China says "deeply concerned" over Ukraine's violence escalation
China says it is "deeply concerned" by the escalating Ukraine crisis with violence and clashes causing numerous casualties in east and south Ukraine.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said Saturday China calls on all parties in Ukraine to stay calm and exercise restraint.
Qin Gang urged the concerned parties to back the Geneva agreements reached by Russia, the United States, the European Union and Ukraine on April 17, which called for an immediate halt of violence in Ukraine and practical steps to de-escalate the tension.
He said China hopes all sides can give up the use of force or violence that could deteriorate the situation, and start political dialogue and reconciliation process as soon as possible, in a bid to ease the situation.
OSCE observers freed in Ukraine: RIA news agency
Monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation of Europe (OSCE) held by pro-Russian activists have been released in Ukraine.
Local media quoted Russia's presidential special envoy to Ukraine, Vladimir Lukin, as saying that all the 12 people who are on his list have been freed.
255 buried bodies identified in N. Afghan deadly landslide: official
Up to 255 victims have been identified out of hundreds of villagers buried under their collapsed houses in a deadly landslide in northern Afghan province of Badakhshan.
The natural calamity was triggered by recent heavy rains in the mountainous province.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has issued an order announcing Sunday, May 4, as a national mourning day to observe the catastrophe.
A local official says more than 2,100 people were confirmed dead following two mudslides within an hour on midday Friday.
No official statement was released by government to confirm the exact number of deaths as of Saturday night.
Malaysia Airlines: Representatives in touch with families of those onboard missing plane to initiate advance compensation payment
Malaysia Airlines says in a statement that its representatives have been in touch with the families of those onboard the missing MH370 flight to initiate an advance compensation payment process.
It says this is to assist the family members in meeting their economic needs and will not affect their rights to claim compensation according to the law at a later stage, adding that it would be calculated as part of the final compensation.
Death toll rises to 236 in S.Korean ferry sinking disaster
Death toll in a South Korean ferry sinking disaster continued to rise to 236 on Saturday as rescue operations lasted despite rapid currents and floating objects.
As of Saturday evening, 236 people have been confirmed dead as eight more bodies were recovered from the sunken vessel. The number of missing passengers fell to 66, with those rescued remaining unchanged at 174.
President Xi tells youth to realize dreams at grassroots
President Xi Jinping has encouraged young people to build up establishment at grassroots level and contribute to building a greater nation ahead of China's Youth Day which falls on Sunday.
Xi Jinping made the remarks in a letter to 15 volunteer teachers who graduated from Hebei's Baoding University in 2000 and have been working at a secondary school in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region since then.
He praised those who have volunteered to support education in China's western regions for their dedication to economic and social development and ethnic unity.
The president said it is the right way for the youth to serve the people and contribute to the country, expressing hope that more Chinese young people will work at grassroots level to realize their dreams.
China bridge collapse toll rises to seven
The death toll from a bridge collapse in south China's Guangdong Province rose to seven after two seriously injured people died in hospital.
A local official says the stone arch bridge in Liangkengkou village, Gaozhou City collapsed Saturday afternoon.
More than 300 rescuers pulled 26 people out of the debris, with five of them dead and eight others seriously injured.
The rescue operation ended late night Saturday after an investigation showed no more people were buried.
China's non-manufacturing PMI rebounds in April
The purchasing managers' index (PMI) for China's non-manufacturing sector gained 0.3 percentage points from a month earlier to 54.8 percent in April according to new data.
The index, tracking activity in a number of sectors, including construction, software, aviation, railway transport and real estate, is released by the National Bureau of Statistics and the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing.
Beijing hosts 5.5 mln tourists in Workers' Day holiday
Beijing hosted 5.5 million tourist arrivals in its 150 major scenic spots during the three-day Workers' Day holiday.
The historical and cultural scenic areas as well as amusement-related venues received 3.2 million tourists, a slight increase compared with the same period last year according to the Beijing Municipal Tourism Development Commission.
China cartoon festival sees 2.2 bln USD transaction
The contracted transactions reached 13.8 billion yuan (2.2 billion U.S. dollars) at the 10th China International Cartoon & Animation Festival which closed Saturday.
The six-day event held in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, attracted a record high of 1.36 million participants. |