介绍:
Sovereignty issues should be decided by all Chinese: spokeswoman
The Chinese mainland has stressed that issues concerning China's sovereignty and territorial integrity should be decided by all Chinese, including compatriots in Taiwan.
Fan Liqing, spokeswoman with the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, was responding to Tainan Mayor William Lai's remarks on Taiwan Independence.
During his visit to Shanghai, Lai said Taiwan's future should be decided by its 23 million people.
The spokeswoman made clear that the mainland firmly opposes the "Taiwan independence" stance and secessionist attempts.
Top political advisor to attend June cross-Strait forum
China's top political advisor Yu Zhengsheng is to take part in the week-long 6th Strait Forum, an annual gathering aimed at increasing mutual understanding across the Taiwan Straits.
This year's event will kick off on Sunday in the coastal city of Xiamen.
According to the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, a number of politicians from Taiwan, including Kuomintang Vice Chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu, will also be present.
The forum will feature an array of activities on grassroots exchanges between the mainland and Taiwan.
Half a million flee Iraq's Mosul
As many as 500 thousand people have been forced to flee Iraq's second largest city of Mosul after Islamist militants effectively took control of it.
Troops were among those fleeing as hundreds of militants from the ISIL, an al Qaeda splinter group, overran the city and much of the surrounding province of Nineveh.
Prime Minister Nouri Maliki responded by asking parliament to declare a state of emergency to grant him greater powers.
Residents say the situation is chaotic inside the city. Many police stations were reported to have been set on fire and hundreds of detainees set free.
ISIL, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, now controls considerable territory in eastern Syria and western and central Iraq.
Fugitive ferry owner's aides nabbed in South Korea church raid
Thousands of South Korean police have raided a church in search of a fugitive billionaire wanted over the deadly ferry disaster in April.
Some 6,000 officers stormed the church in Anseong city belonging to Yoo Byung-eun, whose sons ran the shipping firm that operated the sunken ferry, Sewol.
Three church followers were detained on charges of assisting his escape.
Yoo is wanted as part of an ongoing investigation into embezzlement and tax fraud.
Investigators are also questioning whether corruption or mismanagement within the ferry company led to poor safety standards.
Australia seeks military technology cooperation with Japan
Australia says it wants greater military technology cooperation with Japan.
Defense Minister David Johnston says they are aiming for a possible agreement for Japan to supply Australia with stealth submarine designs.
Johnston and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop are in Tokyo for talks with their Japanese counterparts to bolster ties.
Abu Sayyaf leader nabbed in Philippines
A key leader of terrorist group Abu Sayyaf has been captured in the Philippine capital Manila.
Security officials say Khair Mundos was arrested in a slum community near Manila's international airport but it's not immediately clear why he was in the capital.
The military and police have been hunting him for alleged involvement in bombings and kidnappings.
Mundos is considered as one of the most wanted terrorists in the world.
The U.S. government has offered a reward of 500,000 U.S. dollars for his capture.
Coal mine gas outburst kills 10 in China's Guizhou
Ten people have been confirmed dead in a coal mine gas burst in southwest China's Guizhou Province.
The accident occurred when 130 miners were working underground in the mine in Liupanshui city.
120 of them managed to escape.
The bodies of the 10 victims were retrieved early this morning.
Drug gang busted in NE China
Chinese police have busted a drug gang which operates across several provinces.
20 suspects have been detained, with more than 700 kilograms of processed marijuana seized.
The gang allegedly planted marijuana in the northeast provinces of Jilin, Heilongjiang and Liaoning.
They have sold more than 2,000 kilograms of the drug since it began operating in 2013.
FIFA Congress stung by Blatter resign calls
FIFA has opened its annual congress in Sao Paulo, amid calls for president Sepp Blatter to quit next year because of the damage corruption allegations have inflicted on football's governing body.
Michael van Praag, head of the Dutch Football Association, has told Blatter he should not seek re-election in 2015.
A similar demand was made by David Gill, vice-chairman of England's Football Association.
78-year-old Blatter is expected to announce that he will seek a new four-year term.
FIFA is facing damaging corruption accusations against Qatar's 2022 World Cup bid.
