UNSC Condemns NKorea satellite launch

The UN Security Council has issued a presidential statement, strongly condemning North Korea's satellite launch.
The resolution, adopted by the 15-nation council, including China, is warning of further action if North Korea launches a missile or conducts any nuclear tests.
At the same time, the Chinese government is calling for "contact and dialogue" following the UN presidential statement.
North Korea confirmed that the earth observation satellite launched earlier on Friday morning failed to enter orbit.
China urges Philippine archaeological ship to leave disputed area

The Chinese government is now calling for a Philippine archaeological ship to leave the waters near the Huangyan Island in the South China Sea.
The call comes amid allegations by the Philippine side that a Chinese ship "harassed" the Philippine vessel over the weekend.
It is the second maritime dispute between the two sides in the same region.
Last week saw a standoff between a Philippine gunboat and the Chinese coast guard at Huangyun Island.
That situation eventually ended without incident.
11 confirmed dead in Shanxi mine flood

All 11 miners who became trapped by flooding at a mine in Shanxi have been confirmed dead.
The 11 were killed when the mine flooded last Friday.
Investigators have since found the mine's production license had expired at the time of the flooding.
21 people, including the mine's owner and manager, have been taken into police custody.
22 nabbed for producing toxic drug capsules

Police in Zhejiang have detained 11 people in connection with production and sale of tainted drug capsules.
The arrests follow revelations that several companies from the city of Xinchang have been manufacturing drug capsules with industrial gelatin, which contains a greater amount of chromium than edible gelatin.
Local police are planning to investigate all 43 capsule manufacturing companies in Xinchang.
Shenzhen entry port reopens after building fire

The Luohu border crossing between Hong Kong and Shenzhen is, once again, open for business.
The border there had to be shut down last night after a major fire at a customs building at the crossing.
Around 100 people ended up being stuck at the check points on both sides of the border while crews dealt with the fire.
No one was hurt, and the crossing re-opened earlier this morning.
The Luohu border crossing usually handles around 280-thousand people a day moving between Hong Kong and Shenzhen.
China considers reform of public institutions

The central authorities here in China have issued a new circular, calling for public institutions to become more "public-welfare oriented."
The idea would be to try to reduce their financial burden by transforming some of them into businesses.
Public institutions here in China are financed by the national budget and are not allowed to draw earnings.
The new circular says the transition is going to be a slow one, with a transition period of 5-years for individual institutions, with the overall switch expected to be finished by 2020.
Chinese Premier is to visit Europe for strategic cooperation

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao is set to make another set of overseas trips beginning on Friday.
Wen Jiabao is due to make stops in Iceland, Sweden and Poland.
The Polish leg of the Premier's trip is expected to see him meet with leaders of a number of central and eastern European countries.
Wen Jiabao has also been invited to make a stop in Germany.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and Germany.
First UN observers start working in Syria

The first of the UN observers on the ground in Syria have now begun their work.
The 6-member advance team, tasked with trying to oversee the fragile ceasefire, is also reaching out to the country's authorities and opposition to discuss their operations.
More observers are expected to head to Syria in the coming days, with over 200 eventually expected to be on the ground.
However, the fighting in Syria is still continuing.
The Syrian authorities say armed groups have been launching attacks on police personell, leaving 9 people dead.
At the same time, the opposition claims the Syrian forces have been shelling the central city of Homs for a third consecutive day.
Norway Murder may face 21-year sentence

Alleged Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik, who has already confessed to killing 77 people last summer, has pleaded not guilty at the start of his trial in Oslo.
The 33-year-old is not accepting criminal responsibility for his actions.
Last July, Breivik set off a bomb in downtown Oslo, killing eight people, then shot and killed 69 others, mostly teenagers, at a rural youth camp.
Subsequent investigations have revealed Breivik published a massive anti-Muslim manefesto online, claiming his actions were motivated by a desire to see racial purity in Europe.
Gallup's 1st general election poll shows Obama, Romney tied in race

Gallup has released its first poll for the general election in the United States, and it shows a statistical tie between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.
The new Gallup survey shows Romney enjoying the support of 47-percent of registered voters across the country,while Obama is polling at 45-percent.
Both enjoy the support of around 90-percent of their respective party vote.
However, right now Romney enjoys a 6-percent lead in support among independent voters, who are critical to the outcome of the US general election.
Both Obama and Romney are now in full campaign mode ahead of the November vote following Rick Santorum's

withdrawal from the Republican race last week, making Romney the presumptive nominee to challenge Obama.