Thai investigators say two of the 13 bodies they recovered on the Mekong River in Chiang Rai Province did not belong to Chinese sailors, correcting the death toll of Chinese nationals to 11 killed and 2 missing.

The recovery of the 13th body Monday morning had led authorities to believe the sailors were all killed. However, after further investigation, at least two bodies do not match the identity descriptions of Chinese sailors.

Last week, gang members hijacked two China-flagged ships on the Mekong River to move large amounts of drugs, reportedly killing 13 innocent Chinese sailors during the bloody operation.

 

 

Experts say China-Russia ties at best time ever

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is set to start a two-day visit to China today.

Putin is set to hold meetings with both his counterpart, Premier Wen Jiabao, and President Hu Jintao.

Putin and Wen are expected to discuss bilateral trade, energy deals and certain projects in science and military technology.

During Putin's visit, the two sides are also expected to hold talks aimed at advancing energy deals.

 

 

Egypt military council orders swift probe into Cairo violence

Egypt's ruling military council has ordered an inquiry into Sunday's clashes in Cairo that killed 25 people and injured over 300 others.

Sunday's demonstrations were sparked after Muslim radicals tried to destroy a Coptic Christian church last week.

Protesters were attacked by people in civilian clothes before security forces fired on them, sparking mass violence.

At an emergency meeting in Cairo, the ruling military council has ordered the formation of a fact-finding committee. Presidential candidate Amr Moussa says there must be procedures to deal with the current situation.

 

 

Gaddafi forces "cornered" in Sirte; tribal leader says Gaddafi in Niger/Algeria border

Libya's interim government forces say they have pro-Gaddafi troops "cornered" in two small areas of Sirte.

One commander of the NTC old says they have backed the loyalists into about 2 sq km of land near the sea.

Heavy fighting however is continuing in Sirte, the home town of fugitive former leader Col Muammar Gaddafi, as the loyalists put up fierce resistance.

The National Transitional Council says that once Sirte falls, they will declare national liberation.

Their troops made significant gains on Sunday, capturing the university, a central conference centre and the main city hospital.

 

 

Twin blasts kill 13, wound 22 in Baghdad

Two successive roadside bombs have rattled western Baghdad, killing 13 people and wounding 22 others.

The first bomb was followed by a second as security forces arrived on the scene.

9 police officers and soldiers are among the dead.

So far no one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

 

 

Financial market reform, restoring growth to top EU agenda in G20 summit

Two of Europe's top representatives to next month's G20 summit have now laid out their agenda for the coming meeting.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and European Council head Herman van Rompuy say that market reform and restoring growth are at the top of their list for the G20.

Both are pledging to try to make the IMF stronger.

At the same time, they're also going to put forward the concept of a Europe-wide financial transaction tax to try to help stabilize market volatility.

 

 

Four dead after foreign boat collides with Chinese fishing boat in east China

A formal investigation is now underway, after a boat collision off Shandong, which has left 4 fishermen dead.

A freighter headed to Australia was involved in a collision with the Chinese fishing boat late Sunday.

The Chinese fishing boat, with 9 people on board, overturned in the accident.

The freighter kept on going.

Five were eventually rescued, but 4 others died in the accident.

The 216-meter long freighter was eventually forced to put down anchor in Yantai.

 

 

China to inspect offshore oil businesses after oil spill disaster

The central government is now planning to launch a nationwide campaign this weekend to inspect this country's offshore drilling and exploration.

The move is designed to try to prevent future oil spills.

The joint inspection by 6 government departments comes after this summer's spill in Bohai Bay which polluted some 55-hundred square kilometers of the ocean.

The 3-week inspection will check virtually everything involved in offshore oil operations, including both Chinese and foreign operations in Bohai, the East China Sea and the South China Sea.

 

 

Debt-laden absconder returns home after China pledges efforts to tackle Wenzhou debt crisis

A prominent Chinese business leader who left the Mainland and travelled to the United States last month to avoid his creditors, has now returned to China.

The head of China's largest eyeglass manufacturer, Hu Fulin, has now returned to Zhejiang, after a Premier Wen Jiabao promised that the government will help private firms through the current liquidity crunch.

Hu Fulin is one of an estimated 90 entrepreneurs from the city of Wenzhou who went into hiding recently to avoid their creditors.

They're believed to owe both bank loans and private loans worth some 10-billion yuan.