China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have agreed to upgrade their free trade area and solve territorial disputes. 

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the announcement Thursday at a press briefing, after a special meeting with his counterparts of ASEAN members and ASEAN Secretary-General Le Luong Minh in Beijing. 

Wang Yi ensures controversy over the Nansha Islands sovereignty will not affect relations between China and the ASEAN nations.

He goes on to say the common interests of China and ASEAN should not be affected by private interests and stressed a single member's opinion is not the overall stance of AESAN,

China says no China-Japan defense ministers meeting planned for Brunei

A Chinese defense ministry spokesman says the Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan, has no plan to meet his Japanese counterpart during the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus.

Yang Yujun said the defense minister had a series of bilateral meetings scheduled, but that Japan was excluded.

The 2nd ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus concluded in Brunei's capital Bandar Seri Begawan on Thursday, with a declaration named after the city signed.

In the declaration, the ministers reaffirmed their commitment to enhance peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region.

 

More countries take side on no military intervention in Syria

Western powers have been debating whether to press ahead with military intervention in Syria in response to a chemical weapons attack carried out in a Damascus' suburb last week.

Many more countries say they are against taking military action in Syria, as a UN investigation team are still collecting evidence. The British Parliament has just voted against possible military strikes in Syria with a majority of 13 votes.

UN Secretry-General Ban Ki-moon is asking for more time.

For his part Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said his country will defend itself against foreign aggression, stressing determination to "eliminate terrorism" in the war-weary country.

 

Egypt arrests senior Muslim Brotherhood member Beltagi

Egyptian police have arrested a senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Mohamed al-Beltagi was arrested in Giza governorate and transferred to Tora prison complex.

In July, Egyptian prosecutors filed charges against Beltagi. 

He was accused of inciting violence and murdering peaceful protesters.

North Korean general warns US and South Korea to rein back its military exercises

North Korea's National Defense Commission has warned the United States and South Korea to scale back military exercises.

General Kim Yong Chol, Vice Chief of the Korean People's Army General Staff, highlighted concerns over nuclear bombers in a joint US-South Korean military exercise in April.

Kim Yong Chol has called on the US and South Korean governments to refrain from any provocation.

Kim Yong Chol added the military exercise in April was the first time the US sent strategic bombers more than once.

 

TEPCO boss apologises to leader of fishing association for handling of nuclear leak

President of TEPCO has apologised to the head of the fisheries association for his company's handling of contaminated water leaks.

The company is running Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant.

Radioactive water has been leaking from tanks at Fukushima, some of which may have escaped into the sea through a rainwater gutter.

Chairman of the Japanese Fisheries Cooperatives Hiroshi Kishi says he is gravely concerned.

 

4 CNPC execs suspended over official investigation

China National Petroleum Corporation has confirmed it will remove its four senior executives under investigation for "serious violation of discipline".

The four executives include Wang Yongchun, deputy general manager of the CNPC and Ran Xinquan, vice president of PetroChina.

Authorities say the four have been relieved of Party-related posts and corporate administrative posts.

The move comes after the authorities started an anti-corruption probe on CNPC and its subordinate PetroChina earlier this week.

 

4 plead guilty at trial of Chinese tenor's son

The trial in which a well known Chinese army tenor's teenage son is accused of gangrape, has ended at a Beijing district court.

In February, a woman reported to the police that she was raped by five men after drinking. 

The son of Li Shuangjiang, a renowned PLA singer, is one of the suspects. 

Four of the five defendants pleaded guilty yesterday.

Prosecutors say four of the defendants are still juveniles, and they should receive less severe punishments.

 

China roasts in highest temperature since 1961

The country's weather authorities says China has experienced it's highest temperatures in August since 1961.

Most parts of China saw temperatures higher than or close to average levels.

Remarkably high temperatures were reported in eight provincial-level regions.

The average temperature was about 2.8 degrees Celsius higher than that of the same period in previous years.