Chinese president arrives in Kuala Lumpur for state visit
Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in Kuala Lumpur for a state visit to Malaysia.
It is the second leg of President Xi Jinping's maiden trip to Southeast Asia since he assumed presidency in March.
During his stay in the country, the Chinese President is scheduled to meet Supreme Head of State Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah.
He will also hold talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.
The two leaders will attend the China-Malaysia Economic Cooperation Summit.
Gunshots fired outside Capitol Hill
Gunshots has been fired outside the US Capitol in Washington.
The incident began after police began a chase after a car which tried to ram through a White House barricade.
This led to an entire lock-down of the Capitol complex for about an hour.
It also forced both houses of Congress into recess.
The vehicle was driven by woman who had a one-year old child with her.
The woman has been confirmed killed after a crash involving her vehicle.
The child has since been taken to hospital.
The condition of the child hasn't been disclosed.
Authorities say there is no connection to terrorism.
Ahead of the disruption, US lawmakers had been trying to find common ground to try to end the government shutdown.
The House had just finished approving legislation aimed at putting National Guard and Reserve members back on the job.
130 killed as boat capsized off an Italian island
At least 130 African migrants have died, and many more are missing, after their boat capsized off the southern Italian island of Lampedusa.
It's being reported the ship caught fire, with passengers reportedly throwing themselves into the sea to escape the smoke and flames.
Over 150 have survived.
The number of missing is still unclear.
The wreck is one of the worst such disasters to occur off the Italian coast in recent years.
A day of national mourning has been declared.
Earlier this week, 13 migrants drowned while trying to reach Sicily.
In wake of the latest incident, the Italian government is calling on its European Union partners to take more collective responsibility.
The United Nations says a growing number of people trying to make it to Italian shores are from Syria.
Tropical Storm Karen forms in Gulf of Mexico
A new tropical storm has formed in the Gulf of Mexico.
Forecasters in the US are projecting tropical storm Karen is going to hit the US Gulf Coast.
Currently its tracking toward New Orleans, and may make it there later on this Friday.
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has already delcared a state of emergency for the state.
In the meantime, Karen is bringing heavy rains to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.
Mexico is still trying to recover from Hurricane Ingrid and tropical storm Manuel.
The two storms hit on both sides of the country at virtually the same time, leaving at least 159 people dead in Mexico.
The storms also forced tens of thousands people out of their homes.
New radioactive water leak found at Fukushima plant
Tokyo Electric Power or TEPCO has found a fresh leakage in a storage tank reported to be holding highly radioactive water.
They admit the contaminated water may have entered the Pacific Ocean.
TEPCO official suggested the overflow was the result of a worker misjudging the capacity of the tank that is tilting due to an uneven location.
An estimated 400-litre's of water has leaked and may reach the sea via a ditch next to a concrete barrier surrounding the tank and four others.
The plant has experienced several leaks since being crippled by an earthquake and tsunami in 2011.
TEPCO discovered a leak of at least 300-tonnes of highly radioactive water at a different part of the plant last month.
Japanese authorities are reportedly unsatisfied with TEPCO's handling of the radioactive water.
The government announced this month a hundred-million-dollar plan of building a frozen wall around the plant to stop the leaks.
NW China wasp attacks leave 42 dead
At least 42 people have been killed after a surge in the number of wasp attacks in China's northwestern Shaanxi Province.
Some 16-hundred-and-40 people have been injured in the spate.
Most of the attacks have involved farmers and other people working outside.
At the moment experts say they dont know what has caused the unusual attacks.
Fire departments in the province have started removing and destroying hundreds of hives around the province.
A guideline for diagnosing and treating wasp attack victims has been issued.
Local agencies have been urged to follow procedures and ensure patients get early treatment.
Pink diamond expected to fetch over $60 million
A pink diamond unveiled by Sotheby's is set to be the most expensive diamond ever be auctioned.
The 59.60-carat oval cut pink diamond, the Pink Star, is estimated to be worth over 60 million US dollars once it goes under the hammer.
Sotheby's says it has received the highest colour and clarity grade from Gemological Institute of America.
The original rough diamond was mined in Africa in 1999 and cut and polished over two years.
The gem is more than twice as large as the former record holder the Graff Pink, which was sold for around 50 million US dollars in 2010.
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