Hu Jintao to visit Denmark, attend G20 summit
President Hu Jintao will pay a state visit to Denmark and attend the 7th leaders' summit of Group of 20 in Los Cabos, Mexico from June 14 to 19.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin announced this in Beijing today.
Spain asks for financial help to support its banking system
Spain says it will ask eurozone partners for financial help to support its banking sector.
At a press conference in Madrid, economy Minister Luis De Guindos has assured there will be enough money, with a "significant margin", for financial entities to cover their capital needs, which were identified by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Meanwhile, Eurozone finance ministers have confirmed that the single-currency area is ready to offer up to 100 billion euros in financial aid to rescue Spain's ailing banking sector.
The Eurogroup also confirmed that it has been informed that "the Spanish authorities will present a formal request shortly" and the euro area "is willing to respond favourably to such a request.
French troops to begin Afghanistan pullout in July: Hollande
French President Francois Hollande says France will begin to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan in July and the pullout will be completed by the end of this year.
Hollande said this after four French soldiers were killed Saturday morning during an operation in eastern Afghanistan.
More than 3,800 French troops have been stationed in Afghanistan within the framework of NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in the war-torn country.
Iran never to surrender to Western pressure over nuclear program: lawmaker
An Iranian lawmaker says Iran will never give in to Western pressure over its nuclear program.
Esmail Kosari says the next round of talks between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany (P5+1) in Moscow will produce no positive results because the Western countries in the group are threatening Iran and Tehran will never "give in" to pressure.
Meanwhile, Iranian Minister of Defense Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi says the Western countries should recognize Iran's legitimate rights to pursuing " peaceful" nuclear energy.
The next round of talks between Iran and the six world powers is scheduled to be held in Moscow on June 18-19.
DPRK has no plans of nuclear test: FM spokesman
North Korea says it has no plans to conduct a nuclear test "at present,"
North Korea foreign ministry says South Korea tried to "rattle the nerves of the North in a bid to cause it to conduct a nuclear test, though such a thing is not under plan at present."
North Korea conducted two nuclear tests in October 2006 and May 2009, and received sanctions by the United Nations Security Council.
33 insurgents killed in Afghanistan within 24 hours: gov't
Up to 33 Taliban insurgents have been killed in military operations carried out by Afghan force and NATO-led coalition troops within the past 24 hours.
The Afghan Interior Ministry says six other insurgents have been injured and nine suspects were captured by joint forces during the raids.
China foreign trade growth rebounds in May
China's foreign trade rose 14.1 percent year on year to over 343 billion U.S. dollars in May, rebounding from 2.7 percent registered in April.
The General Administration of Customs says both imports and exports reached record high in May, with exports up over 15 percent from a year earlier, while imports up over 12 percent.
China saw trade surplus of over 37 billion U.S. dollars during the first five months of this year.
6.5-magnitude quake jolts sea off eastern Taiwan coast
A 6.5-magnitude earthquake hit sea off Taiwan's eastern coast this morning./
The island's meteorological authorities say the epicenter some 70 km southeast of Yilan county, with a depth of 61.9 km.
Xinhua reporters felt house trembling inside a Taipei building.
There has been no immediate reports of any casualty or property loss.
The Beijing-based China Earthquake Networks Center put it at 5.9 on the Richter scale, with the epicenter located at 50 km below the surface.
Three Gorges sees stable, improving water quality
China's Three Gorges Project, the world's largest hydropower project, has seen water quality either remain stable or improve in the section located in the country's southwestern Chongqing municipality.
The water quality of the Yangtze River in the Chongqing section of the Three Gorges reservoir tops that of all China's seven major river systems, according to the Chongqing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau.
Located on the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, China's longest waterway, the Three Gorges Project consists of a 185-meter-high dam, a five-tier ship lock, a reservoir and 32 hydropower generators.
China issues rainstorm alert for south and northeast
China's national observatory has issued a blue alert for rainstorms expected to hit the country's southern and northeastern regions over next three days.
The National Meteorological Center urged local authorities in south China to strengthen monitoring over rivers and reserviors to guard against possible geological disasters.