Putin Warns Ukraine of Operation against Own People
Russian President Vladimir Putin is calling Ukraine's anti-terror operations a serious crime and is warning Kiev of "consequences" if the country uses military force against its own people.
Meanwhile, Russia's Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has ordered several military units to start military exercises near Ukraine's border.
The drills are conducted in response to operations by Ukrainian forces against pro-Russian activists.
Earlier, the Ukrainian government restarted a security operation to retake government buildings seized by the activists.
Five pro-Russian activists were killed in the operation.
Kiev has repeatedly blamed Moscow for inciting the unrest and splitting Ukraine, charges denied by Russia.
Death toll rises to 171 in S.Korean ferry sinking disaster
The Chinese embassy in South Korea has confirmed another Chinese passenger's body has been recovered from the sunken ferry off the coast of South Korea.
The remains of two other Chinese nationals have already been recovered, while a fourth is still listed as missing.
The overall number of bodies pulled from the ferry now stands at 171, with 131 others still unaccounted for.
Family members of some of the victims have set Thursday as a deadline to find information on those still missing.
An official with the emergency task force says poor visibility and strong currents are hampering the recovery efforts.
Meanwhile, investigations are continuing into what happened and who is to blame for the disaster.
11 crew members have been arrested. Four of them, including the captain, are facing criminal charges.
Prosecutors are also questioning eight officials with the ferry company who are responsible for safety checks.
Malaysia to release MH370 report
The Malaysian government may release a report on the disappearance of flight MH370 as early as next week.
The country's prime minister has told reporters that an internal investigation team is currently examining the report, which has already been sent to the International Civil Aviation Organization and the UN body for gobal aviation.
So far, the report has not been made public.
Malaysian and Australian authorities are continuing to develop a long-term strategy for finding the missing plane, which disappeared early last month en route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur with 239 people on board.
China, Denmark eye closer relationship
Chinese President Xi Jinping has held talks with visiting Danish Queen Margethe II.
The two leaders voiced their hope of elevating bilateral ties between their two countries.
This is the Danish Queen's second state visit to China. The last one happened in 1979.
Xi Jinping says China and Denmark's joint efforts, along with other countries, to transport Syria's chemical weapons to ensure their destruction has set a good example of cooperation in international affairs.
Xi Jinping and the Queen also witnessed the signing of a series of cooperative documents, involving maritime technology, energy conservation, and poverty elimination.
China Ratifies WIPO Audiovisual Treaty
China's top legislature has ratified the Beijing Treaty on audiovisual performances, a document overseen by the World Intellectual Property Organization, or WIPO.
Approved in June 2012 at a WIPO Diplomatic Conference in Beijing, the 30-article treaty is expected to strengthen the rights of film actors and other performers.
The Beijing Treaty is the first international treaty on intellectual property rights protection which is named after a Chinese city.
A total of 72 WIPO members have signed the Treaty so far, and it will enter force after ratification by 30 eligible parties.
Sina stripped of online publication license because of porn
Chinese internet giant Sina.com will be stripped of its online publication license because of pornography-related violations.
The move follows a government crackdown on online pornographic materials.
Investigators say 20 articles and 4 videos containing offensive material were found at Sina.com following a huge number of tips from the public.
Officials with the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film, and Television have decided to revoke the company's two crucial licences on internet publication and audio and video dissemination.
Sina will also be hit with what officials characterize as "huge" fines.
Sina is a NASDAQ listed company.
Chinese officials twice punished the company last year for publishing materials deemed to be offensive.
World Immunization Week begins with call for greater use of vaccines
The World Immunization Week campaign kicked off yesterday with a call to promote the use of vaccines around the world.
This year's campaign features the theme "Are you up-to-date?" and seeks to address the knowledge gap that prevents some people from getting vaccinated.
According to the World Health Organization, immunization is widely recognized as one of the most successful and cost-effective health interventions in human history.
Rising atmospheric CO2 may stimulate carbon loss from soil: study
Researchers say increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere may cause soil microbes to convert carbon, thereby accelerating global warming.
Carbon accumaltes in the soil through years of plant photosynthesis and is ultimately converted back to CO2 by microscopic organisms, mainly bacteria and fungi.
Previous studies have stated that the extra CO2 in the atmosphere may actually mitigate global warming by stimulating photosynthesis, thus putting more carbon in the ground.
The study has been published in the US journal Science. |