介绍:
China earmarks 2.2 bln yuan for quake relief
The central government has earmarked an additional 1.6 billion yuan or 260 million U.S. dollars for quake relief efforts in Yunnan Province.
A total of 600 million yuan had already been allocated to the quake zone.
The central government has pledged to speed up efforts to transport and distribute relief materials since the road leading to the quake zone has been cleared.
The 6.5-magnitude earthquake that struck Ludian County in Yunnan Province has caused 589 deaths and injured more than 2,800 people.
Japanese military planes enter China's ADIZ: spokesman
Several Japanese aircrafts entered China's Air Defense Identification Zone over the East China Sea on Wednesday and carried out extensive re'connaissance.
A spokesman of the Chinese Air Force says Chinese planes conducted necessary tracking and monitoring of the foreign military planes.
The spokesman adds the Japanese F-15 aircrafts twice attempted to approach Chinese planes that were conducting a routine patrol in the Air Defense Identification Zone, and the Chinese planes took "reasonable, proper and restrained" measures to cope with the threat in the airspace.
The spokesman reaffirms that the establishment of the Air Defense Identification Zone is a purely defensive move to safeguard national security, normal order and the safety of flights over the East China Sea.
No Ebola cases spotted in China: official
The Chinese health authority has confirmed no Ebola cases have been reported in China so far.
A spokeswoman of China's National Health and Family Planning Commission, made the remarks at a press conference held Thursday, adding a series of preventative measures have been taken to stop the virus from entering China.
The spokesman also said the risk of the virus spreading beyond Africa is still low.
So far, the death toll from the Ebola outbreak in West Africa has risen to 932.
Liberia, Nigeria declare state of emergency over Ebola
Liberia and Nigeria have declared state of emergency over the outbreak of Ebola.
Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf announced that the state of emergency is for 90 days, effective on Wednesday.
Also on Wednesday, the Nigerian government described the Ebola outbreak in the country as a national emergency.
So far, six Nigerians have been diagnosed with Ebola virus, one died on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the WHO is convening an emergency meeting in Geneva to determine if the outbreak amounts to a "public health emergency of international concern" and requires more of an international response.
MH17 recovery mission suspended over security concerns
The recovery mission at the Malaysia Airlines MH17 crash site in eastern Ukraine has been suspended until further notice due to the deteriorating security conditions in the area.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte says the tension in the area increases and therefore, the experts cannot do their work in key parts of the area.
He adds that it does not make sense to continue the recovery and repatriation mission.
The Netherlands, which leads the mission, also discussed the decision with its partners of Australia, Malaysia and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
The relatives have also been informed.
Tribunal sentences 2 Khmer Rouge leaders to life: verdict
The United Nations war crimes tribunal has convicted two aging former top leaders of the Democratic Kampuchea, also known as Khmer Rouge, of atrocity crimes against humanity and sentenced them to life in prison.
The two 'convicts are Nuon Chea, 88, the chief ideologue of the Communist Party of Kampuchea, also known as "Brother Number 2", and Khieu Samphan, 83, the regime's former head of state.
The duo is among the few surviving top leaders of the regime that was responsible for the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million people from starvation, overwork, torture, execution, and massacre during the regime from 1975 to 1979.
The verdict came after a two-year trial of the two former senior leaders began in November 2011 and ended in October 2013.
Extremist insurgents seize more towns in northern Iraq
The Sunni insurgent group has taken control of two large towns and at least three more small towns in northern Iraq.
The attackers seized the towns and announced them part of their self-proclaimed Islamic State.
The move of the Islamic State militants forced thousands of mainly Christian residents to leave their homes to safer areas.
The latest fall of towns into the hands of the insurgent militants came amid fierce clashes between the Kurdish Peshmerga security forces and Islamic State militants.
China regulates instant messaging services
The Chinese government has published an interim regulation on instant messaging services, especially those based on mobile applications.
The regulation is said to target public accounts on such services that have large numbers of followers.
For the first time, new applicants should provide real names on registration.
Providers of instant messaging services should also be responsible for protecting users' private information and handling illegal information.
Some public accounts on instant messaging platforms like Tencent's WeChat have been accused of spreading faulty information or stealing other users' private information.
