China's unmanned spacecraft Shenzhou-8 has blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the northwestern Gobi desert area.

The spacecraft, carried by a modified Long March-2F carrier rocket, is expected to dock with Tiangong-1 space lab module that was launched in late September.

Shenzhou-8 has to go through a series of swingbys to catch up with Tiangong-1, which is orbiting Earth at a height of 343 km.

The rendezvous and docking maneuver will take place within two days.

The capability is required for China to carry through its plan to build a space station by 2020.

 

 

China initiates third-class emergency response for moderate quake in Xinjiang

China Earthquake Administration has initiated third-class emergency response to a 6.0-magnitude quake that jolted the country's northwestern Xinjiang region early this morning.

The quake hit the border area of Yining and Gongliu counties, damaging some houses and forcing schools to close. No casualties have been reported so far. 

Local authorities have sent two work teams for rescue and recovery work.

Another earthquake measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale jolted the border area of Sichuan and Gansu provinces this morning. No casualties have been reported.

 

 

SW China explosion kills 4, injures at least 100

Four people are confirmed dead and at least 100 others injured in an explosion in southwest China's Guizhou Province this noon.

An official with the Fuquan city government says the blast occurred on an interprovincial expressway in Machangping township.

Several homes nearby were toppled by the explosion.

Latest reports say the blast was from two trucks carrying dynamite from Hunan to Guizhou.

 

 

S. Korean nuclear envoy visits Beijing

South Korea's chief nuclear negotiator is now in Beijing to discuss further steps with his Chinese counterpart after recent bilateral discussions among key players in the stalled six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula's nuclear issue.

Lim Sung-nam, Seoul's newly appointed nuclear envoy, will meet with Chinese chief negotiator Wu Dawei during his two-day visit.

The United States and North Korea held two days of meetings last week in Geneva, with both sides sounding upbeat about an eventual return to the six-party talks.

The talks, which group the United States, Russia, China, Japan, and the two Koreas, collapsed in December 2008.

 

 

NATO ends seven-month mission in Libya

NATO has officially declared the end of its seven-month military campaign in Libya.

NATO launched the Libya mission to carry out air raids, enforce a no-fly zone and maintain an arms embargo since March 31, under mandates from the United Nations. 

The mission was terminated even though Libyan authorities have asked for the alliance to stay until the end of the year.

 

 

Greece to hold referendum on EU deal

Greece will hold a referendum on a new European Union aid package which is intended to resolve the country's debt crisis.

Prime Minister George Papandreou says a vote of no-confidence would also be held on the deal.

He set no date for the referendum, but indicated that it would be held after details of the deal have been finalised with the EU and the country's creditors.

The EU package envisages losses of up to 50% for private holders of Greek debt and a new 100 billion-euro loan.

There have been large-scale protests in Greece against the austerity measures introduced by the government.

 

 

7 immigrants killed after wooden boat sank off West Java

At least seven immigrants from the Middle East drowned and scores of others remain missing after a wooden boat sank off waters of West Java in Indonesia.

Police say the dead include two little girls and four women.

48 people have been rescued.

The boat was thought to be heading to Australia as Indonesia has been made a transit point for those illegal immigrants from the Middle East.

 

 

China's PMI drops to 50.4 percent in October

China's key manufacturing index dropped for the first time in three months in October, indicating the country's economic growth might continue to slow down in the fourth quarter.

The Purchasing Managers' Index or PMI dropped to 50.4 percent last month after rising for two consecutive months.

But the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing says the trend of a moderate economic increase would not change fundamentally. 

It estimates the country's GDP would grow around 9.2 percent this year.

 

 

Nearly half of China's millionaires consider emigration

A survey on Chinese millionaires shows that nearly half of them are considering emigrating abroad and 14 percent have already emigrated or applied.

The survey was jointly conducted by the Hurun Research Institute and Bank of China from May to September. 

It targeted China's "high net worth individuals" with personal asset above 10 million yuan or 1.58 million U.S. dollars.

According to the survey, one-third of the respondents claimed to have overseas assets, mostly in real estate.