Cold, snowy weather to continue in south China

Forecasters are warning that most parts of China are going to remain mired in the grip of a lingering cold snap for at least the next few days.
Snow is expected to continue falling in the southern part of the country, with freezing rain forecast for both Hunan and Guizhou.
Fog is also expected to shrowd the southern parts of the country.
The freezing rain already hitting Guizhou is threatening the power supplies in the region, with power lines being coated with thick, heavy ice.
In neighboring Guangdong, 100 counties and cities are on alert for cold and icy conditions the next few days.
Efforts made to resume talks between Palestine and Israel

巴勒斯坦和以色列仍努力促成双方和谈

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says the Israeli settlement construction is what's holding back the mid-east peace process.
Abbas made the remarks while meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah.
"They are all obstacles: the settlement building in Jerusalem in particular and in the West Bank are one of the biggest obstacles; the activities of the settlers and their crimes in Palestinian territories. They are all crimes and so if this does not stop it means there is no intention on the Israeli side for peace. ''If we demarcate borders, settlements will end. But till now they don't want to demarcate the borders."
The meeting is a follow-up, following the King's recent sit-down with US President Barack Obama, in which the two discussed the potential resumption of peace talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed Israel's willingness to resume the peace talks while meeting EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton.
"We've been trying to make sure that the talks between us and the Palestinians continue. That's our desire. And I look forward to discussing with you how we can make sure that that is what happens. So welcome to Jerusalem."
Ashton is also scheduled to meet with Mahmoud Abbas.
UN chief urges Iran not to block Strait of Hormuz

联合国首脑敦促伊朗勿封锁海峡

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged Iran not to take any steps to choke off the Strait of Hormuz, saying it is important for international trade and commerce.
Ban said the free passage of any ships in open seas should be respected and protected.
Meanwhile, the secretary-general called on all parties concerned to find "a peaceful resolution" of Iran's nuclear program.
Iranian leaders have threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz if increased Western sanctions over Tehran's suspect nuclear activities halt Iran's exports.
Tehran denied the U.S. and European allegations that the Islamic republic is developing nuclear weapons, insisting that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
Russia vows to block any UN resolution authorizing foreign intervention against Syria

俄罗斯投票表示阻止联合国批准干预叙利亚

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Moscow is determined to block any unilateral sanctions or military involvement in Syria.
Lavrov has made the remarks after a meeting with Turkey's foreign minister.
Lavrov does say his country is ready to hold talks regarding the Syrian situation within the confines of the UN Security Council.
U.S. Fed to keep low interest rates at least through late 2014

美联储直到2014年底将一直保持低利率

US Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke now signals that　the U.S. central bank may consider further monetary easing, after the Fed announced interest rates would remain near zero until late 2014.
Bernanke also indicated the Fed might be willing to tolerate inflation above its newly unveiled official target of 2 percent if it means putting a dent in high unemployment.
The Fed has suggested it will keep its key interest rate at exceptionally low levels at least through late 2014.
The revelation has come following a two-day meeting of the Fed's Open Market Committee.
The committee notes that unemployment remains stubornly high in the US.
Growth in fixed investments is slowing, and the housing market in the United States remains sluggish.
The latest time frame for the US Fed's interest rates, which currently sit at virtually zero, is 18-months beyond the Reserve's original estimate for increasing its interest rates, and casts more doubt about the state of the global recovery in the near-term.
Unity stressed one year after fall of Mubarak

穆巴拉克下台后一年统治权力受到压迫

Supporters of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood have issued a call for unity while marking the one year anniversary of the start of the revolt that toppled longtime President Hosni Mubarak.
The group's supporters have held a demonstration at Cairo's Tahrir square, the focal point for the 18 day uprising that began a year ago.
"The Muslim Brotherhood are not able to do it all on their own. We should seek the help from all different political trends, Muslim and Christian, to lift up our country."
"Most Egyptians, even if they are Salafis or Muslim Brothers, deal with things through consultation. They do not deal with things through aggression."
The Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice party has won nearly fifty percent of the seats in parliamentary elections.
The ultra-conservative Nour party holds another twenty percent, leaving the more liberal parties in the new parliament on the sidelines.
Many young activists who spearheaded the revolution, and also threw their support mainly behind more liberal electoral candidates, say they feel marginalized in the post-Mubarak Egypt.