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China urges U.S. work for improvement of relations
China has called on the United States to work for the improvement of bilateral relations.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang says the U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and U.S. President Barack Obama's meeting with the Dalai Lama have seriously damaged China-U.S. relations.
He urges the United States to respect China's core interests and major concerns, properly handle related sensitive issues and create conditions for the improvement and development of their relations.

Five Chinese children found dead in pond died from drowning: police
Police in east China's Zhejiang Province say five children who sent missing and later found dead in a fish fond apparently died from drowning.
A police autopsy report says the two boys and three girls, aged seven to 13, had apparently suffered no harms caused by external violence.
The victims went missing last Thursday and their bodies were found four days later in a fish pond about 500 meters from their home in Tiantai County.
Police have detained the pond owner out of suspicion that inadequate safety measures around the pond could have caused the deaths.

Sudan signs ceasefire deal with main Darfur rebels
The Sudanese government has signed a ceasefire agreement with the Justice and Equality Movement, a key rebel group in Darfur.
The move could end years of conflicts in the western Sudanese region that have left 300,000 people dead.
The framework would stipulate future peace negotiations, including finalizing a permanent peace agreement by mid March, ahead of the country's April presidential elections.
According the agreement, the reble group would take part in the government's executive, judicial and legislative branches.

17 miners killed in northwest Turkey mine collapse
Seventeen people were killed in a gas explosion in a coal mine in northwestern Turkey.
The explosion caused an underground chamber in a coal mine in in Balikesir province to collapse and miners were buried 250 meters below the surface.
Eleven workers and a mining engineer were killed inside the mine and five others died at a hospital.
Seventeen workers were killed in the same mine in a similar blast in June 2006.

Al Qaeda releases French hostage - Mali government
Al Qaeda's North African wing has released a French hostage kidnapped in Mali in November.
Pierre Camatte's release follows the freeing of four Islamist prisoners by Mali last week after al Qaeda threatened to kill Camatte unless they were released.

U.S. Afghan death toll hits 1,000
The number of U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan has reached 1,000, according to an independent website.
The Pentagon disputed the figure, saying 916 had died in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan combined since late 2001 when the Taliban fell.

President Hu calls for China to meet emission cut targets
Chinese President Hu Jintao says China will step up efforts to tackle climate change, in an effort to ensure the country's carbon dioxide emission cut 2020 targets would be reached.
China announced in November last year that it aimed to reduce the intensity of carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP in 2020 by 40 to 45 percent compared with 2005 levels.

Chinese public flood Premier Wen with ideas, suggestions as annual legislative, advisory sessions approach
Chinese people have been flooding Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao with suggestions and questions ahead of the nation's top legislative and advisory sessions.
An online survey has received more than 5,300 responses within three days of going live, with house prices, personal income and medical reform being the hot topics.

21 charged for part played in 2009 CCTV building fire
Twenty-one people in connection with a deadly fire that burned a section of the newly built China Central Television headquarters last year have been charged with causing an accident with dangerous goods.
Among the charged was Xu Wei, former head of the national television's construction bureau.
An illegal fireworks display caused the blaze last February, which left one firemen dead and eight others injured. It caused direct economic losses of more than 23 million U.S. dollars.

Chinese Communist Party issues code of ethics to ensure clean governance
The Communist Party of China has issued a code of ethics for its members to follow to ensure clean governance and prevent corruption.
The guidelines specify 52 unacceptable practices, including accepting cash or financial instruments as gifts, and using their influence to help thier relatives in their employment, stock trading or business.

21 grounded boats rescued in SW China river as drought, forest fires ravage region
At least 21 Chinese grounded boats have been rescued on the Mekong River in Laos and Myanmar.
The boats have been pulled to safer waters in Thailand, but a spokesperson for the local government in Yunnan, where the boats originated, says the vessels are still not completely out of danger.
The massive drought in the south has left the Mekong river at its lowest level in 50 years.

Match results of Asian Champions, two club teams from China
Chinese super league champions Beijing Guoan have opened their Asian Champions League account with a win over the Australian League's Melbourne Victory.
A second half strike from former A-League goalscorer Joel Griffiths was the difference as Beijing outplayed their rivals and kicked off their campaign in a strong fashion.
In another match,
League champions from Japan, Kashima Antlers, defeated China's Changchun Yatai 1-0 in their opening match of the 2010 Asian Champions League.
Japan international midfielder Koji Nakata scored in the 43rd minute for the three-time defending Japanese League champions.