Officials from Russia, the United States and the United Nations have scheduled another meeting connected to the forthcoming Geneva II summit on Syria for December.

The tripartite meeting on December 20th is a preparation meeting ahead of the actual Geneva II conference, which has been officially scheduled for January 22nd.

Speaking to reporters in Geneva after the breakthrough, UN-Arab League Syrian envoy Lakhdar Brahimi says the list of participants for the January session is still being worked out.

He does say the Syrian opposition in exile, the Syrian National Coalition, will play a "very important role" in forming the opposition delegation.

At the same time, Brahimi says the opposition delegation will have to be "credible and representative."

The forthcoming Geneva II talks have been held up amid deep divisions within the SNC about whether or not it should attend.

Hard-liners within the group have been demanding Syrian President Bashar al-Assad be removed from power before any negotiations can take place.

Lakhdar Brahimi also says the list of those countries involved in the Geneva talks may also include Iran and Saudi Arabia.

 

China, Hungary, Serbia reach agreement on railway project

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has annnounced a deal in eastern Europe for China to construct a rail line linking Hungary and Serbia.

Speaking to journalists in the Romanian capital, Bucharest, Li Keqiang is hailing the agreement as a landmark for cooperation between China and Eastern Europe.

As part of the agreement, working groups are being set up immediately.

Li Keqiang has also met with his Romanian counterpart Victor Ponta.

The two leaders have overseen the signing of several cooperation deals including a high-speed railway project in Romania.

Eastern European countries have been looking outside sources for high tech development as they strive to try to keep up with the rest of Europe.

Li Keqiang is in Bucharest for an official visit to Romania and a summit with leaders of Central and Eastern European countries.

 

U.S. concerned about rising tension in Thailand

The US government is adding its voice to those expressing concern about the increasing political tensions in Thailand.

A spokesperson for the US State Department says officials are monitoring the unrest in Thailand "very closely."

The US government is also calling on restraint from all sides.

Political tensions in Thailand have reached a point not seen since the wide-spread unrest in the country in 2010.

Thousands of demonstrators have been forcing their way into government buildings in Bangkok, demanding the resignation of the current government of Yingluck Shinawatra.

The protests began a month ago amid the original plan to try to have a controversial amnesty bill passed, which would have paved the way for the safe return of ousted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

While the government eventually backed off from the plan, the protests have been continuing.

 

Oil slick controlled after deadly pipeline blast

Provincial officials in Shandong say they've managed to contain the oil slick off the coast of Qingdao created following the massive pipeline explosion there on Friday.

The slick is being contained in a 3-kilometer large ocean baracade.

Crews are now spraying dispursant on the slick and have begun the process of collecting the tonnes of oil and water.

A major oil leak in an underground pipeline operated by Sinopec eventually began making its way into the storm-sewars in Qingdao on Friday morning.

The oil eventually caught fire and exploded underneath parts of residential and commerical areas of Huangdao District in Qingdao, leaving 55 dead.

9 others are still officially listed as missing.

The massive explosions also hospitalized over 140 others.

 

9 dead after blizzard collapses factory roof

9 people have been killed after a roof collapse in northeastern China.

Weight from the snow brought on by a recent blizard led to the collapse of a factory buildings roof in the city of Mudanjiang in Heilongjiang.

Local officials are fanning out to do safety checks across the city in the wake of the roof collapse.

Heavy snow has been hammering parts of Heilongjiang and Jilin since Sunday, closing highways, cancelling flights and shutting down schools.

 

NDRC: local government to have more say in government approval

China's top economic planner says the central government is planning to delegate more power to local governments when it comes to administrative approval for projects. 

Reform of the government approval system is part of the central government's broader plan to make the world's second largest economy more market-oriented. 

Meanwhile, the NDRC has also announced plans to crack down on excessively high prices in six different industries.

Targeted industries include aviation, consumer goods, automobiles, telecommunications, pharmaceutical companies and home appliances.

The NDRC is in charge of overseeing price regulation and looking out for monopolistic practices. 

In August, it imposed fines totaling 670-million yuan against six foreign baby formula companies following an anti-trust probe.

 

Wal-Mart CEO steps down; McMillon successor

Walmart's board of directors has elected Doug McMillon to succeed Mike Duke as president and CEO.

McMillon, who currently serves as the chief of the company's international division, has also been elected to Walmart's board of directors.

The 47-year-old McMillon will take the reigns of Walmart effective February 1st.

Current CEO and President Mike Duke is stepping down.

However, the 63-year-old Duke will stay on as Walmart chair.

The announcement comes just days before the kickoff of the holiday shopping season.