Fugitive gunman kills police officer in SW China

 

Police in Chongqing are on the hunt for an armed robber accused of gunning down a police officer yesterday.

The suspect is believed to be Zhou Kehua.

He's the prime suspect in the murder of 9 different people since 2004.

The 42-year-old's M-O is to target people withdrawing money from banks.

Zhou has a 5.4-million yuan bounty on his head.

Sunday's murder of a police officer in Chongqing follows the murder of another person on Friday.

The victim in Friday's attack is one of 3 people shot while withdrawing money from an ATM.

 

 

6.2-magnitude quake hits Xinjiang -- CENC

 

Xinjiang has been rattled by a sizeable earthquake.

The 6.2-magnitude quaker hit the western Hotan region of Xinjiang shortly before 7 last night.

It hit at a depth of around 30-kilometers, meaning the seismic tremors were not that strong on the surface.

No casualties have been reported.

The initial quake has been followed up by at least 2 moderate aftershocks.

 

 

Egypt's president names vice president, new military leadership

 

There's been a shake up at the top of the Egyptian hierarchy.

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has removed military chief Hussein Tantawi.

He's being replaced by 58-year old Abdel el-Seisy.

Seisy had been the head of Egypt's northern division forces.

Tantawi and his deputy, who have been forced into retirement, officially remain on as advisors to Morsi.

At the same time, Morsi has lifted Mahmoud Mekki, a former judge, to the post of vice-President.

 

 

6 militants killed in Sinai by Egyptian troops

 

At least 6 militants have been killed in assaults by the Egyptian army in the Sinai Peninsula.

The militants have been killed in raids in a village near the North Sinai provincial capital of al-Arish.

The killings come as part of a broader security sweep being conducted by the Egyptian military, following a militant attack just over a week ago which left 16 border guards dead.

The security situation in the Sinai has been deteriorating since the fall of Hosni Mubarak.

The Sinai region has long-been a hotbed of smuggling.

The region is where Israel, Gaza and Egypt meet.

 

 

Arab foreign ministers' meeting on Syria in Jeddah postponed

 

Arab League foreign ministers have postponed a meeting about Syria, which was supposed to take place in Saudi Arabia.

No reason has been given for the delay.

The foreign ministers had been slated to discuss the selection of a new envoy replace Kofi Annan.

The UN monitoring mission in Syria, which includes 150 observers, is due to expire in less than a week.

The UN Security Council is set to discuss the possible continuation of the mission on Thursday.

Russia has been calling for an extension of the mission.

The United States has been expressing skepticism about its support for UN monitoring.

The US has been taking steps outside the UN.

The US government is working with Turkey on detailed plans to support the Syrian opposition.

 

 

Big fire breaks out in London ahead of Olympic closing ceremony

 

One of the largest fires in recent memory in London has eclipsed the closing ceremony for some 200 fire fighters.

The blaze broke out in the early afternoon on Sunday in east London.

It's engulfed a local recycling center.

There have been no reports of any casualties.

The prevailing winds have been blowing the smoke from the blaze away from the closing ceremonies for the London Olympic Games.

 

 

Policeman killed in Nigeria church attack

 

A police officer has been killed in northwest Nigeria during an attack on a church.

The officer had reportedly been contracted to protect the church.

The sound of the gunfire outside the church alerted the worshipers, who subsequently closed the gates.

Attacks on Christian churches in northern Nigeria are becoming more frequent.

The radical Islamic group, Boko Haram, has been responsible for most of the attacks.

 

 

10 killed, almost 100 injured in Brazilian highway accident

 

At least 10 people are dead and close to another 100 injured, after a massive road accident in Brazil.

The crash took place overnight on Saturday, after two buses collided.

A van, car and motorcycle then plowed into the debris of the first accident.

6 of the injured are in hospital in serious condition.

 

 

China's trade surplus to narrow in August

 

New analysis from the Bank of Communications is suggesting this country's trade surplus is going to narrow through this month through a slowdown in export growth.

The bank's financial research center says the overall slowdown of the global economy is the main reason for the slow down.

At the same time, the Bank of Communications is not expecting sharp drop in exports.

Chinese export growth rose by 1-percent in July.

That represents 6-month low.

Export growth in June was up 11 percent.

 

 

MOF to float 22 bln yuan in local gov't bonds

 

The Ministry of Finance is poised to issue 22 billion yuan worth of local government bonds later this week.

The ministry is going to issue the 5-year bonds on behalf of the cities of Tianjin and Xiamen, as well as the provinces of Jiangxi, Shandong, Henan and Hunan on Friday.

The bonds will become tradable in a week after they're issued.

The Ministry of Finance is still responsible for issuing most local government bonds, save for a few exceptions.