The death toll from the strong earthquake in eastern Tukey now stands at 217 as rescue teams are desperately searching for people trapped under rubble.

More than 1,000 people have been injured in the 7.2-magnitude quake that struck Van province.

In the hardest-hit town of Ercis, up to 80 buildings collapsed.

The quake cut electricity and telephone lines and the authorities in some areas have cut gas to avoid the risk of fire.

Turkish officials have warned that the death toll could reach a thousand.

 

China ready to provide assistance for quake-hit Turkey

China has expressed deep condolences for Turkey and says it is ready to provide assistance.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu says Premier Wen Jiabao has sent a telegram of condolences to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

 

N. Korea, US open talks in Geneva

The US and North Korea have opened talks in Geneva, aimed at restarting stalled nuclear negotiations. 

The talks are being viewed as a positive step toward resuming the so-called six-party discussions, which broke down in April 2009 when North Korea walked out.

Washington and Pyongyang have just agreed to resume searching for the remains of American soldiers killed in the Korean war of the 1950s.

 

China to freeze terrorists' assets

China will upgrade its anti-terrorism efforts by creating a verified database of terrorist names and the ability to block their assets.

The State Council has submitted a draft decision to the country's top legislature, which opened its bimonthly session today.

The lack of a clear definition of what constitutes terrorist activity and a list of organizations has impeded China's anti-terrorism work.

 

China's CPI to cool to under 5 pct in next two months: NDRC official

A top Chinese economy official says China's stubbornly high consumer prices are set to decline, as the government's cooling measures take effect.

Peng Sen, Vice director of the National Development and Reform Commission, the top economic planning agency, says consumer prices are expected to decline to less than 5 percent in the next two months.

China's inflation hit a 37-month high of 6.5 percent in July, and eased to 6.2 percent in August and 6.1 percent in September.

 

EU Foreign Affairs chief Ashton meets Chinese officials

The European Union's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton has visited Beijing for talks with Chinese officials.

She has met with State Councilor, Dai Bingguo for discussions on the on-going eurozone crisis. 

Ashton also met Chinese Vice Foreign Minister, Fu Ying.

Last week, China and the European Union called off a summit of their leaders planned for Tuesday so European officials could remain at home for talks on the debt crisis.

 

3 miners confirmed dead in flooded coal mine in NE China

All 13 miners trapped in a flooded coal mine in northeast China have been confirmed dead.

The bodies of the miners have all been retrieved following nearly two weeks of rescue efforts.

The coal mine in Jixi city, Heilongjiang Province, became flooded on October 11.

Twenty-four miners were working underground at the time, and eleven of them managed to escape.

 

Tunisia counts votes in historic free election

Votes are being counted in Tunisia after Sunday's election, the first free poll of the Arab Spring.

Officials say more than 90% of registered voters turned out to elect a 217-seat assembly that will draft a constitution and appoint an interim government.

The election was held nine months after former President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali was overthrown by mass demonstrations.

Results are expected on Tuesday.

 

UN chief hails liberation of Libya as "historic juncture"

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has hailed the liberation of Libya as "a historic juncture," saying the end of war is only the beginning of a long process to build a new Libya.

In a statement, the UN chief urged Libya's new leaders to commit to building accountable democratic institutions to the benefit of all Libyans.

Libya's transitional government has declared national liberation from the city Benghazi, where the uprising against former leader Muammar Gaddafi began.

Elections are due to be held this coming June.

 

Bangkok residents evacuate to evade flood

Many Bangkok residents have chosen to leave their homes as floodwaters have seriously interfered with their daily activities.

Laksi District, the commercial area in the north of the capital, has became a flood plain with stores on both sides of road inundated with water.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra says it will take up to six weeks for floodwaters to recede, urging residents to move to higher ground.

Thailand's worst flooding in half a century has killed more than 350 people and affected nearly 2.5 million people, with water covering an area the size of Kuwait.

 

Steve Jobs Biography Released

The biography of Steve Jobs has been released to pay tribute to the Apple co-founder who died early this month.

Steve Jobs: the Biography, is the only authorized biography for Jobs, written by famous Pulitzer Prize nominee Walter Isaacson.

Isaacson has visited more than a hundred of Jobs' relatives, as well as his friends and rivals in business circles. 

The Chinese version of the Jobs biography is available in major online bookshops and 30 bookstores.