Chinese President Xi Jinping has met with Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain here in Beijing, with the two talking about the creation of a -quote- "community of shared destiny."

The two presidents have agreed to enhance the current strategic and cooperative partnership agreements between the two countries. 

They've also pledged tighter ties in economics, security and inter-personal exchanges, as well as anti-terrorism cooperation.

This is Mamnoon Hussain's first official foreign trip since taking office in September. 

Premier Li Keqiang is due to meet with the visiting president later on this Thursday.

 

Yanukovych agrees a truce with the oppositions

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has agreed to a truce with the opposition leaders.

They have also agreed to start "negotiations" aimed at ending the bloodshed of the past days.

This comes amid another tense night in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, as protesters continue to occupy Independence Square.

Casualty figures from the deadly clashes which first erupted Tuesday now stand at 26 dead and over 600-others injured, including close to 350-police officers and over 250-protesters.

Yanukovych has already sacked the head of the armed forces in the fallout from the violence.

 

EU spokesman comments as nuclear talks enter a second day

The third and final day of the latest round of Iranian nuclear talks is set to get underway later on today in Vienna.

So far no agreements have been reached.

However, negotiators at the talks are suggesting both sides are clarifying their positions.

The talks are designed to create a permanent nuclear deal to replace the interim agreement hammered out in November.

That deal has seen Iran shut down its critical enrichment programs in exchange for temporary sanctions relief for 6-months.

The Iranian side has since gone on-record saying it will not permanently shut down any of its nuclear facilities, noting its long-standing position that its nuclear programs are for peaceful purposes only.

 

6 killed, 129 injured in Beirut twin blasts

Health authorities in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, are reporting 6 people are now dead following a pair of massive blasts outside the Iranian cultral mission.

129 others have been injured in the blasts, which hit in the heartland of Hezbollah.

Al-Qaeda-linked group, the Abdullah Azzam Brigades, is taking credit for the attacks.

This is the same group which claimed responsibility for the deadly attack outside the Iranian embassy in Beirut in November which left 25 dead and close to 150 others injured.

Wednesday's attack is the latest in a string of sectarian violence which has pitted opponents of Bashar al-Assad government against those who support the rebels in neighboring Syria.

This most recent attack has already sparked wide-spread international condemnation.

 

Facebook to buy message-sending app WhatsApp

Facebook has said it will buy messaging app WhatsApp for 19 billion US dollars.

This marks the the social networking giant's biggest purchase to date.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg describes WhatsApp's services as "incredibly valuable".

Users can send messages through WhatsApp over internet connections without test mesaging fees.

WhatsApp has over 450 million monthly users.

The company says it get some 1 million new registers every day.

Facebook's biggest purchase had been Instagram, which was sealed at 1 billion dollars.

 

Airbus increases stake in Chinese joint-venture

Airbus is increasing its stake in a Chinese joint-venture in a bid to try to reinforce its production of A320 rudders.

The European aircraft maker is increasing its stake in the Harbin Hafei Airbus Composite Manufacturing Center from 20-percent to 25-percent.

Under the new agreement, HMC will will produce 80-percent of all A320 rudders. 

The joint venture current produces 50 percent of all the A320 rudders.

HMC was established in 2009 between Airbus and a group of Chinese partners.

 

Over 400 Chinese students infected with norovirus

Schools are being shut down for the rest of the week in a city and surrounding county in Zhejiang, following a major outbreak of norovirus.

Over 400 students have come down norovirus in the city of Haining and surrounding Haiyan County, which is about 50-kilometers east of the provincial capital, Hangzhou.

Several schools, including kindergartens and middle schools, have been affected by the outbreak.

At this point authorities believe the outbreak can be traced back to bottled water which has been delivered from the same company.

Local authorities have ordered schools to disinfect their canteens, classrooms, dorms and bathrooms.

So far no deaths have been reported.

Norovirus is a common form of viral gastroenteritis which causes vomiting and diarrhea.

It normally passes in three to five days, and usually strikes in densly populated areas.

 

IOC says 190 million Chinese people have watched coverage of Sochi Olympics

An Olympic television and marketing official says Sochi's global for the Winter Olympic Games is bigger than any previous Winter Games.

Over three-quarters of the Russian people have watched some coversage and over half of the U.S. population has been tuning in. 

In China, 190 million people so far have watched at least 15 minutes of coverage.