Shenzhou-8 has safely returned to earth.

The unmanned space craft touched down last night in the northern grasslands. 

During its 17-day flight, Shenzhou-8 successfully rendezvoused and docked twice with the Tiangong-1 experimental space lab.

Two more Shenzhou missions are planned for next year, one of which is expected to be manned.

The Shenzhou missions are being used to pave the way for the establishment of a manned Chinese space station by 2020.

 

 

ASEAN Summit not to focus on South China Sea issue

 

China and the ASEAN countries have agreed that the ongoing summits should not be focused disputes in the South China Sea.

The verbal agreement has come following a meeting between Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono after the start of the summit in Bali.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Liu Weimin.

"China has always been advocating that the South China Sea issue should be resolved between China and all the other claimants through negotiations. ASEAN, as a whole, is not a concerned party of the South China Sea issue. We don't want to have the South China Sea issue discussed in a multi-lateral setting."

This year's annual ASEAN summit is set to address a broad range of issues, including the global economy, climate change, food and energy security and regional integration. 

Meantime, the leaders have also agreed that Myanmar will chair the regional bloc in 2014.

 

 

Death toll in Gansu school bus accident rises to 21

 

The death toll in this week's deadly school bus accident in Gansu has risen to 21.

A five-year-old boy has died of his injuries.

He was among dozens who were crammed into an overloaded minibus which crashed head-on with a truck while on its way to classes.

62 kindergarten children and two adults were crowded into the bus, which had just nine seats. 

19 of the children are dead, along with the 2 adults.

Dozens of others remain in hospital.

Li Zhe is one of the doctors treating the victims. 

"Most of these children have head injuries, such as concussion, and they have cuts and bruises on their heads. Some of them have broken arms and legs."

Meantime, the head of the kindergarten has been detained for "liability issues."

The driver of the truck that collided with the school bus has also been detained for causing the accident.

Two deputy county chiefs and the heads of the county's education bureau and traffic department have been suspended in the wake of the accident.

 

 

Yemen's Saleh sacks defected generals in initial reshuffle

 

Embattled Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh is moving to shore up his support within the military ranks.

Saleh has replaced 9 military leadership positions that had been left vacant, after some of his leading military men defected to the opposition.

Officials say that more dissident generals in northeastern and southern Yemen are expected to be sacked within the next few days.

The move comes as the international community continues to try to work toward getting an agreement to see Saleh hand over his power.

 

 

Protest broke out in major Italian cities against economic crisis

 

Massive demonstrations have broken out across Italy on Thursday in connection to the country's economic crisis.

Just days after the swearing in of a new technocrat government in Italy, throngs of young people have taken to the streets to protest against the new administration of Mario Monti.

In some instances, the protests in the various cities across Italy have turned violent.

In Rome, the Senate has been pelted with oranges and eggs, in what is being described as a "symbolic gesture of protest," as Monti presented his new government's agenda.

 

 

Spain's risk premium goes above 500 points

 

Ahead of the much-anticipated election this weekend, new signs that Spain may be headed toward needing a European bailout.

The latest auction of the country's 10-year government bonds has commanded a yield of 7.088-percent.

Any yield over 7-percent is considered unsustainable.

At the same time, outgoing Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero is appealing to both the EU and the European Central Bank to do more to defend the euro.

Spain's debt woes and its high unemployment rate are expected to propel the country's main, center-right opposition party into power following the election on Sunday.

 

 

Anti-Wall Street demonstration in Los Angeles ends with arrests

 

The anti-Wall Street demonstration in the heart of the downtown Los Angeles' financial district have come to an end, with police arresting nearly 2-dozen people.

23 suspects are in custody, after they formed a circle and blocked an intersection as part of their protest. 

The streets in the area have been re-opened to traffic.

The protesters have now left the area. 

The arrests comes as hundreds in Los Angeles turned out for Thursday's so-called "National Day of Action for the 99%."