China suspends cyber working group activities with U.S. to protest cyber theft indictment
China has announced the suspension of the China-U.S. Cyber Working Group after American authorities announced indictments against five Chinese military officers.
The group is accused of cyber-theft.
China's foreign ministry says the accusation is based on intentionally-fabricated facts, adding that the move is a gross violation of the basic norms governing international relations.
Also, the Chinese side says the US government and its agents have long been involved in large-scale, organized cyber theft, as well as wiretapping and surveillance activities against foreign leaders, companies, and individuals.
As such, the foreign ministry states that China has been a longtime victim.
China vows "milestone" CICA summit
The Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia is getting underway today in Shanghai.
Over 20 international leaders, including 11 heads of state, will attend this week's CICA summit.
The dignitaries will include Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
The summit is slated to wrap up on Wednesday.
CICA member states are expected to issue a Shanghai Declaration on commitments to strengthening strategic coordination.
Presidential elections can not carry out in some regions:Ukraine govt
Ukraine's interim government says it will not be able to organize presidential elections in some eastern regions which are currently controlled by pro-Russian activists.
The country is preparing for elections this Sunday.
The pro-Russian side in Luhansk has said it will halt all preparations for the presidential election, calling the vote illegal.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the troops deployed near Ukraine to return to their home bases in an effort to ease tension between Moscow and Kiev.
Coalition led by Iraq's Shiite PM big winners in parliamentary elections
A coalition led by Iraq's Shiite prime minister has emerged as the biggest winner in the country's first parliamentary elections since the US military withdrawal in 2011 .
Initial results show that Nouri al-Maliki's State of Law bloc gained 92 seats in the 328-member parliament.
Al-Maliki must now reach out to other blocs to try to cobble together a ruling coalition.
More than 9,000 candidates from across Iraq vied for seats in the April 30 election.
Electoral officials reported that 62 percent of the 22 million eligible voters cast ballots.
Indian Congress Party president offers to resign
The President and Vice-President of the Indian National Congress Party have offered their resignations.
The move comes after the Congress party suffered a crushing electoral defeat to the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party.
However, the Congress Working Committee has unanimously rejected Sonia and Rahul Ghandi's offers.
The final tally shows BJP has won 282 seats and the Congress partyu just 44 in the lower house of Parliament.
The ruling Congress party has dominated Indian politics since the country regained freedom from British rule in 1947.
The commander of Libyan army special forces to ally with renegade general
The commander of Libyan army special forces has anounnced an alliance with renegade general Khalifa Haftar in the campaign against militant Islamists.
The announcement is a major boost for Haftar, who has been denounced by the government and accused of attempting a coup.
The special forces are the best trained troops of Libya's army.
It remains unclear how many troops support Haftar, whose forces launched an attack on Islamist militants in Benghazi on Friday, which killed more than 70 people.
Militiamen apparently allied to Haftar also stormed parliament in Tripoli on Sunday.
Balkans appeal for flood aid
Serbia and Bosnia are calling for international help to rescue people from inundated areas after the worst flooding since modern records began.
Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes in Serbia, where some 2,000 landslides have been reported.
At least 35 people have died.
Officials say three months' worth of rain has fallen on the Balkans in recent days, producing the worst floods since rainfall measurements began 120 years ago.
A large international aid operation is underway, with rescue helicopters from the European Union, US and Russia evacuating people from affected areas.
Digital exit-entry permit issued for HK, Macao
Digital ID cards for commuters between the Chinese mainland and Macau and Hong Kong are being handed out starting today.
The new cards are to gradually replace the old paper permit currently in use.
Guangdong will be the first province to pilot the new permit.
The change is expected to facilitate the application process as well as shorten the time spent at the checkpoints, reducing it to as little as 10 seconds.
The e-permit's period of validity for citizens 16 years old or above will be extended from the current five years to ten. |