The second round of Syria peace talks have kicked off in Geneva.

The meeting is expected to focus on a ceasefire and the establishment of a transitional government inside the war-torn country.

UN mediator Lakhdar Brahimi had met with delegates from the government and oppositions seperately.

Brahimi is also due to meet with the Russian and US sides this Friday to discuss the Syrian issue.

Meanwhile the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, says a third shipment of chemical weapons material has left Syria.

The material is on board a Norwegian cargo vessel accompanied by a naval escort from China, Denmark, Norway, and Russia.

 

China expresses anger at Japan's heritage bid for the Kamikaze pilots letters

China's Foreign Ministry has released a new statement slamming plans by a Japanese city to apply for inclusion in a UN registry of historical documents with letters from kamikaze pilots.

The pilots carried out suicide missions on allied ships during World War Two.

Japan's city of Minami Kyushu submitted a letter of recommendation to UNESCO last week to add wills and farewell notes of kamikaze pilots to the World Register. 

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying says the Japanese side wants to beautify the Japanese militarist's history of invasion, which challenges the victory in the anti-fascist war and the post-war international order. 

Hua Chunying also warns the international community needs to be alarmed by Japan's recent right-wing moves.

Naoki Hyakuta, a board member of Japan's national broadcaster NHK, recently said Americans staged the post-war trial of Japanese leaders to cover up their own war crimes, including the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 

The US side has reacted by calling the charges preposterous, saying the Japanese side should avoid comments that inflame tensions in the region.

 

China reports first incoming tourist H7N9 case

A boy who entered the Chinese mainland from Hong Kong has been confirmed to have been infected with the H7N9 bird flu, the first case involving a tourist on the mainland.

The case was diagnosed in Shenzhen though officials have not released details about the boy's current condition.

The six year old first began showing symptoms in late January.

His case is one of more than 180 across the country so far this year.

There have been 47 deaths since the beginning of January.

 

IAEA official encouraged by Iran's stance on nuclear issue

United Nations inspectors have started to look into allegations over Iran developing nuclear arms.

Despite making progress this weekend, the International Atomic Energy Agency cautions that the probe still has a long way to go before deciding if such suspicious are valid.

Iran has agreed to provide information on detonators used in nuclear devices, as one of seven steps aimed at allaying fears over its nuclear program. 

Iran's president Hassan Rouhani says his country will keep its doors open to the UN nuclear watchdog. 

Rouhani's comments came days ahead of a new round of nuclear talks between Iran and world powers in Vienna.

 

Two NATO Civilians Killed in Afghanistan

A suicide car bomb in Afghanistan has killed two NATO civilian contractors in the country's capital.

Islamist militant group Hizb-i-Islami has claimed responsibility for the attack saying they would drive all foreign forces from the country.

A police spokesperson says the attacker rammed an explosive-laden car into a convoy in the eastern part of the capital.

Several Afghan civilians were also wounded in the attack.

Afghanistan has seen an increase in violent attacks carried out by Taliban insurgents as well as other militants in the final year of the 13-year combat mission in the country.

 

Reactions to Swiss Vote on Immigrants

European foreign ministers have reacted in dissapointment after Swiss voters narrowly backed a proposal to limit immigration.

French Foreign Minister Lauren Fabius says he's worried the outcome shows Switzerland wants to turn in on itself.

He notes agreements between Switzerland and the EU, which have been in place since 1999, must now be renegotiated.

50.3 percent of Swiss nationals voted yes on Sunday to reintroduce immigration quotas on EU citizens in a referendum.

According to the Swiss constitution, lawmakers now have 3-years to revise immigration legislation and put it into practice.

The latest decision will have far-reaching consequences for the hundreds of thousands of foreigners working in Switzerland.

 

Swollen Thames threatens lives along riverside

The River Thames burst its banks after reaching its highest level in years on Monday, flooding riverside towns upstream of London.

Walton-on-Thames in the county of Surrey and Wraysbury in Berkshire were two of the hardest hit towns.

At least 25-hundred homes are in jeopardy.

Along with the rain, gale force winds are expected across the country.

 

NASA finds clues to possible water flows on Mars

U.S. space agency NASA says its Mars Reconnaissance and Odyssey orbiter have sent back clues that liquid water may still exist on Mars today. 

The spacecraft spotted "dark, finger-like markings", which advance down some Martian slopes when temperatures rise, as well as corresponding seasonal changes in iron minerals on the same slopes.

According to the space agency, researchers call these dark flows "recurring slope lineae (RSL) " and so far they have found 13 confirmed RSL sites on Mars,. 

The researchers have also compared new observations with images from previous years, revealing RSLs are much more abundant in some years than others.