Two more deaths from the H7N9 strain of the bird flu have been recorded here in China.

A 59-year-old man has died in Hunan.

He's said to have had close contact with live poultry.

The other death has come in Guangdong.

The virus has so far killed 25 people and infected at least 110 others in China so far this year.

Four people have died from the virus since the beginning of the Spring Festival holiday.

 

Swine flu infects 4 in western Mongolia/xinhua

Health officials in Mongolia have confirmed four human cases of H1N1 swine flu.

The infected are among nine people who have shown symptoms.

The confirmed cases involve two women and two infants.

The National Emergency Management Authority has already imposed a week-long quarantine in the provincial capital, in a remote region in the far west of the country.

Schools will be closed and no public events permitted for the time being.

 

Blast in Beirut

A suicide bombing has left 2 people dead on a mini-bus in southern Beirut. 

The blast took place at a major transit hub in the Lebanese capital. 

Several others have been hospitalized in the attack. 

Beirut has been wracked by a series of explosions so far this year, including a pair which hit residential neighborhoods where Hezbollah has a strong presence.

Lebanon has been caught up in the effects of the civil conflict in neighboring Syria. 

Hezbollah has sent fighters to support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which has prompted Lebanese and Syrian Sunni militants who support the opposition to target Hezbollah areas.

 

20 killed in attacks in Iraq's capital

A series of violent attacks in and around the Iraqi capital Baghdad have left at least 20 people dead.

More than 70 others have been injured in attacks.

The deadliest attack has taken place in the Abu Dsher district of southern Baghdad, where two car bombs exploded, leaving four dead and 16 others wounded.

Iraq is witnessing its worst violence since the height of the insurgency in 2007.

The UN estimates 88-hundred Iraqis were killed last year in sectarian violence.

 

Russia concerned over Ukrainian opposition' attempts to inflame crisis

Russian authorities are warning Ukrainian opposition leaders not to inflame the current unrest in the country.

The Russian Foreign Ministry is calling on the opposition in Ukraine to "abandon threats and ultimatums" and start more active dialogue.

The comments come following meetings among Ukrainian opposition leaders and US and EU officials on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference this past week.

Protests in Ukraine began in November to back the country's European integration.

 

UN's deputy mediator on Syria leaves office

The UN's deputy mediator for the Syrian situation is leaving the position.

Deputy Joint Special Representative on Syria, Nasser al-Kidwa, has indicated to UN chief Ban Ki-moon his willingness to serve the world organization in other capacities.

Al-Kidwa was appointed as a deputy to former UN chief mediator Kofi Annan in 2012.

He continued in the role under Annan's successor, Lakhdar Brahimi.

 

China's non-manufacturing PMI drops in January

The official purchasing managers' index for China's non-manufacturing sector slipped for a third straight month in January, due to a slowdown in the real estate sector.

Government numbers show the index dropped to 53.4 percent in January, the lowest in a year.

The number was 54.6 percent in December.

 

U.S. manufacturing growth slows further in January

Official figures are suggesting the U.S. manufacturing sector has expanded for 8 consecutive months.

However, the pace of growth has continued to slow.

The US purchasing managers index for January has slowed from December's 56.5 to 51.3 last month.

Any PMI reading above 50 indicates expansion. 

The U.S. economy finished 2013 with a steady bounce-back, but started this year with complexities.

Bitterly cold weather which has gripped parts of the US so far this year is believed to have dampened consumer spending, home sales and manufacturing.

 

Janet Yellen sworn in as US Federal Reserve chair

Janet Yellen has been sworn in as chair of the US Federal Reserve, replacing Ben Bernanke in the role.

The 67-year-old is the first woman to hold the post.

Her main task is expected to be managing the winding down of the bank's bond-buying stimulus program without damaging the recovery of the economy.

Her predecessor Bernanke is returning to academia after eight years as Fed chair.

He is joining the Brookings Institution as a resident fellow.

 

US could default on debt by 'end of month': US Treasury Secretary

US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew is warning the US may default on its debt by the end of this month if Congress does not raise its borrowing limit.

Lew says he could rely on emergency measures to pay US debt obligations after the 16.7-trillion borrowing limit hits this coming Friday.

Lew notes the treasury's reserves will be quickly be exhausted once income tax refunds become available.

The US Congress begrudgingly raised the debt limit in October as part of a deal to reopen the federal government after a shutdown.

 

UN chief to attend opening of Sochi Olympics in Russia

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has announced plans to attend the opening ceremony of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi on Friday.

He's also planning to hold bilateral meetings with leaders present at the ceremony.

Ban Ki-moon is also scheduled to address the International Olympic Committee for the first time.

A UN spokesperson says Ban Ki-moon's attendence in Sochi is a sign of the growing relationship between the UN and the International Olympic Committee.

The Winter Olympic's are scheduled to run from February 7th to the 23rd.