Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has met with his 16 counterparts from Central and Eastern European countries at a summit in the Romanian capital of Bucharest.

The state leaders have issued a guiding document following their summit, pledging to expand their cooperation, particularly when it comes to investment and infrastructure construction.

Li Keqiang has issued a six-point proposal on deepening China's ties with Central and Eastern European countries, including to double their bilateral tade in five years.

Other proposals include enhancing cooperation on transportation infrastructure, new energy and finance, as well as expanding local government exchanges.

 

December launch for China's "Yutu" lunar probe

Chinese space authorities have announced plans to launch its next lunar probe early this coming month.

The Chang'e-3 is due to land on the moon and undertake scientific experiments.

Chang'e-3 will carry a lunar lander, dubbed Yutu, or Jade Rabbit.

The mission will see Yutu land on an unexplored area of the moon known as the Bay of Rainbows.

The 6-wheeled rover will take various samples of the region for around 3-months.

This will be the first time Chinese space authorities will attempt to land a vehicle on the lunar surface.

 

France to increase force in Central African Republic

The French government has announced plans to insert more troops in the Central African Republic.

France, a former colonial power in the CAR, is planning to send in at least a thousand French troops, once it gets UN authorization, which is expected to be passed by resolution next week.

France's defense minister says the mission is expected to last for around 6-months, depending on the time-table set-out by the United Nations.

French foreign minister Laurent Fabius says France wants to help the local authorities in the Central African Republic tackle, what he describes, as "an abominable humanitarian situation" in an "imploding country."

 

Israeli army kills 2 Palestinian militants in clashes in West Bank

Israeli security forces have killed a pair of Palestinians in the West Bank.

The Israeli army says the two were militants planning to unleash a 'lethal attack' inside Israel, as they were travelling with explosives and weapons in their vehicle.

The Israeli side says the two were on their way to carry out their attack when they were intercepted by Israeli forces.

Palestinian sources say the area near the West Bank city of Hebron where the incident took place has since been sealed off by the Israeli military.

 

Berlusconi's revived party withdraws support for Italian gov't

The political party of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is withdrawing its support from the current coalition government.

The center-right Forza Italia party says it also plans to vote against the government of current PM Enrico Letta in a forthcoming confidence vote.

However, Letta's coalition should have enough support to survive the vote, given that many members of the former Berlusconi government coalitions have now sided with Letta.

The move by Berlusconi's party comes just a day before the Italian senate moves to vote on whether to strip the media mogul of his parliamentary seat following his conviction for tax fraud.

 

China loosens requirements for private pilot licenses

Chinese central authorities are loosening the restrictions on private pilot licences.

The Civil Aviation Administration is making it easier for individuals to obtain their flying certificates by lowering the testing requirements.

Under the previous restrictions, anyone in China hoping to get their pilots license had to go through a process similar to earning a commerical pilots license.

Under the new rules, individuals will now only have to go through 40 hours of theoretical training and 40-hours of flight training before they can get their private pilots license.

 

China's Supreme Court opens trial on Internet giants

The case between Chinese Internet giants Qihoo 360 and Tencent over monopolies and unfair practices has opened in China's Supreme People's Court.

Antivirus software developer Qihoo 360 and Tencent have been engaged in a protracted legal war since 2010.

The Supreme Court is being asked to define what the "Internet marketplace" is, and whether Tencent holds a monopoly in said marketplace. 

Legal experts are anticipating the hearings before the Supreme Court may set a benchmark for anti-monopoly lawsuits, which have been rare since the anti-monopoly laws took effect in 2008.

 

China's tax bureau says misunderstanding caused property developer-CCTV tussle

China's state tax bureau says a legal misunderstanding is behind a new tussle between property developers and China Central Television.

The comments from the tax bureau come after the state broadcaster reported numerous property development companies owe trillions of yuan in unpaid land taxes.

The State Administration of Taxation now says the "estimates" of huge amounts of unpaid land appreciation taxes are not accurate.

The tax bureau says the CCTV report is a "misunderstanding and misreading" of the current tax policies.

 

Guangzhou Evergrande's Zheng Zhi named player of the year

Guangzhou Evergrande's team captain Zheng Zhi was named 2013 player of the year by the Asian Football Confederation.

This was the second year in a row that the midfielder was nominated for the award, and he said winning at age 33 was like a dream come true. 

Evergrande was also awarded club of the year, and their Brazilian striker Murique was named Asian Foreign Player of the year.