介绍:
China voices concern over Iran-Saudi Arabia row
China has voiced concern over a row between Iran and Saudi Arabia, calling on the two countries to resolve disputes through dialogue and consultation.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying says China is worried about an escalation of regional conflict caused by the row between the two countries.
Hua's remarks came after Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic ties with Iran after its embassy in Tehran was stormed by Iranian protesters angry at Riyadh's execution of a prominent Shiite cleric.
Iran has accused Saudi Arabia of using the incident to stoke regional tension.
Tehran has also said Iranian diplomats had not yet left Saudi Arabia. They've been given two days to do so.
Chinese shares slump to a halt on new year's first trading day
The first trading day of the new year on the Chinese stock market has closed earlier than expected, after a 7 percent slump triggered the new circuit breaker mechanism bringing dealing to a halt.
Stocks plunged as investors sought to dump shares to ward off potential volatilities.
The benchmark Shanghai Composite shed nearly 7 percent while the Shenzhen Component Index was down 8.2 percent.
The circuit-breaker mechanism, used on Monday for the first time, was introduced last year to check abnormal price swings.
Trading was first suspended for 15 minutes early in the afternoon after the CSI 300 Index, which reflects the performance of the Shanghai and Shenzhen markets, slumped 5 percent.
It was triggered again later, leading to the early close of the market.
Market analysts attributed the slump in part to lower-than-expected manufacturing activity, which dented market sentiments.
India quake toll reaches nine dead, nearly 200 injured
At least 9 people have been killed and nearly 200 others injured in a powerful earthquake that struck South Asia before dawn on Monday.
The 6.8-magnitude quake hit India's northeastern state of Manipur, bordering Myanmar. Bangladesh, Nepal and parts of China's Tibet were also affected.
The Indian government says 6 people were killed in India while media in Bangladesh reported three people died of heart attacks.
Efforts to rescue those trapped in rubble are being hampered by severed power supplies and telecommunication links.
Suicide bombing hits Kabul airport
A suicide bomber in a car has blown himself up close to a police checkpoint near Kabul airport in Afghanistan but caused no other casualties.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
The blast follows a series of attacks in the Afghan capital over recent days, including a suicide attack on a restaurant which killed a boy and a security guard.
The attacks have coincided with a new effort to restart peace talks with the Taliban after earlier meetings were broken off last July.
29,000 officials punished in CPC's 2015 frugality campaign
The Communist Party of China's top anti-graft body says more than 130 thousand officials have been punished for violating austerity rules since late 2012.
Among them, 29,000 were reprimanded in the first 11 months of 2015, a significant drop from the year before.
However, authorities say the number of senior Party officials found with violations had increased.
Eight provincial-level Party officials were punished in 2015.
Overall, the number of officials above county level punished last year saw a rise of more than 50 percent from the previous year.
Environmental Protection Inspection Starts Today
A one-month environmental protection inspection in north China's Hebei Province began on Monday.
The inspection will last till February 4, examining the implementation of environment policies by the local government.
Reactions towards environmental problems and measures taken to improve the situation will also be assessed.
A hotline and a mail box for public consultation have also been set up.
Inspectors will report any major problems to the central authority.
Hebei is among areas with worst air pollution in China.
The Central authorities plan to inspect every provincial region every two years.
Beijing PM2.5 density exceeds national level: official
Beijing's environment watchdog says the city's average PM2.5 density in 2015 was more than double the official level targeted nationwide.
PM2.5 pollutants are known to produce respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses.
According to the Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Center, the average PM2.5 reading stood at some 81 micrograms per cubic meter, 1.3 times more than the national standard.
Despite Beijing's efforts to fight air pollution, the reading only saw a year-on-year drop of some 6 percent.
By comparison average densities of another major pollutant, sulfur dioxide, dropped by nearly 40 percent.
The nation's capital was shrouded in foul air for 22 days in the last two months, 15 days more than the same period a year ago.
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