China slams Vietnam after latest maritime confrontation
China is demanding that Vietnam stop its policy of harassment in the South China Sea following the sinking of a Vietnamese fishing boat.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang says Vietnam bore sole responsibility with its insistence on forcefully disrupting China's normal operations and its dangerous actions on the sea.
China said the Vietnamese vessel deliberately rammed a fishing boat before sinking.
All 10 crew members from the boat were rescued.
S Korea nursing home fire kills 21 people, injures 8
A fire has ripped through a nursing home in southern South Korea, killing at least 21 people, mostly elderly patients, and injuring eight others.
Officials say six of the injured are in critical condition.
The blaze at the nursing home in Jangseong County, some 300 kilometers south of Seoul was brought under control in about 30 minutes.
Most of the patients were in their 70s and 80s.
Earlier this week, seven people were killed and 41 others were injured in a fire at a bus terminal in Goyang, just northwest of Seoul.
South Korea remains gripped by shock and grief following last month's ferry sinking that claimed the lives of nearly 300 people and laid bare the country's lax safety standards.
Ukrainian military retakes Donetsk airport
The Ukrainian military has retaken Donetsk airport after a day of heavy fighting.
This activity follows a promise by the country's new president to bring an end to the tension in eastern Ukraine.
40 people, including two civilians, were reportedly killed.
Meanwhile the European security watchdog, the OSCE, confirmed the missing of its staffers near Donetsk.
Ukrainian authorities say they believe the team has been detained by opposition forces, and call on Russia to use its influence to obtain their immediate release.
Obama announces plan to leave 9,800 American troops in Afghanistan beyond 2014
US President Barack Obama has announced his a plan that involves leaving troops in Afghanistan beyond 2014.
Nearly 10-thousand American soldiers will remain in the country after the current mission officially ends in December.
That number is to be cut in half by the end of 2015, being drawn down to what is considered "a normal embassy presence" by the end of 2016.
Obama acknowledges that his plan to leave troops in Afghanistan is tied to the signing of a bilateral security deal with the government in Kabul.
Egypt extends presidential vote for extra day
Voting in Egypt's presidential election has been extended by a day to increase voter turnout.
Ex-military chief Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, who led the overthrow of former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi, is poised to score an easy win.
About 54 million people are eligible to cast their votes.
Pakistani PM says meeting with Modi "constructive"
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has described his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as "an historic opportunity" for the two countries.
He notes that Pakistan wants to bring the peace process with India forward.
The Pakistani Prime Minister was in Delhi to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Modi, an unprecedented invitation in Indian history.
109 hospitalized in kindergarten food poisoning
Suspected food poisoning in a kindergarten in south China's Hainan Province has left 109 kids hospitalized.
Several children developed symptoms of possible food poisoning after having lunch.
Sixty-nine children that were confirmed to have food poisoning are all in stable condition.
The incident is being investigated.
Chinese man dies from H7N9, son infected
A man in an eastern Chinese coastal city has died from the H7N9 strain of bird flu while his son is also being treated for the infection.
The 61-year-old retiree died in the city of Yantai in Shandong province. His 33-year-old son is currently under emergency treatment.
Health authorities have put under medical observation those who have had close contact with the father and son and no new H7N9 cases have been reported.
China to clean up instant messaging services
Chinese authorities have launched a month-long crackdown against the spreading of rumors and other harmful content through instant messaging services such as the popular WeChat.
It targets the spreading of rumors and other information harmful to national security and the public interest through public accounts and chat groups on instant messaging platforms.
Designed by Internet giant Tencent, WeChat has 650 million individually registered accounts.
The number of its public accounts, which deliver customized information to an unlimited number of followers, has reached 3 million.
Google to build self-driving cars
Google is to start building its own self-driving cars, rather than modifying vehicles built by other manufacturers.
Co-founder Sergey Brin revealed the plans at a conference in California.
The car will have a stop-go button but no controls, steering wheel or pedals.
It will seat two people, propulsion will be electric, and at the start it will be limited to 40km/h to help ensure safety.
Google expects its self-drive cars to be on the road within a year and will initially build 100 prototype vehicles. |