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    Broadcasting Time: 08:00 AM, GMT:+8:00, 2009-08-05

 

North Korea to release detained American journalists

 

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has ordered the release of detained American journalists Euna Ling and Laura Ling.

Kim Jong-il issued the pardon shortly after meeting with former U.S. president Bill Clinton during his visit to Pyongyang.

Clinton also met with the two detained journalists hours after his arrival in the capital.

The White House has stated that Clinton's visit was a "solely private" mission to secure the release of the two journalists.

Laura Ling and Euna Lee were arrested in March, accused of entering the country illegally and engaging in "hostile acts."

North Korea had sentenced them in June to 12 years of hard labor.

 

 

U.S. Senate panel approves nomination of ambassador to China

 

The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee has approved Utah Governor Jon Huntsman's nomination as ambassador to China.

The endorsement by the Committee paves the way for a vote by the full Senate, the date of which remains unclear.

 

 

Death toll from north China building collapse rises to 17

 

The death toll from a building collapse in north China's Hebei Province on Tuesday has risen to 17 with 3 others hospitalized.

The collapse occurred in Hebei's capital of Shijiazhuang during a torrential rainfall.

Rescuers found a total of 20 people buried in the rubble of the unfinished 2-storey building, most of them local construction workers.

Initial investigation blamed lightning for the collapse.

However, this has sparked suspicion as two witnesses claim they did not hear any thunder when the building collapsed.

The accident is now under further investigation.

 

 

Police detain 718 suspects in connection with Urumqi riot

 

Authorities in Urumqi say 83 people have been arrested for suspected involvement in the July 5th riot that killed about 200.

It is the first time Urumqi authorities have officially announced formal arrests.

No date has been set for the suspects' court trials.

Meanwhile, the city’s police chief also says more than seven hundred people suspected of being connected with riot have been detained.

 

 

Supreme People's Court encourages mediation to resolve disputes as lawsuits increase

 

China's Supreme People's Court has issued a new regulation to encourage parties involved in conflicts to opt for mediation.

The regulation is in response to a rapid increase in lawsuits during the past two years.

It clarifies transitional procedures for parties to cease actions in the people's courts and turn instead to industrial or community mediation.

 

 

Outbreak seals Chinese town of 10,000

 

A town of 10,000 people in the northwestern province of Qinghai has been sealed off after three men died of pneumonic plague and nine others were infected.

Health officials say of the nine patients quarantined in Ziketan Town, one is in a serious condition.

A government official said the situation is "stable" at the moment.

 

 

Teenager allegedly beaten to death in South China Internet rehab

 

A teenager was allegedly beaten to death by counselors at an Internet addiction rehabilitation clinic in Southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Reports say the teenage boy was brought by his parents for treatment at a camp in Nanning City on Saturday.

The boy died the day after teachers in the camp allegedly put him in confinement and beat him in the evening.

Authorities have detained four workers at the clinic.

 

 

Ousted Honduran Zelaya meets Mexican President

 

Ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya has praised the peaceful resistance in his country to the government that forced him from office.

Zelaya made the remark during a press conference with President Felipe Calderon, where he also thanked the Mexican leader for his support.

Calderon has expressed Mexico's support for Zelaya's reinstatement, and condemned the June 28th coup that forced him into exile.

 

 

UN Security Council adopts resolution to protect children in armed conflict

 

The UN Security Council has stepped up efforts to protect children affected by armed conflict by adopting a resolution that expands those subject to possible sanctions.

Resolution 1882, adopted unanimously by the 15-member body, strongly condemned "all violations of applicable international law involving the recruitment and use of children by parties to armed conflict."

It requested UN Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon to include in his list those who kill, maim, rape or commit other forms of sexual violence against children in wartime.

Past lists mainly included those accused of recruiting child soldiers.

 

 

7 rockets wound 2 in Afghan capital

 

Seven rockets were fired in the Afghan capital of Kabul on Tuesday wounding at least two civilians.

The attack comes just weeks before presidential elections to be held on August 20.

The Taliban, who had vowed to disrupt the elections, claimed responsibility for the firings.

 

 

One dead, 7 hurt as Thai plane slides off runway

 

One person was killed and seven injured when a commercial plane slid off a runway into a control tower on the Thai tourist island of Koh Samui on Tuesday.

The pilot of the twin engine propeller driven plane, was killed in the accident.

The Bangkok Airways plane had attempted to take off in the midst of heavy rain.