Mass demonstrations over Turkey mine collapse
Mass protests have broken out in Turkey in connection with Tuesday's deadly mine collapse.
Demonstrations have broken out across the country, demanding the resignation of the government of Recip Tayyip Erdogan.
Angry relatives of the victims have booed the Prime Minister during his visit to Soma.
Around 100 miners are still believed to be trapped underground.
The official death toll from Tuesday's explosion is 276.
Demonstrators say a lack of effective measures are in-place to curb workplace deaths.
The protests come on the heels of a move by the Edrogan government to scuttle an opposition-led motion in parliament a couple of weeks ago to increase mine inspections in the same region where the disaster is taking place.
Ukraine holds roundtable talks without pro-Russia groups
Ukrainian government has held talks on the potential decentralization of power in Kiev.
The meeting is part of a peace plan crafted by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
As part of the meeting, Ukraine's central authorities have crafted plans to address disaffection in eastern Ukraine by forging a decentralization agenda which might cede greater powers to regional governments.
However, no pro-Russian groups, who have already declared independence, have been included in the talks.
The meeting comes as the Ukrainian government prepares to hold a presidental election to permanently replace former pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych.
Pro-Russia activists in Luhansk have already declared they will not participate in the elections.
Fixed date for polls in Thailand is postponed
Thailand's interim Prime Minister says that the law has to be studied to decide on the feasibility of appointing a neutral prime minister - a key demand of Thailand's anti-government protesters.
Niwatthamrong Boonsongphaisan made the comment after a meeting to fix a date for crucial elections is postponed due to security concerns.
He says the government is still in place, despite protesters' demands for it to be ousted.
The government's opponents will probably reject a general election anyway in the belief the ruling party will win it.
The opposition wants electoral reform aimed at ending the influence of ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra before another vote.
Chinese FM discusses South China Sea friction with Indonesian counterpart
The Chinese government is calling for restraint from the Vietnamese side amid the continuing tensions in the South China Sea.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has reportedly made the call during a telephone conversation with Indonesia's foreign minister.
Indonesia is a member of the Association of South East Asian Nations, to which Vietnam is also a member-state.
The new statement follows violent protests against Chinese-owned businesses in southern Vietnam.
Anti-China sentiment has been on the rise in Vietnam amid the growing dispute over the Xisha Islands, which is claimed both by China and Vietnam.
The unrest began last week after Vienamese ships attempted to disrupt a Chinese oil drill from entering the waters in around the Xisha Islands.
Shanghai FTZ to see 1st private bank soon
The first privately-owned bank is poised to be established in the Shanghai free trade zone.
Shanghai-based conglomerates Fosun Group and Juneyao Group have been tipped as the first to receive the green light to open a private bank in the FTZ.
The China Banking Regulatory Commission is allowing 10 private companies to establish five private banks in the FTZ.
A division of the Shanghai banking regulator is going to oversee the new private banks.
The private banks are going to enjoy a relaxed loan-to-deposit ratio.
The ratio regulates the maximum amount of loans a lender can extend based on the deposits it holds at any-given time.
Mainland tourists bring Taiwan over 11 billion US dollars since 2008
New stats from the authorities on Taiwan show tourists from the mainland have brought-in a total of 11.7 billion U.S. dollars to the economy over the past 6-years.
Taiwan opened its doors to mainland tourists in 2008.
The island's executive authority says the number of visitors from the mainland hit just above 7 million as of the end of March this year.
The number of weekly cross-Straits flights has increased to just under 830 since regular flights began in 2009.
China Mobile unveils first packages after gaining pricing autonomy
China Mobile has unveiled a set of new payment packages for its customers.
This comes as regulators ease pricing restrictions on the three major telecom providers here in China.
China Mobile is cutting its monthly rates by around 50 percent in some cases.
The company is also doubling the monthly-maximum data allotments from one-G to 2-G's for the company's 4G service.
China Mobile is also allowing as many as 4 users to share one package.
Meanwhile, China Unicom is set to unveil a new set of offers on Saturday.
Didi Taxi app eyes IPO to cement position
Didi Taxi, a taxi-hailing application, is reportedly looking to go public.
Beijing-based Didi says its looking to issue an IPO in the next three to five years.
Didi is a subsiduary of Tencent.
Didi Taxi is engaged in a battle with Alibaba's Kuaidi Taxi for market share here in the capital.
Tencent has already teamed up with CITIC for a 100 million US dollar investment in Didi. |