CPC to hold key session Nov. 9-12 to deepen reforms
The Communist Party of China is set to hold the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee early next month.
A statement from the Political Bureau says the meeting will be held between November 9th and 12th here in Beijing.
It also says the meeting will review a key reform plan, labeling the country's reform and opening-up as a "great revolution".
The party document says the leadership of the CPC "must be strengthened and improved".
Iran's Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani visits China
Iran's parliamentary speaker has arrived in Beijing for a 4-day visit.
On top of a meeting with State Councillor Yang Jiechi, Ali Larijani has also made a stop at Beijing Foreign Studies University to talk to the students about bilateral ties between China and Iran.
Larijani says Tehran and Beijing are playing a significant role in regional and international developments.
Larijani is the highest-ranking Iranian official to visit China since President Hassan Rouhani took office in August.
IAEA says Tehran's new proposal makes talks "very productive"
Iranian and IAEA negotiators have wrapped up a two-day meeting in Vienna.
Following the talks, the International Atomic Energy Agency and Iran have issued a rare joint-statement, saying the talks have been "very productive."
As part of the talks, Iran has delivered a new set of proposals to the IAEA.
A new round of talks has also been scheduled for November 11th.
Iran and the IAEA have been at odds over access to Iran's Parchin nuclear site.
The Atomic Energy watchdog has been trying to gain access to the site for a number of years.
However, Iran has refused access to IAEA inspectors, citing national security concerns, given the Parchin nuclear facility is located on a military site.
Iran insists its nuclear programs are for civilian use only.
WHO confirms polio outbreak in Syria
The World Health Organization has confirmed a polio outbreak in Syria.
10 cases have been confirmed so far in the war-torn country.
It is the first such outbreak in the country in 14 years.
Some 95-percent of Syria children were vaccinated before the civil war.
The UN estimates some 500-thousand children have not been immunized.
U.S. health official apologizes for Obamacare website glitches
A leading official in the Obama administration has issued the first formal apology for the poor roll-out of the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare.
Speaking before a congressional committee, the woman in-charge of implementing the new insurance program admits the online marketplace for the new program has "not lived up" to the administrations expectations.
Marilyn Tavenner, head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, says the rollout of Obamacare has been "unacceptable."
President Barack Obama's landmark legislation, which mandates health insurance coverage for millions of Americans, has been plagued with techinical issues since its launch on October 1st.
Many who have tried to sign up using the US government's website have found it almost impossible to use the system, which has been plaged with shutdowns and errors.
Health care providers have also complained they find it difficult to determine who has signed up to the program.
The Obama administration has since hired a new contractor to try to fix the problems with the system.
Storms cause damage of 130 mln USD in the Netherlands
Monday's early winter storm which rolled through parts of northern Europe is now pressing its way into western Russia.
The so-called St. Jude storm is being blamed for hundreds of millions of dollars damage across parts of northern Europe which borders the North Sea.
Officials in the Netherlands estimate the damage to that country is going to cost insurers at least 130-million US dollars.
Hurricane-force winds ripped through the region on Monday and Tuesday, uprooting trees and causing significant flooding in low-lying areas.
The storm has also left numerous people dead across the region.
Somali gov't relieved at killing of militant commander in air strike
The Somali government is releasing more details about an al-Shabaab commander killed in a suspected US drone strike on Monday.
The government of Somalia says its "relieved" Ibrahim Ali Abdi, also known as Anta Anta, is dead.
Abdi and two others were killed after their vehicle exploded on Monday while enroute to an al-Shabaab-controlled town in southern Somalia.
While the Somali government hasn't confirmed it, eyewitnesses say the attack was a drone strike.
Ibrahim Abdi was said to be al-Shabaab's commander in-charge of coordinating suicide attacks.
The al-Shabaab militant group has been engaged in a battle with the Somali government and its regional supporters since 2009.
The group once controlled much of Somalia during the two decades the country was without a central administration.
Samsung's sales outsell Apple's
A bumper third quarter shipment record has helped Samsung widen its lead in the global smart phone market over Apple.
Samsung is reporting it shipped 88.4-million smartphones through the July to September period.
This marks a 55-percent surge over the same period last year.
Samsung now controls 35-percent of the global smartphone market.
At the same time, this week Apple reported a 26 percent spike in shipments in the 3rd quarter, moving 33.8 million units.
But this has failed to keep up with the industry's overall growth rate of 45 percent.
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