The Chinese government is once again calling on Japan to stop any provocative actions connected to the Diaoyu Islands. 

The call comes after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited two small islands near the disputed islands and spoke with Japanese Coast Guard officers there on Wednesday. 

Abe has told the Coast Guard officers the Diaoyu Islands are "an inherent part of Japan's territory" and said Japan "will not recede" over the issue. 

The Chinese Foreign Ministry has responded, saying China possesses undisputable sovereign rights over the islands.

 

China capable of withstanding shocks, reform remains priority: IMF

The International Monetary Fund is suggesting China's economy will expand at 7.8 percent this year.

But at the same time, the IMF says risk of moderation has grown.

In its annual report on China's economy, the IMF is emphasizing the importance of reforms to secure more consumer-based and sustainable growth. 

The IMF is predicting growth here in China will pick up moderately in the second half of the year in-line with a projected mild recovery in the global economy.

 

Daughter says Mandela has made "remarkable" progress, UN chief hails

One of Nelson Mandela's daughters says her father is making "remarkable progress."

Zindzi Mandela's characterization of her father's health is in sharp contrast to court documents revealed earlier this month, where the family describes the soon-to-be 95-year old as on life support and near death.

Although Mandela will be spending his 95th birthday in hospital later on this Thusday, Zindzi says he may be going home "anytime soon."

Meanwhile, UN Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon is describing Mandela is "a giant of our times".

The UN chief is also calling on people around the world to devote at least 67 minutes of their time this Thursday to community service in honor of Mandela.

 

EU's Ashton urges release of Egypt's Morsi, new timeline laid out

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton is calling for the release of ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi if there are no charges against him.

Ashton also says all other political figures currently being detained should also be released if they aren't facing charges.

The call comes as Egyptian prosecutors extend the detention of 8 leading members of the Muslim Brotherhood for an additional 15-days.

They're being held while prosecutors investigate allegations they incited a violent uprising against the military earlier this month which left over 50-people dead.

 

Iran to resume nuclear talks with P5+1 after appointing new team

Iran's foreign minister has gone on record saying the P5+1 nuclear talks will resume after the new president officially takes office.

President-elect Hassan Rouhani is due to take the oath of office in August.

Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi says a new negotiating team will be appointed after Rouhani is sworn in.

The P5+1 talks include Iran and the 5-permanent members of the UN Security Council, plus Germany.

A series of on-and-off talks within this framework have been taking place for several years, with little results to show for it.

 

Over a dozens killed in separate attacks in Iraq: police

A series of attacks across Iraq have left over a dozen people dead on Wednesday.

Three children have been killed and 5 others wounded by a roadside bomb near the city of Baquba.

Not far from that site, gunmen opened fire on the vehicle of a local Sunni tribal chief, killing his wife and wounding himself and two others.

A number of other attacks have also taken place in different parts of the same region.

Sectarian tensions have been running high in the so-called Sunni triange of Iraq, with both Sunni's and Shiite's accusing one-another of supporting extremists and local militias.

 

Five policemen killed in attack in northern India

At least 5 police officers are dead amid a rebel attack in northern India.

Local authorities in the northeastern state of Bihar say leftist-rebels launched the attack after police showed up amid word the group was trying to destroy a bridge in the area.

Seven other Indian police officers have been wounded in the attack.

It's unclear how many casualties there are among the rebels.

A left-wing insurgency has existed in northeast India for decades.

 

China's netizen population hits 591 million

New stats show the number of people using the internet here in China hit around 590-million as of the end of June.

The China Internet Network Information Center says around 78-percent of those accessing the web use their mobile phones to do so.

This is 4-percent more compared with the end of last year.

The same analysis also shows Chinese mobile phone users spend an average of 1.5-hours on the internet every day.

 

one foreigner stabbed to death in Beijing

Two people, including a foreigner, have been killed in a knife-attack in Beijing.

The attack took place late yesterday afternoon at the Joy City Shopping mall in Chaoyang District.

Police had to forcibly take down the suspect, who attacked and killed the victims with a large cleaver.

The identities of the victims have not been revealed.

Nor has a motive for the attack.

However, police say the 27-year old suspect, who hails from a rural county in Shandong, suffers from mental illness.