Chinese president arrives in Bali island for APEC meeting
Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in the Indonesian resort island of Bali to attend the 21st informal economic leaders' meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.
It will be Xi's first attendance at the APEC meeting since he assumed presidency in March.
This year's APEC gathering highlights such topics as achieving sustainable growth with equity and promoting inter-connectivity in the region.
During his stay on Bali island, Xi will also meet with many other leaders and representatives attending the meeting.
China issues highest warning as Typhoon Fitow approaches
China's meteorological authority has issued a red alert, the highest in its weather warning system, as Typhoon Fitow approaches the country's southeast coastal areas.
Fitow, the 23rd typhoon to hit China this year, is likely to make landfall in the coastal areas between central Zhejiang Province and northern Fujian Province between Sunday night and Monday morning, according to the National Meteorological Center .
The center says it is unusual for a typhoon to make landfall in southeast China in October, urging local authorities and residents to raise their alerts and closely follow relevant information.
Kerry: US commitment to Asia remains despite shutdown
US Secretary of State John Kerry says the US commitment to Asia remains undiminished despite President Barack Obama's absence from regional summits.
Kerry was speaking at the start of the APEC summit in Indonesia.
Obama cancelled his Asia trip after the partial US government shutdown.
He had been due to begin a four-nation Asian trip on Saturday, heading to Bali and Brunei before travelling on to Malaysia and the Philippines.
Obama says Iran "a year or more" away from building nuke weapon
U.S. President Barack Obama has said Iran is still "a year or more" away from building a nuclear weapon, citing U.S. intelligence assessments.
Obama made the remarks in an interview released Saturday by the Associated Press.
He admitted that these assessments are "more conservative" than the Israelis, who claim Iran is just months away from acquiring nuclear capability.
Obama added that the world must test whether Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is sincere about seeking a diplomatic solution to the nuclear standoff.
28 killed, 91 wounded in attack on Shiite pilgrims in Iraq
At least 28 people were killed and 91 others wounded when a suicide bomber targeted Shiite pilgrims in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad on Saturday.
A Police source says the attack occurred when the suicide bomber detonated his explosive vest amid Shiite pilgrims in the Adhamiya area in northern Baghdad.
He says the pilgrims were on their way to the Al-Kadhimiya Mosque in the Kadhimiya neighborhood in northern Baghdad.
The local National Iraqi News Agency says 47 people were killed and 80 others wounded in the attack on Shiite pilgrims, but the report could not be immediately verified.
13 soldiers killed in Libya
Unknown gunmen have raided an army checkpoint in the Libyan capital Tripoli, killing at least 13 soldiers.
The Libyan News Agency says five others were injured in the attack.
Libyan authorities have been struggling to re-establish security in the oil-rich country since Muammar Gaddafi was killed in October 2011.
However, more than two years after Gaddafi's death, armed groups that toppled him are still powerful and control large swathes of the North African country.
Aerial search launched after Lampedusa boat disaster
The Italian coastguard is using planes and helicopters to spot migrants' bodies around the boat which sank off the island of Lampedusa on Thursday.
Bad weather is hampering the search.
So far, 111 bodies have been found and 155 people have been pulled out alive. More than 200 are said to be in the seas close to the Mediterranean island.
The boat was carrying some 500 people - mostly from Eritrea and Somalia.
Italy says it will amend immigration laws and has called for European help.
China tops APEC CEOs' picks for investment: survey
A new study has found that a majority of chief executive officers in Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation countries are planning to increase investment despite signs of an economic slowdown and capital outflows.
The study by PricewaterhouseCoopers shows 68 percent of the 500 CEOs surveyed are planning to increase investment.
China tops their picks for investments in the next three to five years, followed by Indonesia and the United States.
The CEOs believe the Chinese economy is best prepared to handle changes, citing macroeconomic stability and regulatory consistency.
The survey also found confidence among Asia Pacific-based executives is on the rise. Forty-two percent of executives said they are "very confident" of revenue growth in the coming year, up from 36 percent in 2012.
Beijing to replace coal-fired power plants before 2015
Beijing will build four power centers by the end of 2014 to replace coal with natural gas in heating and power generation.
Municipal authorities say the four power centers and 40 other related utility projects will reduce sulfur dioxide by 10,000 tonnes.
They will also provide heating for 100 million square meters and generate 7.2 million kilowatts of electricity through natural gas.
These services have so far been powered by four coal-fired power plants, which burned 9.2 million tonnes of coal in 2012.
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