China, India Vow to Advance Partnership
High-ranking officials from China and India have vowed to enhance cooperation between the two countries.
Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin and Indian Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh held strategic talks on Monday, in the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing.
Liu says bilateral relations have seen a very good beginning this year, which marks the Year of Friendly Exchanges between China and India. And China is ready to work with India to advance the partnership to a new level.
Sujatha says all political parties in India share the desire to advance the India-China.
He expressed the belief that no matter which political party wins the general election underway this month, India's policy toward China will not be changed.
World powers discuss global nuclear governance in Beijing
Five nuclear powers have begun meetings in Beijing, discussing ways to enhance global nuclear governance.
China is hosting the United States, Russia, Britain, and France -- all members of the UN Security Council.
Major pillars of the talks include disarmament, non-proliferation, and the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
At the opening ceremony, China's Vice Foreign Minister Li Baodong stressed that universal security is the fundamental goal of global nuclear governance.
He also emphasized that the leadership role of the P5 states is a major driving force for global nuclear governance.
Robotic submarine to deploy for underwater search
After a month of searching on the surface of the southern Indian Ocean, the international effort to find a missing Malaysia Airlines flight is finally turning its attentions to the deep water.
A remote-control US sub is to make a dive to the ocean floor, a 4.5 kilometre journey that is expected to take 2 hours.
The Bluefin-21 will relay a three-dimensional map of the ocean floor to search crews.
Over the past 10 days, several signals have been detected, with one in particular coming in very strong and with the right characteristics of a locator beacon from a black box flight recorder.
But no new signal has been detected since Tuesday, meaning the locator beacon's battery has likely expired.
Officials are warning people that it may take several days to locate the planes flight recorders or other wreckage, and there is a chance nothing will be found.
An oil slick was found on the surface of the water over the weekend, and samples are being tested to see if the missing plane is the source.
Russia: armed force against protesters may lead to civil war in Ukraine
Moscow is expressing concerns that the current situation in Ukraine could lead to civil war in that country.
Moscow's ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has voiced alarm over the use of force against pro-Russian demonstrators in eastern Ukraine, essentially echoing statements made by his government over the weekend.
Tensions escalated on Sunday following an armed confrontation between Ukrainian security forces and pro-Moscow protesters, which killed at least one person and injured 10 others.
Ethnic Russians in the region seized government buildings and expressed a desire to follow Crimea's lead and break away from Kiev.
Ukraine's president ordered a "counter-terror operation" there.
UN chief shocked by deadly attacks near Nigerian capital
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed shock and sadness over a deadly bomb attack near Abuja, the capital of Nigeria.
At least 70 people were killed and 124 others injured after the explosion happened at a bus station early Monday morning when the station was full of commuters.
The explosion left a hole in the ground that is more than a metre deep, and it destroyed 30 vehicles nearby causing secondary explosions as fuel tanks ignited and burned.
Nigeria's president has blamed the attack on Boko Haram Islamists.
Syria misses deadline for chemical weapons removal: OPCW-UN Mission
The Syrian government has missed a deadline under the agreement to remove all chemical weapons from the country.
Under an agreement with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, or OPCW, and the United Nations, Syria was supposed to have removed all chemical weapons except those in inaccessible areas by this past Sunday.
The Syrian government is now being called upon to step-up its efforts and complete the work by April 27th.
A spokesman for the UN warns that missing the new deadline could have a serious impact on efforts to destroy Syria's chemical agents by the previously agreed deadline of June 30th.
The OPCW says about two-thirds of Syria's chemical weapons stockpile has been removed from the country.
That includes more than 57 percent of the priority-one chemicals, the most dangerous kind.
Kansas shootings suspect to face hate crime charges
A 73-year-old former Ku Klux Klan member will face hate-crime charges, following a deadly shooting in suburban Kansas City on Sunday.
Frazier Glenn Cross was arrested after three people died following two shootings. Two people at a Jewish community centre were killed and the other victim was killed at a retirement home.
Among the victims are a 14 year old boy and his grandfather.
Police say Cross is a known white supremacist with affiliations to various hate groups.
Prosecutors plan to file charges of first-degree murder against him, along with the hate-crime charges. |