The Syrian government has released nearly 12-hundred prisoners arrested during the 9-month unrest in the country.

This follows the release of over 550 others following the Eid al-Adha holiday by the Bashar al-Assad government.

The release of the new batch of detainees comes as Syria comes under increased pressure in the Arab world to commit to an Arab League plan to end the violence in the country.

The release of those detained who didn't commit serious crimes during the uprising is part of the committment, which also includes moving the military out of the urban areas and beginning talks with the opposition.

 

 

Greek civil servants protest against new government's continuing austerity measures

 

Hundreds of Greek civil servants have walked off the job to protest the new administration's austerity plans.

Ilias Vrettakos with the Confederation of Civil Servants says his members have been suffering through the worst of the cutbacks, which have included wage, job, and pension roll-backs.

New Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos has been tasked with continuing to implement the unpopular austerity measures in the country to try to get the debt crisis under control.

Those measures include slashing around 30-thousand civil servant jobs.

The final vote on the austerity measures are expected to take place in a couple of weeks.

 

 

Greece must make written commitment to reform to get aid

 

The European Commission now says Greece must provide written confirmation to its European partners that it is committed to reforms to bring down its debt, no matter who wins the next elections.

Amadeu Altafaj is the European Commission spokesperson for economic and monetary affairs.

"It has to be a letter, signed, look, it has to convince European partners of Greece that there is a strong commitment and that it will be followed by decisive action by all political forces, whatever happens in the future elections in Greece. We are not saying exactly how it has to be written down but in any case it has to convince all European partners of Greece."

Greece needs to get the next batch of 8 billion euros by mid-December or face default.

Euro zone finance ministers have asked for a written commitment to Greece's acceptance of the re-tooled bailout before the next tranche of money is paid out.

Greece's main opposition leader has been refusing to sign.

 

 

Borrowing cost hit 7 percent again as Mario Monti works to form a new government

 

Italy's Prime Minister-designate Mario Monti now says he is ready to unveil his new government this Wednesday.

Monti says he just needs to put the final touches on his Cabinet and economic programme before outlining the results to Italy's President.

Monti has been meeting with political, business and union leaders to get everyone on board.

However, the markets are still showing signs of continuing nervousness about Italy's high debt level.

Italy's cost of borrowing has risen again above the 7 percent red line, putting Mario Monti under increased pressure.

 

 

6 killed in coal mine gas leak in central China

 

Six miners are dead, after a gas leak in their coal mine in Hubei.

The bodies of the six have now been recovered, after their mine in the city of Yichang filled with gas yesterday afternoon.

The cause of the gas leak remains unclear at this point.

This is the second deadly gas leak at a coal mine here in China in less than a week.

Last Thursday, at least 35 miners were killed by a gas leak at a mine in Yunnan.

 

 

China's coupled spacecraft carry out second orbit maintenance

 

Shenzhou-8 and the Tiangong-1 space lab have now finished their last technical procedures together in orbit.

The orbital maintenance operations are the last before Shenzhou-8 decouples from the space lab before returning to earth tomorrow night.

The unmanned spacecraft has been in orbit with Tiangong-1 for the last couple of weeks, testing the procedures that will be required for the establishment of a manned Chinese space lab by 2020.

Two more Shenzhou missions are still planned in the coming year, one of which will be manned.

 

 

Philippine ex-president barred from leaving the country

 

Ex-Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has been barred from leaving the country.

Despite a court order allowing her and her husband to leave, the country's immigration bureau has banned her from getting on a flight to Singapore.

Macapagal-Arroyo, now a parliamentarian, is facing accusations of election fraud and theft of public money.

However, no formal charges have been laid.

Her husband is characterizing the move by the immigration bureau as "persecution."

 

 

Human health may get threatened by rising temperature

 

A new government report is forecasting several potential challenges that climate change may bring about in the future for China.

The Second National Assessment Report on Climate Change, which has been compiled by a number of Chinese government organizations, contends that -- among other things -- the annual mean temperatures here in China may rise by 2.5 to 4.6-degrees by the end of this century.

The report also forecasts the sea levels along the Chinese coast could rise anywhere from 80 to 130-millimeters by 2030.

The report is also predicting that extreme flooding along China's major rivers is going to increase in frequency.

The report has been compiled ahead of the Durban Climate Change summit set for South Africa in less than 2-weeks.