Chinese defense minister visits U.S. military academy

Chinese Defence Minister Liang Guanglie has visited the US Military Academy at West Point in the state of New York, the last stop of his 6-day visit to the US.
Liang has presened more than 200 Chinese books as gifts to the academy, including military story The Art of War by Sun Tzu.
The two sides had earlier agreed to conduct joint exercises on disaster relief and counterpiracy later this year.
Liang is also scheduled to visit Latvia and Poland.
Mekong murder suspect transferred to Chinese police

The drug lord suspected of masterminding the murder of 13 Chinese sailors on the Mekong River last year has been handed over to Chinese police in the Laosian capital Vientiane.
Naw Kham, head of an armed gang, was arrested in late April through a joint operation by police from China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand.
The Naw Kham gang is said to have around 100 heavily armed members.
The group has been accused of drug trafficking, kidnapping, murder, looting and other crimes along the Mekong River for years.
US plans warship deployment to Singapore

The US navy says it is set to send littoral combat ship Freedom to Singapore for a ten-month deployment starting from next spring.
U.S Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says it signals Washington's commitment to the region and enhances its ability to engage with regional partners.
Singapore officials say the government has discussed hosting up to four such vessels on a rotational basis at its naval facilities.
The littoral combat ships are new breed of warship, capable of speeds greater than 40 knots.
The ships are designed for mine-clearing, anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare.
Colombian rebels kill 7 police officers, injure 17

The Colombian rebel group FARC are being blamed for a bomb attack that killed seven police officers and injured 17 in the northeast of the country on Thursday.
The police were working with local authorities at the time in an operation to eradicate the supply of drugs close to Colombia's border with Venezuela. The `attack is the third by FARC rebels this week.
In an online statement, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos expressed his condolences to the families of the police officers.
Death toll rises to 8 after storms hit NW China county, 16 missing

Torrential rain and hail storms have struck a county in Gansu late Thursday afternoon, leaving 8 people confirmed dead and another 16 missing.
Five people are also reported injured.
The intense weather that struck Minxian County in Dingxi city lasted for only an hour but caused extensive damage to telecommunications networks, crops and highways in the area.
Local authorities have launched a relief operation.
Forecasters say that the area is set to be hit by further rainstorms over the next few days.
ICBC gets nod to buy 80-pct stake in BEA

The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), the world's largest lender, has confirmed that its purchase of an 80-percent stake in the Bank of East Asia (BEA) has been approved by US authorities.
The ICBC said the US Federal Reserve Board had approved the 140-million-U.S.-dollar deal signed in January 2011.
The deal has already been approved by the China's banking regulator.
The BEA has 13 branches in the US.
Meanwhile, the Bank of China, China's third largest bank, said that the Fed had approved it setting up a branch in Chicago.
The bank already has branches in New York and Los Angeles.
The Chicago branch will mainly target Chinese enterprises exploring overseas markets.
4,000 Chinese islands under 3D watch

China has been conducting three-dimensional visual surveys of over 4,000 of its islands.
According to an annual report from the Ministry of Land and Resources, the 3D information is being collected via ground vehicles, airplanes and satellites.
The report says that data is being processed and put onto a database in order to strengthen island management.
The government last year released its first list of uninhabited islands available for development.
According to the report, China's ocean-related industries totaled nearly 4.6 trillion yuan in 2011, about 10 percent of the country's total GDP.
U.S. to attract 100 million int'l visitors annually by 2021

The U.S. federal government has announced a national strategy to attract 100 million international visitors annually by 2021 in a bid to boost economic growth and job creation.
The White House says that the tourism industry generated 1.2 trillion U.S. dollars from domestic and international travel and supported 7.6 million jobs in 2011.
International travel to the US contributed a record 153 billion dollars in receipts and supportd 1.2 million jobs.
The 100 million international visitors the US aims at attracting by 2021 are estimated to spend 250 billion dollars every year.