Visiting Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang has met with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak for talks on bilateral ties and regional issues.

Li Keqiang arrived in Seoul earlier in the day for a two-day visit to the country, following his three-day trip to North Korea.

 

 

Talks between DPRK and US delegations "positive and constructive"

The US special envoy for North Korea says the two-day direct talks between the US and North Korea in Geneva were positive and constructive.

Stephen Bosworth also says further talks are necessary for disagreements on some issues.

" There is a long history of this relationship and we have many differences not all of which can be overcome quickly. But I am confident that with continued effort on both sides, we can reach a reasonable basis of departure for formal negotiations for a return to the Six-Party process."

North Korean vice foreign minister Kim Gye Gwan also said they made breakthroughs in some issues while further talks are necessary.

 

 

China to launch Shenzhou-8 spacecraft in early November

China will launch the Shenzhou-8 spacecraft in early November to test space-docking with the country's first space lab module. 

Officials with China's space program say the unmanned Shenzhou-8 will be blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, to rendezvous with the Tiangong-1 module which was launched in late September.

Shenzhou-9 and Shenzhou-10 would follow to dock with the lab module in the next two years.

 

 

Tunisia election: Partial results suggest Ennahda win

Tunisia's moderate Islamist party Ennahda has emerged as the winner in the first democratic elections prompted by the Arab Srping.

Partial official results suggest Ennahda is well ahead in the vote for a new assembly that will write a constitution and appoint a caretaker government.

However, Ennahda is not expected to have an overall majority. Coalition talks with secular parties have begun.

 

 

Turkey quake: 2-week baby girl, mother, grandmother pulled out of rubble

Rescuers have pulled a 2-week-old baby girl alive from the rubble of an apartment building in Turkey's quake-stricken town of Ercis, 48 hours after the deadly tremor struck.

Her mother and grandmother were also rescued.

Earlier in the day, a pregnant woman and her two children were also pulled out of the rubble, reviving hopes for those still searching for loved ones.

So far nearly 460 people have been confirmed killed and nearly 14-hundred others are listed as injured.

Nearly 500 aftershocks have rattled the area, which is located along Turkey's eastern border with northern Iran.

 

 

Flood waters advance into Bangkok's China Town

Residents of Bangkok's Chinatown district woke up today to see part of their community flooded because of the rising level of a nearby river.

Many hurried to protect their homes and businesses with sandbags. Some even erected sealed cement barriers across shop fronts.

Bangkok's governor says the capital cannot escape flooding, warning residents of 13 districts along the Chao Phraya river, the city's biggest waterway, to be prepared.

 

 

Tank truck explosion leaves 3 dead in Afghanistan

In Afghanistan, three people were killed and dozens injured when an oil tank truck exploded in Parwan province, some 55 km north of Kabul. 

A local official says around 40 others were injured.

The blast was said to be triggered by magnetic mine attached to the tanker.

The tanker was carrying fuel to Bagram, which hosts one of the largest military bases in Afghanistan.

 

 

Ship carrying diesel sinks off UAE coast: state media

A ship carrying 450 tons of diesel sank off the coast of the United Arab Emirates late Tuesday and the crew were rescued.

State media WAM says the vessel sank 11 nautical miles off the UAE coast, without specifying whether the diesel was leaking. 

A technical team is working to contain the environmental impact, salvage the ship and offload its cargo. 

The ship, named the White Whale, is settled 35 meters under the sea.

 

 

Boeing's Dreamliner takes maiden commercial flight

After three years of delays, aircraft maker Boeing's Dreamliner jet has taken its maiden commercial voyage.

The plane of Japan's All Nippon Airlines was flying from Tokyo to Hong Kong. 

The Dreamliner had originally been scheduled for delivery in 2008, but Boeing has suffered a string of setbacks.

Boeing plans to make 10 of the planes a month from 2013.

 

 

Picasso painting stolen in Colombia

A Picasso painting estimated at 60,000 U.S. dollars has been stolen from a Colombian museum.

Authorities are investigating the theft of the untitled water color painting which was donated by a Colombian sculptor, Edgar Negred, to the museum in Popayan, the provincial capital of Cauca.

Local press report that two unidentified expatriates are wanted in the investigation.