Chinese President Xi Jinping says China is willing to sit down for a new set of talks to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue.

Xi Jinping made the comments as part of a meeting with the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in Kyrgyzstan.

Rouhani insists Iran is using its nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. 

The two leaders also exchanges views on their own bilateral ties.

They are set to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek later on this Friday.

 

China urges resumed Korean Peninsula six-party talks

A senior Chinese diplomat is calling for the resumption of six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.

Lead Chinese negotiator Wu Dawei has made the call following talks with Glyn Davies, the United States' special representative for North Korean policy.

The six-party talks, which have included the two Koreas, China the United States, Japan and Russia have been stalled since late 2008.

 

UN received Syria's applications to join the chemical weapons ban

The United Nations says it's received Syria's application to join the global ban on chemical weapons.

This comes shortly after Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad pledged to deliver the application as part of the first step in support of the Russian proposal for chemical weapons in Syria.

The Russian initiative involves Syria handing over its chemical weapons stockpiles to international control, followed by their ultimate destruction.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry has started talks with his Russian counterpart in Geneva.

The two are meeting to try to come to an agreement on the outlines of a plan to secure and destroy Syria's chemical weapons stocks.

At issues is Bashar al-Assad's suggestion of a 30-day timetable for submitting its chemical weapons data.

The two sides are also at odds over the enforcement of a final resolution on disarmament.

The US contends the disarmament needs to be backed by military force.

 

Philippine standoff reaches a fourth day

Clashes between government troops and Muslim rebels in the southern Philippine city of Zamboanga has been continueing.

Rebels have also attacked another town in the southern province of Basilan this Thursday.

Five people are missing and two have been wounded.

At least 15-thousand people have been displaced after the Moro National Liberation Front took dozens of hostages on Monday.

The United Nations is calling for an immediate end to the violence.

It also says it's ready to provide assistance to the civilians.

 

Dutch envoy makes public apology for colonial-era summary executions

The Netherlands has issued a formal apology for a series of summary executions carried out by the Dutch army in Indonesia during its colonial era.

Dutch Ambassador to Indonesia Tjeerd de Zwaan says the Netherlands will also pay 20-thousand euros to each victim's family.

This is the first general apology issued by the Dutch government, though the Netherlands has already apologised and paid compensation in certain specific cases.

More than 40-thousand Indonesians were killed in south Sulawesi during the war for independence from 1945 to 1949.

 

Germany Autoshow- Merkel officially opens 2013 international motor show

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has officially opened the Frankfurt Auto show.

Addressing the crowd, Merkel has called on Europe to use the car industry as a real source of growth.

Electric mobility and the "networked vehicle" are the focus this year, with almost 160 new car models on display.

The auto show is due to open its doors to the general public this Saturday.

 

Greece reels as jobless rate hits record high in June

Greece's jobless rate has hit a record high of 27.9 percent in June.

The new stats show the labor market continues to buckle in a deep recession. 

Despite this, the Greek government continues to insist its economic fortunes are starting to rebound.

The Greek governmetn is reportedly expecting a 3.8-percent contraction this year.

International lenders are forecasting a full-year economic contraction of 4.2 percent in Greece.

 

South China Sea tsunami warning center gets UN go-ahead

China's proposal to build a tsunami warning center in South China Sea has received UN approval today 

China's Oceanic administration said the center will monitor South China, Sulu and Sulawesi seas, bordering nine countries. 

The state's Marine Environmental Forecasting Center will be responsible for building the center.

Beijing unveils clean air action plan

Municipal authorities here in Beijing have unveiled a new five-year plan to improve air quality.

The plan includes cutting coal consumption, promoting clean energy and reducing industries which are heavy polluters.

The plan is to cut annual coal consumption to under 10 million tonnes by 2017.

Last year saw 23 million tonnes of coal burned here in the city.

Cement production capacity is also going to be cut to under 4 million tonnes by 2017.

This would be down from the current average of 10 million tonnes.

 

NASA's Voyager I became the first man made spacecraft to venture into interstellar space

Scientists at NASA have confirmed their spacecraft, Voyager I, has become the first human-made object to venture into interstellar space. 

The 36-year-old probe is about 19-billion kilometers from our sun.

Voyager scientists say it may take years to interprete all the data Voyager has transmited back to Earth.

A report on the analysis of some of the data received from Voyager has been published in the latest edition of the Journal Science.