Cuba's chief Raul Castro to visit China

It's been confirmed that Cuban leader Raul Castro is set to pay a state visit to China later this week.
It will be Raul's first state visit to China.
Cuba and China established diplomatic relations in 1960.
Beijing is Havana's second largest trading partner with their trade totalling 1 billion dollars in 2010.
Heavy rain to sweep southwest, central China

Heavy rain is expected to sweep across southwest and central China in the next three days, while thunderstorms are forecast for northeastern regions.
Torrential rain will hit the areas along the Huaihe Rivers and the Sichuan Basin.
Inner Mongolia and other northeast regions are also expected to see rain as well as possible hail and thunderstorms.
This summer's floods, gales and mudslides have killed 50-people and left over 40 others missing across China.
Bribe-taking Inner Mongolia official jailed for life

A former senior official of north China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region has been convicted of taking bribes and sentenced to life imprisonment.
A Beijing court has found Liu Zhuo-zhi, former vice chairman of the autonomous region's government, took more than 8-million yuan in bribes between 2002 and 2010.
The bribes were paid to him whilst he was government head of the Xilingol League in Western Inner Mongolia and vice chairman of the autonomous region's government.
Mexico's Institutional Revolutionary Party poised to get back to power

Enrique Pena Nieto is claiming victory in Mexico's presidential election.
With most of the votes counted, Nieto is six points ahead of his nearest rival.
Nieto's Institutional Revolutionary Party, which governed Mexico for over 70 years, has returned to power after a 12 year interval.
The economy and drug related crime have been the main issues in the election.
45-year-old Nieto is pledging to focus on improving of infrastructure and public services.
2 million in east US still without power amid record heat

Record temperatures continue to bake the eastern United States, with about 2 million people still living without power following violent storms last Friday.
In Washington D.C., temperatures smashed all-time records, topping 100 degrees Fahrenheit or 38 Celsius.
Over two dozen cities across the region saw their records broken or equalled over the past week.
Emergencies have been declared in several US states after storms killed at least 18 people.
AU strongly condemns destruction of religious mausoleums in Mali

The African Union has condemned the destruction of religious mausoleums in the historic Malian city of Timbuktu.
The Ansar Dine group, which is believed to have close links to al-Qaeda, seized control of the city earlier this year. They have already destroyed many of Timbuktu's world renowned shrines, which they say contravene their strict interpretation of Islam.
UNESCO has also strongly condemned the attacks and is calling on neighboring countries to prevent the theft and smuggling of valuable religious artifacts.
Known as the City of 333 saints, Timbuktu owes its international fame to its role in the 15th and 16th centuries as a centre of Islamic learning.
ICC team accused of spying released in Libya

Four staff members from the International Criminal Court (ICC) have been released from detention in Libya. The four had been held by authorities for the last month on suspicion of spying.
The teams were arrested last month while visiting Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of deposed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, in the town of Zintan.
Saif al-Islam has been indicted by the ICC in The Hague for crimes against humanity.
However, the Zintan militia has so far refused to hand over Gaddafi to the ICC, insisting that he be tried in a Libyan court.
British parliament to conduct banking inquiry

The British Prime Minister David Cameron has announced a full parliamentary inquiry into the banking sector.
Monday's decision follows the scandal over the rigging of the London interbank lending rate – or Libor –by Barclays Bank.
The bank's chairman, Marcus Agius, handed in his resignation on Monday due to the furore, although there are still calls for Barclay's chief executive Bob Diamond to lose his job.
Cameron's announcement follows news that the UK's Serious Fraud Office is considering whether to bring criminal charges over the case.
GSK fined 3 billion USD over bogus drug promoting

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) – one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies – is to pay a 3 billion US dollar fine for promoting drugs for unapproved use.
GSK admitted to promoting the anti-depressants Paxil and Wellbutrin for unapproved use, including the treatment of children and adolescents.
The company also admitted to failing to report safety data about a diabetes drug to the US Food and Drug Administration.
The fine is largest fraud settlement in US history.
Celebrations continuing for Spain as they celebrate their Euro victory

The celebration continues for Spain as the European Champions met their King on Monday as part of a day long ceremony celebrating their Euro victory.
Spain defeated Italy in the final 4-0 in the Ukraine.
The team flied back to Spain to start the festivities meeting the King and parading around the Spanish capital in an open-top bus.