China, Vietnam able to handle differences properly: Chinese premier
Chinese Premier Le Keqiang has met with Vietnam's President as part of his state visit to the country.
Li Keqiang has told Truong Tan Sang China and Vietnam have the ability and wisdom to settle their bilateral differences in a proper manner.
The Chinese Premier notes the two sides have already managed to sign off on a number of cooperative agreements during his time there.
For his part, Truong Tan Sang says his side is "content" with the progress the two sides have made during Li Keqiang's time in Vietnam.
Vietnam is the last stop on Li Keqiang's trip to Southeast Asia, which has also taken him to Thailand and Brunei.
Ashton expresses "cautious optimism" ahead of nuclear talks with Iran
The European Union's foreign policy chief is expressing 'cautious optimism' about the forthcoming talks among Iran and the P5+1 grouping.
Catherine Ashton says the talks in Geneva should provide an opportunity to explore proposals they've put on the table.
She also says they're also looking forward to hearing the ideas Iran is going to bring to the table.
Iran and the 5 permanent members of the UN Security Council, plus Germany, are due to meet for two days in Geneva starting later on this Tuesday.
Syria becomes 190th party to Chemical Weapons Convention
Syria has officially become the latest member of the Chemical Weapons Convention.
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has officially made Syria its 190th member.
As part of an agreement to avoid potential international intervention into its civil war, the Syrian government agreed to enter into the Chemical Weapons Convention and give up its chemical weapons stockpiles.
That process is already underway.
It's expected Syria's chemical weapons will be dismantled and destroyed by the middle of next year.
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons is an international organization designed to police the 1993 convention banning chemical weapons.
20 people killed in blast in northwestern Syria
A car bomb explosion has killed at least 20 people in northwestern Syria.
Local media and activists have reported the blast in the town of Darkousk in Idlib province.
No further details have been released.
The deadly explosion came after two suicide bombers detonated their explosive-laden cars near the state TV headquarters in the capital Damascus on Sunday evening.
No one was killed in that incident.
Progress is being made to raise the debt ceiling: Obama
U.S. President Barack Obama says progress is being made in negotiations to raise the debt ceiling.
Obama has been meeting with senior lawmakers from both the Republican and Democrat sides.
House Speaker John Boehner has also been holding separate meetings with Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell to see if the Republicans can generate enough support within the party itself.
Many in the conservative Tea Party caucus of the Republican party have expressed an unwillingness to make concessions.
They've been demanding the delay of Obamacare, which is set to come into effect at the beginning of next year.
Obama and the Democrats are refusing to budge on that issue.
The US government is going to lose its ability to pay its bills if the debt ceiling isn't increased by Thursday.
Muslims from around the world pray at start of annual pilgrimage
Muslims from around the world are converging on Saudi Arabia for the annual Hajj pilgrimage.
It's estimated around 2-million people are making the pilgrimage this year.
This is down significantly from the roughly 3-million who made the pilgrimage to Mecca last year.
Pilgrims have been gathering around Mount Arafat, which is about 20 kilometers east of Mecca.
Amid concerns about the potential spread of MERS, or the Middle East Respiratory Syndrom, Saudi authorities sharply cut back on visas for the elderly, pregnant women, and those with chronic illnesses.
The new coronavirus killed 2 men near Riyadh earlier this month.
Of the 138 people who have come down with the virus, 60 have died.
All 86 tourists evacuated from Mount Qomolangma camp
A total of 86 tourists have been rescued from the base camp on Mount Qomolangma, otherwise known as Mount Everest, in Tibet.
The tourists became stranded after heavy snows blocked the roads leading down from the base camp.
8 of them were stranded at the Rongbuk monastery, which is some 51-hundred meters above sea level.
The rest were trapped for a time at base camp.
Around 40 people had to be mobilized to clear the road to reach the tourists.
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