介绍:
Li Keqiang, Medvedev oversees signing of 30 billateral deals
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has held a welcoming ceremony for his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev for the 20th China-Russia Prime Ministers' Regular Meeting in Beijing.
Both leaders have witnessed the signing of over 30 bilateral cooperation documents on Thursday, covering energy, investment, finance and high technology sectors.
Earlier this week, the Russian Prime minister has attended the annual meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Zhengzhou and the ongoing World Internet Conference in Wuzhen.
Putin says Russian economy passes crisis peak (updated)
Russian President Vladimir Putin says that the country's economic crisis peak has passed, with signs of stability already shown in the second quarter of this year.
This comes as President Putin opened his annual year-end news conference on Thursday.
During the press conference, Putin called the downing of the Russian jet last month by Turkey a "hostile act".
Putin said he saw "no prospect" of ties improve with Turkey as of now.
When it comes to the Syrian crisis, Putin says the country's position on future of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad has not changed.
This is Putin's 11th appearance to date in the keynote event of the Russian political year.
19 trapped after coal mine explodes in NE China
The number of people trapped after a coal mine explosion in northeast China's Hegang city has risen to 19.
The explosion happened at about 2:30 pm Wednesday when 52 people were working underground.
33 workers managed to escape.
Resuers are now saying there's little chance of survival for the 19 workers due to the concentration of carbon monoxide in the mine.
The fire caused by the blast was still burning after 17 hours.
Rescue work is still underway.
US Interest rate raise to have certain Impact in China: Commerce Ministry
China's commerce ministry said on Thursday that the U.S. decision to raise interest rate will have an impact on Chinese trade, but the exact nature of that impact still needs to be further assessed.
Commerce ministry spokesperson Shen Danyang made the comments at a monthly briefing in Beijing, saying the authorities will conduct a specific analysis on how much the impace will be.
This comes after the US Federal Reserve raised interest rates for the first time since 2006.
The US central bank has lifted its key rate by a quarter-point to a range of 0.25 percent to 0.5 percent, marking an end to a seven-year period of near-zero borrowing rates.
Meanwhile, Shen Danyang says China's retail sales have remained stable this year with increases witnessed in the last four months.
Year-round retail sales are expected to grow by some 11 percent by the end of 2015.
Beijing to See New Round of Heavy Smog: Forecast
China's National Meteorological Center is forecasting that Beijing, parts of Hebei Province and Henan Province will experience the worst smog so far this year from Saturday.
The forecast says visibility in these regions will be reduced to less than one kilometer during the new bout of smog.
Meanwhile, the PM2.5 reading in southern Beijing and parts of Hebei could surpass 500.
The center is warning the public to take necessary safety precautions.
China's top think tank forecasts 6.8 percent growth
China's top think tank predicts that China will see its economic growth post between 6.6 and 6.8 percent in the coming year.
But the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences noted that China faces many challenges as the economy is on the path of restructuring.
The think tank also suggested the central bank adopt a "structurally loose" monetary policy and a more flexible exchange rate for the Chinese currency.
On Wednesday, China's central bank also projected its baseline forecast for next year's growth at 6.8 percent.
S. Korean court acquits Japan's journalist of defaming president
A South Korean court has acquitted a Japanese journalist from a criminal charge of defaming President Park Geun-hye.
The Seoul Central District Court announced a sentence of acquittal to Tatsuya Kato, former Seoul bureau chief of Japan's conservative Sankei Shimbun newspaper.
According to the ruling, the defendant's article, though inappropriate, still falls within the area of protecting the freedom of the press.
Kato was indicted in October 2014 for his article about Park's whereabouts on the day of the Sewol ferry tragedy that killed more than 300 passengers.
US and Cuba to resume regular commercial flights
The US and Cuba are expected to resume regular commercial flights between the two countries.
The move is a significant step for both sides as diplomatic relations are restored following decades of animosity.
Travel between the US and Cuba has surged by an estimated 50 percent this year.
The US and Cuba continue to negotiate over a number of issues which could ultimately see the US trade embargo lifted.
It's unclear at this point when the flights will start as negotiations between the Cuban government and US airlines could take months.
