Blueprint sets out control of emissions
China has laid out a detailed plan to control greenhouse gas emissions in the coming five years, a measure designed to deliver on its pledge for carbon intensity reduction by 2020.
The country aims to reduce its carbon emissions for each unit of GDP by 17 percent by 2015 from 2010 levels, according to the blueprint, which has been approved by the State Council.
It says the 17 percent national goal has been allocated to provincial governments, which will be held responsible if they fail to meet the targets.
China issues first white paper on foreign trade
The Chinese government has issued a white paper on foreign trade, highlighting the country's achievements in boosting foreign trade and its contribution to the world economy.
It says China's foreign trade has achieved remarkable progress in recent years. The total value of the its imports and exports reached 2.97 trillion U.S. dollars in 2010, 144 times as much as in 1978.
The white paper also says China's trade surplus is resulted from globalization and the international division of labor, which lead to the nation's big surplus in goods trade but a long-term deficit in services trade.
China, U.S. hold defense consultations on controlling risks
China and the United States have held their annual round of defense consultations in a bid to control risks and avoid misjudgment between their militaries.
The consultations in Beijing mark the first engagement between the defense ministries of both countries after the United States announced a package of arms sale to Taiwan worth 5.85 billion dollars in September.
Ma Xiaotian, deputy chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, and US Under Secretary of Defense Michele Flournoy are leading their respective delegations at the consultations.
S&P affirms China's ratings, outlook 'stable'
Ratings agency Standard & Poor's has affirmed China's sovereign ratings and says the outlook remains stable.
It cites the nation's "exceptional" growth prospects, holdings of overseas assets and modest government indebtedness.
In an annual report on the Chinese sovereign grade, S&P puts China's long-term credit rating at AA- and its short-term rating at A-1+.
U.S. prods Russia to investigate claims of fraud, intimidation in elections
The United States is continuing to pressure Russia to investigate claims of fraud and intimidation in Sunday's parliamentary elections despite Moscow's rejection to the allegations.
State Department spokesman Mark Toner insists that there were credible instances of fraud and intimidation cited by international observers.
In an earlier statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry blasted the U.S. for sticking to "the long gone stereotypes" without trying to find out what is really going on in Russia's electoral process.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, currently on a European tour, said she's very concerned about the fraud claims against the Duma elections.
Greek parliament approves 2012 budget amid fresh anti-austerity protests
The Greek parliament has approved the 2012 budget designed to tackle a severe debt crisis, amid fresh anti-austerity protests that briefly turned violent.
According to the draft budget, the Greek economy will shrink by 5.5 percent this year and the contraction will continue for a fifth consecutive year in 2012 with a rate of up to 2.8 percent.
Analysts say the implementation of the budget is expected to be a difficult task for the administration of the technocrat premier, given the negative climate within Greece and across the euro zone as the crisis adds pressure on neighboring economies.
DR Congo announces 48-hour delay of publication of winner of presidential election
Results in the Democratic Republic of Congo presidential election have been delayed for another two days as election returns have not been received from all polling stations.
Partial preliminary results from the November 28 vote, representing 70 percent of the ballots cast, give President Joseph Kabila a 10-point lead over his main rival Etienne Tshisekedi.
The opposition has said it will reject the outcome.
Coach-truck collision leaves six dead, 10 injured in SW China
At least six people are dead and 10 others injured after a coach collided with a truck on a fog-shrouded national highway in southwest China's Guangxi region.
Rescuers say the coach veered off the highway to a roadside ditch after the collision in Hechi city.
Local authorities say here were 48 people on board the coach.
One of the injured is in critical condition.
Chinese police arrest 608 in two major child trafficking cases
Chinese police now say they've arrested more than 600 child trafficking suspects connected to two major trafficking rings.
More than 5-thousand police officers from 10 provincial regions have been involved in busting the child trafficking rings, which operated out of Sichuan and Fujian.
Around 180 children have been recovered.
两个特大拐卖儿童犯罪团伙被我国警方摧毁,抓获嫌疑人608名
我国警方称已经逮捕了超过两个特大拐卖儿童犯罪团伙的608名犯罪嫌疑人 。
10个省区的5000多名警察联手参与了此次专项斗争,拐卖儿童已经超出了四川和福建等地的范畴 。
大约有180名被拐卖儿童已经被解救 。
词语解释:
- arrest v. 逮捕
- suspect n. 嫌疑人