chinese diplomats were in talks with the Committee of Muslim Scholars and confident the eight would be freed. Full Story