157 killed, over 200 trapped in Turkish coal mine explosion
Turkey's mining sector has been hit by a major disaster.
157 miners have been killed and some 200-others remain trapped underground following an explosion at a coal mine late Tuesday at a mine in Western Turkey.
There were about 600-workers underground, going through a shift change, at the time of the blast.
Only 280 of them made it out, with 75 of them injured.
The fate of the roughly 200 others still trapped underground remains unclear.
China urges U.S. to be cautious on South China Sea
China is urging the United States to behave cautiously when it comes to the South China Sea and refrain from words and deeds that may encourage provocative actions.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has made this clear to his US counterpart John Kerry in a phone conversation.
For his part, Kerry said the US does not take sides in territorial disputes and it is Washington's hope that relevant parties properly handle the disputes to maintain regional peace and stability.
Iran and world powers to begin a new round of nuclear talks
A new round of nuclear talks among Iran the P5+1 grouping is set to get underway today in Vienna.
The negotiations are expected to focus on a final agreement to limit Iran's ability to produce nuclear weapons before a July 20th deadline.
Under the temporary deal in November, Tehran agreed to cap its nuclear activities in return for an easing of sanctions.
World powers have long-been concerned Tehran's real aim is to produce nuclear weapons.
Iran has consistently denied the charge, insisting its nuclear programme is for civil use only.
Ukraine secures 1 billion euro aid from EU
Ukraine's interim government has signed deals with the EU for loans worth over 1.3-billion euros.
EU officials say the aid can be used to help pay gas bills Ukraine has outstanding with Russia.
The deals comes on the heels of the Ukrainian regions of Luhansk and Donetsk declaring independence in referendums held over the weekend.
Meanwhile, the Ukranian defense ministry says 7 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in a new round of fighting in Donetsk.
Plans are underway to hold a round of national talks in Ukraine later today.
Pro-Russia supporters have refused to take part in these forthcoming talks
Brahimi to step down as international envoy for Syria: UN chief
The United Nations-Arab League's special envoy for Syria is stepping down.
Lakhdar Brahimi's resignation from his post will be effective at the end of this month.
Brahimi has been contemplating quitting the position for the past year, but had been staying on at the request of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Brahimi, a former Algerian foreign minister and a veteran of the United Nations, first took up the role as Syrian envoy in the summer of 2012.
He took over that role from former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who resigned in frustration after failing to make any headway in solving the crisis in Syria.
A replacement for Brahimi has not yet been announced.
Despite numerous attempts to get the two sides to come to a political agreement, Brahimi, Kofi Annan and the rest of the United Nations and Arab League have done little to stem the violence in Syria, which has already left over 100-thousand dead and millions more displaced.
Israel ex-PM Olmert jailed for six years for bribery
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has been sentenced to six years in prison for bribery.
A Tel Aviv court also fined him 1m shekels or around 290 thousand US dollars.
Olmert's spokesman said he would appeal to the Supreme Court and ask to be freed on bail until it had ruled.
The 68-year-old was convicted in March over a real estate deal that took place while he served as mayor of Jerusalem.
He would be the first former head of government in Israel to be jailed.
Preferentical policies to boost employment for college grads
The State Council has announced a slew of new preferential policies to increase employment for college graduates.
Graduates that decide to work in so-called grassroots positions will be given a break on their tuition or a reduction of their student loan.
And for the first time this year, small-sum guaranteed loans or subsidies will be given to new graduates to open online shops.
Meanwhile, new rules from the State Council are also demanding state-owned enterprises publish employment information on the Internet to ensure a level playing field when it comes to their recruitment.
Official figures show about 7.2-million university students will enter the job market this summer.
This is an increase of just under 300-thousand compared to last year.
10.2 million empty apartments in the country
A new survey has found the residential vacancy rate here in China currently sits at around 15 percent.
The same analysis suggests that rate goes up to 20-percent in certian second and third tier cities.
A Credit Lyonnais Securities Asia survey has found there are about 10.2 million empty housing units across the country.
The analysis is warning that number could rise by as much as 4 million a year.
Vacancy rates in first-tier cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, are sitting at around 10-percent.
Ordos, a city in Inner Mongolia, has the highest vacancy rate in the country at 23 percent.
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