A senior Chinese diplomat has pressed China's position on the Diaoyu Islands during a meeting with a senior Japanese diplomat.

Luo Zhaohui, director-general of the Chinese Foreign Ministry's Department of Asian Affairs, has met with his Japanese counterpart Shinsuke Sugiyama.

Luo says China will never recognize Japan's illegal seizure and so-called "actual control" of the Diaoyu Islands.

The Foreign Ministry is also demanding the Japanese government repeal its decision to purchase the Diaoyu Islands.

The Chinese government is also calling on Japan to return to the track of negotiated settlement.

Two China Marine Surveillance ships have been sent to the Diaoyu Island area to press China's sovereignty over the islands.

 

 

China's quake zone guarded against diseases

 

Authorities in Yunnan have stepped up sanitary controls in earthquake-hit Yiliang county to try to prevent an outbreak of disease.

Multiple earthquakes hit the mountainous area on the border between Yunnan and Guizhou on Friday, leaving at least 81 people dead.

Authorities in Yunnan says so far there hasn't been any disease outbreaks.

However, the risk remain high, given that Yiliang county has been drenched by flooding this week.

Temporary sanitation centers have been set up in the hardest-hit areas.

 

 

U.S. sends warships to Libyan waters

 

The U.S. Navy has sent two destroyers to Libyan waters.

This follows the killing of the U.S. ambassador to the country.

U.S. officials are being cited as saying the ships will give President Barack Obama "flexibility," should his administration decide to take action against suspected militants in Libya.

Other report are citing senior officials as saying the deployment is being made as a precautionary measure.

The deployment comes just a day after Libyan gunmen attacked the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, killing U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other U.S. diplomatic officials.

The attack has prompted the US State Department to pull most of its embassy staff from Libya.

The Pentagon has also sent Marine Corps units to Tripoli to provide additional protection for U.S. diplomats still in country.

 

 

Fire killed over 280 ppl in Karachi

 

The death toll from a massive blase at a factory in Karachi, Pakistan has so far been tallied at 289.

Authorities are warning the death toll may still rise, as crews are still searching through the remains of the 4-story building for more victims.

Work is underway now to try to identify the victims.

However, the grizzly task is proving difficult, as many of the victims bodies have been burned beyond recognition.

The garment factory, which employed about 450-people caught fire in the early-morning hours of Wednesday.

The initial cause of the blaze is believed to be linked to a faulty generator.

Dozens of others injured in the fire are suffering from serious injuries, as many had to jump from windows to escape the inferno.

Meanwhile, in the eastern city of Lahore, the death toll from a fire at a shoe factory stands at at-least 25.

 

 

Liberal Party VVD wins Dutch general elections: final exit poll

 

The Liberal party led by outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte has won the Dutch general elections.

The VVD has taken 41 of the 150 parliamentary seats in the Dutch parliament.

The country's Labor Party has come a close second, taking 40 seats.

The right-wing populist led by Geert Wilders has taken a significant hit, dropping to 13 seats from the 24 held in the last parliament.

 

 

West Nile virus kills 118 in U.S.

 

The US Center for Disease Control has revealed 118-people have died so far this year from the West Nile Virus.

The CDC says over 26-hundred cases of the virus have shown up this year.

These numbers are up significantly from the 87-deaths and just under 2-thousand cases reported in the United States just a week ago.

The mosquito-bourne virus is usually transmitted in the US between June and September, with a peak in mid-August.

 

 

China announces measures to help ailing export sector

 

China's State Council has approved new measures to try to stabilize growth in foreign trade.

The central authorities are going to simplify the tax rebate process and guarantee accurate and timely payments for export companies.

At the same time, the government is going to relax financing and expansion for small and micro-sized firms.

Insurance companies are also going to be required to offer more short-term services to SMEs developing businesses overseas.

Official data shows foreign trade volumes here in China have reached 2.5 trillion US dollars in the first eight months.

 

 

Samsung begins construction of chip plant in China

 

Samsung, the world's largest maker of memory chips, has started building its semiconductor plant in Xi'an.

Total investment in the first phase of the project is expected to reach 7 billion U.S. dollars.

Phase 1 is expected to be done by next year.

The project is expected to generate annual sales revenues of 66 billion yuan.

It's also expected to create about 10-thousand jobs.

China accounts for about half of the world's flash memory chip sales.