China backs Pakistan's efforts in safeguarding independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity: FM
Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi says that China is standing behind Pakistan's efforts in safeguarding its national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Yang Jiechi's comments have come in a phone call with his Pakistani counterpart, following the NATO bombing of two Pakistani border posts early Saturday morning.
24 Pakistani soldiers were killed, and 13 others injured in the NATO bombings.
Pakistan has shut down two NATO supply routes in the country.
The United States has described the NATO strikes in Pakistan as a "tragedy" and vowed to carry out full investigation into the weekend bombing.
High turnout on the first day of elections in Egypt
Voters have turned out in high numbers in Egypt, as the first day of the parliamentary elections came to a close.
Voters are choosing candidates for the lower house of parliament.
Voting was extended into the night on Monday to cope with the large number of voters. People have been queuing in the thousands, despite fears of violence.
Voting for the lower house of parliament is being held in 3 rounds, with voters likely having to wait until January to know the final results.
The presidential election is expected to be held by the middle of the coming year.
Syriasays armed groups behind unrest
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al- Moallem has accused the international community of turning a blind eye to the fact that armed groups are behind the violence in his country.
At a press conference in Damascus, Moallem charged that the Arabs and their Western backers refused to believe in the existence of armed groups in Syria, but instead accused the Syrian army of committing crimes against the Syrians.
Moallem also urged neighboring countries to stop the smuggling of weapons and funds through borders.
He noted that armed and terrorist groups have stepped up their crimes following the withdrawal of the Syrian army and security forces from some cities.
Fitch's outlook change "reminder" to Congress: U.S. Treasury
The US Treasury Department says ratings agency Fitch's decision to lower U.S. credit rating outlook is a wake-up call for congressional leaders.
A Treasury Department spokesperson says Fitch's action is a reminder of the need for Congress to reduce the country's long-term deficit in a balanced manner.
Fitch on Monday lowered its outlook for the U.S. credit rating from "stable" to "negative," citing the failure of the U.S. congressional "super-committee" to agree on a 1.2-trillion-dollar deficit reduction plan last week.
The ratings agency warned that it would slash the U.S. triple-A credit rating if policymakers failed to agree on a deficit reduction plan in 2013 to address the country's ballooning budget deficit.
2 dead in NW China road crash causing chemical leak, villagers evacuated
Two people have been killed in a road accident that caused a chemical leak in northwest China's Ningxia Hui autonomous region.
The accident occurred in the city of Guyuan. A van rear-ended a fuel tank truck loaded with 20 tonnes of crude benzene after failing to brake on an icy road, which caused an explosion.
Villagers nearby have been evacuated due to a poisonous chemical leak following the explosion.
China's refitted aircraft carrier platform sets sail for 2nd trial
China's refitted aircraft carrier sailed for its second sea trial today.
The Ministry of Defense says the aircraft carrier had completed all the refitting and testing work as scheduled since its first sea trial in August.
The carrier was originally built by the former Soviet Union which named it Varyag.
Ukraine disarmed it and removed its engines before selling it to China.
Chinamaps out rural poverty alleviation for next decade
Senior Chinese leaders have convened a two-day meeting to map out efforts to alleviate poverty in the country's rural areas over the next decade as the government tries to narrow a widening wealth gap.
The working conference on poverty alleviation is being held by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. It will study the implementation of the Outline for Development-oriented Poverty Reduction for China's Rural Areas over the next 10 years.
The government has set a goal of providing adequate food and clothing for poverty-stricken people while ensuring their access to compulsory education, basic medical services and housing by 2020.
Black Friday weekend takes record-breaking haul of 52.4 bln USD
An all-time high of 226 million Americans flocked to stores and websites over the Black Friday holiday weekend, spending an estimated 52.4 billion U.S. dollars.
The National Retail Federation says shoppers kicked off the holiday season by spending an average of nearly 400 dollars on special deals and store promotions that began late Thanksgiving night.
Chicago-based ShopperTrak, which provides research on retail and mall shoppers, calculated that 2011 Black Friday single-day retail sales were up 6.6 percent from last year, making it the highest dollar amount ever spent during the day.