介绍:
China's stock markets halted for day as shares tumble 7 pct
Trading on the Chinese mainland's markets have been halted after shares tumbled 7 percent within the first 30 minutes of trading, triggering the circuit breaker mechanism.
It was the shortest trading time in China's capital market history.
This is the second time the circuit breaker has halted trading this week, after a similar plunge on Monday triggered the circuit breaker, the first day the mechanism took into effect.
The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index was down 7.3 percent at the close while the Shenzhen index lost 8.4 percent.
Chinese yuan weakens to nearly 5-year low
The central parity rate of the Chinese currency depreciated on Thursday to its weakest point in nearly five years.
The yuan's central parity rate lost 332 basis points to 6.5646 against the U.S. dollar this morning, the lowest level since March 18, 2011.
In China's spot foreign exchange market, the yuan is allowed to rise or fall by 2 percent from the central parity rate each trading day.
China monitoring radiation after DPRK nuclear test
China's Ministry of Environmental Protection says no effect from North Korea's nuclear test has been found to Chinese soil.
The ministry started emergency radiation monitoring on Wednesday.
The test resulted in a 4.9-magnitude earthquake with an epicenter less than 100 km from the Chinese border.
As of 1 p.m. Wednesday, readings from 25 monitoring stations in the border area were all within the normal range.
The ministry says it will conduct both automatic reading and human sampling and analysis.
UN Security Council condemns the nuclear test of North Korea
The UN Security Council has "strongly" condemned North Korea's latest nuclear test, denouncing it as a violation of UN resolutions.
In a statement released after an emergency meeting, the Security Council says all council members have previously expressed their determination to take "further significant measures" in the event of another nuclear test conducted by North Korea,
It says the members of the Security Council will begin to work immediately on such measures in a new Security Council resolution.
Park, Obama agree to push strong UN resolutions over DPRK's nuke test
South Korean President Park Geun-hye and U.S. President Barack Obama have agreed to push for strong United Nations resolutions over North Korea's latest nuclear test.
The two leaders have had a phone conversation over the issue, during which Obama stressed the need for the strongest and the most comprehensive sanctions against Pyongyang.
Park's office says the leaders have also agreed to maintain close cooperation in adopting strong resolutions in the United Nations rapidly.
Obama has vowed to take all necessary measures to defend the safety of South Korea.
Qatar recalls envoy to Iran in protest against attack on Saudi embassy
Qatar recalled its ambassador to Iran in protest against the recent attack on the embassy of Saudi Arabia in Tehran.
Earlier Saudi Arabia and Bahrain cut diplomatic ties with Iran, after angry Iranian protesters attacked Saudi missions over the Saudi execution of a Shiite cleric.
Jordan on Wednesday also summoned the Iranian ambassador in Amman.
Need to reduce number of refugees: Angela Merkel
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has gone on record saying the number of refugees entering the European Union needs to be reduced.
This comes after around 100 women were allegedly robbed, threatened, or sexually molested in the city of Cologne on New Year's Eve.
Testimonies from the victims are pointing to perpetrators of "Arab or North African" origin.
German registered 1.1 million asylum seekers in 2015, a record for the country in the post-war period.
Cameron appeals to Germany to help avoid 'Brexit'
British Prime Minister David Cameron is appealing to Germany to help him achieve the European Union reforms he needs to persuade Britons to remain in the 28-nation bloc.
Britain is expected to hold a referendum on whether to remain in the EU by the end of 2017.
Cameron is currently in Germany to renegotiate ties with the EU to help counter burgeoning British euroscepticism.
Among the reforms he proposes, Cameron wants the EU to cut bureaucracy and shift more powers from Brussels to member states.
He is also seeking guarantees that Britain will be protected from closer EU political integration and from economic decisions made by the 19 EU members that use the euro currency.
Mobile Internet users hit record high
China's mobile Internet use has surpassed 900 million, a new all-time high.
A recent report on the development of the Internet industry shows that by the end of last year, the number of broadband users exceeded 210 million. The price of broadband was reduced around 50 percent and the average cost of data traffic reduced nearly 40 percent.
The report also points out that the trade volume of cross-border e-commerce trade has reached two trillion yuan.
Mobile payments exceeded PC payments in 2015 for the first time.
