China's military strongly dissatisfied with U.S. accusations
The Chinese Defense Ministry is lashing out at the most recent U.S. allegations connected to the Chinese military.
The Defense Ministry says US accusations of China's military threat and lack of transparency are "cliches."
The Defense Ministry is also blaming the United States for "sending wrong signals in territorial disputes" in the Asia-Pacific region.
The comments follow the United States' annual report on China's military development and security, which came out last week.
The Chinese Defense Ministry notes the US still spends several times more per-year on its military than China does.
China calls for treaty on space weapons
The Chinese government is calling on the international community to start negotiations on a legally binding treaty that will prevent an arms race in outer space.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying says China has always advocated peaceful use of outer space and opposed its weaponization.
China and Russia have jointly submitted a new draft treaty on banning the deployment of weapons in outer space to a UN-sponsored disarmament conference.
The updated version has revised and refined certain clauses of the draft the two countries originally put forward in 2008.
The changes include the definition and scope of the treaty, and the organizations and mechanisms that would be charged with solving disputes in outer space.
China calls for harmonious maritime orders
The Chinese government says it fully backs global maritime law and supports direct talks among disputing parties when it comes to the world's oceans.
The comments have come to mark the 20th anniversary of the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
A statement from the Chinese foreign ministry says negotiations based on law and history are the most effective way to settle maritime disputes.
The anniversary of the implementation of the UN Sea treaty comes amid a growing number of territorial disputes in both the South and East China Seas.
4 Chinese banks issue NCD worth US$1.1b
Four Chinese commercial banks have issued 7-billion yuan worth of Negotiable Certificates of Deposit, or NCD's.
The Bank of China, China Minsheng Bank, CITIC Bank and the Shanghai Pudong Development Bank have issued the NCD's in the interbank market.
Interbank NCD's can be bought by and resold to members of the interbank market.
They're designed to be a low-risk and low-interest investment instrument.
They cannot be cashed-in before maturity.
The People's Bank of China created the Negotiable Certificates of Deposit late last year to try to help banks deal with issues of liquidity.
Thousands flee Mosul after militants seize city
Around 500-thousand people have now fled Iraq's second biggest city, Mosul, amid the overrun of the city by Islamic militants.
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, an offshoot of al-Qaida, has seized the governor's headquarters and has been rampaging through police stations.
Hundreds of detainees have reportedly been set free.
It's not known how many people have been killed in the assault.
Most of those trying to flee the city are trying to head into the Kurdish autonomous province of Irbil.
Earlier this year, al-Qaeda-linked forces captured the city of Fallujah in the west of the country.
Mosul and the province of Ninevah are a major export route for Iraqi oil.
They're also a gateway to Syria.
Iraqi militants seize 49 Turkish diplomatic personnel, family in Mosul
As part of the al-Qaeda takeover of Mosul, 49 Turkish staff and their family members have been taken hostage at the consulate in the city.
At the same time, another 31 Turkish nationals have also been taken hostage at a power plant in Mosul.
Meanwhile, the United States is now promising to provide assistance to the Iraqi government.
The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant has also seized effective control of Saddam Hussein's former hometown of Tikrit.
UN confirms four deaths of peacekeepers in north Mali
Four UN peacekeepers have been killed in northern Mali.
A truck loaded with explosives blew up at the gate of a UN camp in the restive region, killing 4 and leaving 10-others injured.
The nationalities of the UN peacekeepers killed have not been released.
The attack has taken place in the Kidal region of northern Mali, which was the rallying area for the Tuareg rebels when they took control of northern Mali in 2012.
The region is now back in the hands of the Malian government, after a French-led multi-national force swept in to regain control last year.
Ugandan FM elected UN General Assembly president
Ugandan Foreign Minister Sam Kutesa has officially been elected as the President of the UN General Assembly.
Kutesa was put forward as the African Union's only candidate.
Kutesa, who takes over from Antigua's UN represnentative, is promising to be accessible, transparent, fair and balanced.
The President of the UN General Assembly holds little official power.
Cantor to hand over house majority
US Republican House Majority leader Eric Cantor has announced he plans to step down from the post at the end of July.
This follows his stunning loss in his Republican primary to a tea-party backed candidate.
It's being reported several House Republicans are now jockeying for the position.
Cantor is expected to throw his support behind party whip Kevin McCarthy. |