U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov have reached agreement on a framework to secure and destroy Syria's chemical weapons by mid-2014 and impose UN penalties if the Bashar al-Assad government fails to comply. 

According to the framework, Syria must submit a "comprehensive listing" of its chemical weapons stockpiles within one week, and weapons inspectors must be on the ground in Syria by November. 

U.S. President Barack Obama has welcomed the U.S.-Russian framework agreement for eliminating Syrian chemical weapons, but warned that the country remains to act if diplomacy fails. 

France and the United Nations also welcomed the agreement.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon expressed his hope that the deal will pave the way for a political solution to end the "appalling suffering" of the Syrian people.

 

Syria membership in chemical weapon treaty takes effect Oct. 14

A UN spokesman says Syria has met its obligations in applying for membership in the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), and its membership will take effect on Oct.

The spokeman says UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed Syria's accession to the OPCW.

Syria was asked to provide additional information following its Thursday submission of documents to join the OPCW, which is the implementing authority for the Chemical Weapons Convention. 

Details of the information requested were not released.

 

Chinese passenger liner detained in Jeju Island 

A Chinese passenger liner with over 2,300 people aboard has been detained by a local court in Jeju Island, Republic of Korea (ROK) following a request by a Chinese shipping service company.

The cruise's operator says the Henna was detained before departure by a Jeju local court when a shipping service company, Jiangsu Shagang International Trade Co., Ltd. applied for a seizure order on claims of legal dispute.

The ship, with 1,659 passengers and a crew of 650 on board, was originally bound for Incheon from Jeju on Friday.

The company said it has reported the incident to Chinese authorities and has coordinated with the ROK side for a safe departure as soon as possible.

 

NATO Military Committee Conference held in Budapest 

The weekend meeting of NATO's Military Committee, the organization's top decision-making body, was held in Budapest on Saturday, with a focus on topical issues such as the Middle East and North Africa, including Syria. 

Committee Chair, General Knud Bartels told reporters that the purpose of the meeting was to discuss issues important to the military authorities of the members and to reach consensus on realistic measures.

 

China's August power consumption growth at 18-month high 

China's electricity consumption, a common indicator of economic activity, rose 13.7 percent year on year in August, marking its fastest growth since March 2012, according to official data released Saturday.

The figure also marked the fourth straight month of recovery in power use in the world's second-largest economy. 

The recovery of electric power consumption reflects a firming economy, adding to evidence that the Chinese economy is moving out of the shadow of a protracted slowdown.

 

Spreading porn in children publications punished 

Chinese authorities have seized several children's publications involved in spreading pornography, in a bid to filter obscene content in children's reading.

China Pictorial Publishing House and Shaanxi Normal University Publishing House were ordered to suspend their operation for three month, as a result of releasing children's books with porn content. 

Three other periodicals based in Shanxi, Henan and Shandong provinces were also ordered to suspend operation by provincial authorities for spreading superstition, violence, obscenity and erotic content.

 

436,000 sit China's national judicial exam 

A total of 436,000 people will sit China's national judicial examination on Saturday and Sunday, 32,000 more than last year, and nearly 18 percent of the candidates are this year's graduates, according to the Ministry of Justice.

The examination will test the candidates on legal theory and applications, current law and regulations, legal practice and professional ethics.

 

China toughens school bus rules 

The national school bus safety management assembly has demanded guarantees about school bus safety after two recent accidents, according to a statement of the Ministry of Education.

The assembly, composed of the ministry and 19 other departments responsible for school bus safety, says those with duties of care should be severely punished for leaving children to die on school buses in Henan and Guangdong provinces in late August and mid September. 

The assembly urged detailed provisions in terms of school bus permissions, school bus drivers' qualifications and legal responsibilities, and the imposition of tighter supervision and punishment for those who break the regulations.