CHIPLEY, Florida (AP) – Investigators spent five days searching a rural area of dense vines and marshes for a missing infant, only to find her lying quietly in a 2-foot by 3-foot cedar box that had been shoved under her baby sitter's bed.

Clothing was packed around it to muffle any sounds and baking soda placed inside to mask the stench of dirty diapers. Authorities said the baby's mother, Chrystina Lynn Mercer, gave the infant to baby sitter Susan Elizabeth Baker early Saturday, then reported her missing about 10 hours later. About 100 law enforcement agents and others spent days scouring around the baby's home in a remote, makeshift community of dirt roads, tin-roof shacks and old mobile homes. Searchers also dug through trash cans and bins.

All along, the baby was under the bed. Washington County Sheriff Bobby Haddock choked up Thursday as he described how 7-month-old Shannon Dedrick was stashed in the box for 12 straight hours before investigators discovered her late Wednesday. They believe she had been in the closed box on and off for several days. "She was way back under the bed," he said. "But she was not crying."

Baker had written a letter to Gov. Charlie Crist's office in August, pleading for help for the baby and claiming her father shook her and both parents did drugs in front of her.

Chinese premier heads to Egypt for Africa Summit

BEIJING (AFP) – Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao headed to Egypt on Friday for a summit with African leaders as Beijing bids to expand its diplomatic and economic influence on the resource-rich continent. Wen will hold talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif before the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation begins on Sunday in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. Chinese companies have been pouring investments into oil and other raw materials in Africa to fuel the country's booming economy.

At the last China-Africa summit in Beijing in 2006, China pledged hefty aid and vowed to step up its trade relations with the continent. ''China's aid and assistance to African countries is long-term and continuous,'' foreign minister spokesman Ma Zhaoxu told reporters last week, saying a road map for cooperation in 2010-2012 would be adopted at the meeting. Direct Chinese investment in Africa soared from 491 million dollars in 2003 to $7.8 billioN in 2008.

Trade between the two has increased tenfold since the start of the decade. Wen was accompanied by Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and Commerce Minister Chen Deming, along with other senior officials, state news agency Xinhua reported.

S. Korean woman passes driver's exam on 950th try

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – A woman in South Korea who tried to pass the written exam for a driver's license with near-daily attempts since April 2005 has finally succeeded on her 950th time. The aspiring driver spent more than 5 million won ($4,200) in application fees, but until now had failed to score the minimum 60 out of a possible 100 points needed to get behind the wheel for a driving test.

Cha Sa-soon, 68, finally passed the written exam with a score of 60 on Wednesday, said Choi Young-chul, a police official at the drivers' license agency in Jeonju, 210 kilometers south of Seoul.

Police said Cha took the test hundreds of times, but had no specific total. Local media said she took the test 950 times. Now she must pass a driving test before getting her license, Choi said. Repeated calls to Cha seeking comment went unanswered. She told the Korea Times newspaper she needed the license for her vegetable-selling business.

Japan seeks closer Southeast Asian ties with Mekong Summit

TOKYO (AFP) -- Japan from Friday hosts the leaders of Southeast Asia's five Mekong River nations as the world's number two economy looks to deepen ties with the resource-rich region amid growing influence from China. Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, who has pushed the concept of an EU-style Asian Community since taking office in September, will meet his counterparts from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam for the two-day meeting.

Aside from broad regional issues, the Japanese side also highlighted the significance of Myanmar Prime Minister Thein Sein visiting, saying it would be a good opportunity for dialogue between the two countries.