Hourly News updated 09:00 2011/11/09

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Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao is back in Beijing, following the latest prime ministers' meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Prime ministers have concluded the session by promising² more economic cooperation to try to minimize the negative effects of the global crisis on the banking³ and financial sectors⁴ in the SCO countries.

Premier Wen Jiabao, in concluding the meeting, has put forward a nine-point proposal on furthering trade and preparing against future challenges.

Wen Jiabao has also continued to push for the creation of a development bank within the SCO grouping.

 

 

China mulls armed escort on Mekong River

The Chinese side is considering providing armed escorts to ships navigating⁵ the Mekong River.

The revelation comes following the murder of 13 Chinese sailors on the river last month in Thailand.

The central government is now in contact with Laos, Myanmar and Thailand to finalize⁶ the plan.

Local media reports are suggesting the force may number in the range of around 600, and would involve the use of refitted merchant ships and dozens of speed-boats.

The Mekong River is a major trade route for the countries and the China-ASEAN free trade zone, but is also a haven⁷ for illegal activity in the so-called Golden Triangle.

 

 

More than 2 mln still with water difficulties in SW China's ongoing⁸ drought

New government stats now indicate that more than 2 million people are still short of drinking water in Yunnan due because of this year's drought.

Yunnan's water storage ponds and reservoirs are at their lowest level in 17 years.

More than 1.3 million heads of livestock⁹ are also having trouble accessing adequate drinking water.

Over 60-thousand hectares of farmland have been damaged by the drought.

According to the provincial¹⁰ meteorological bureau, the drought conditions are likely to worsen in March and April, with a delay in the rainy season expected.

 

 

China approves first aviation service base for business jets

The central government has now approved China's first aviation service base for business jets.

With the license¹¹, the Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport can now repair and maintain business jets.

Business jets in the Asian-Pacific region used to be maintained and repaired overseas.

The base has the capacity to maintain over 40 business jets a year.

 

 

Italy's Berlusconi to resign after austerity plan approved

The office of the President of Italy has released a statement, saying that Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi will resign after austerity measures demanded by the European Council are approved.

Berlusconi's decision comes after he lost his parliamentary majority in a vote on the budget Tuesday.

Both opposition¹² parties and Berlusconi's allies have urged the embattled prime minister to step down amid the current debt problems and his legal challenges.

Among those calling for Berlusconi resignation is his leading political ally, Umberto Bossi, who is leader of a conservative party in the north of Italy where Berlusconi draws most of his public support.

 

 

IAEA report says Iran engaged in nuclear weapon-related activities

A new International Atomic Energy Agency report now indicates that Iran has been involved in the development of nuclear weapons.

In its latest report on Iran's nuclear program, the UN's nuclear watchdog has listed a series of "credible¹³" pieces of evidence that Iran had been carrying out projects and experiments suspected being involved in nuclear warhead design at least until 2010.

Ihe IAEA report says some of these activities are possibly still in progress.

However, Teheran is rejecting the report as "unbalanced, unprofessional and politically motivated."

 

 

Liberia concludes presidential run-off voting as counting commences

Vote counting is now underway in the Presidential run-off election in Liberia.

Reports on the ground indicate that the vote went off without any major problems, despite pre-election violence on Monday that left one person dead.

Local reports indicate that many of the roughly 2.5-million people eligible¹⁴ to vote didn't bother turning out, afraid to venture out in case there was unrest.

The vote has pit incumbent¹⁵ Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf against opposition rival Winston Tubman, who's party boycotted¹⁶ the run-off election campaign, suggesting fraud in the first round of voting.

Johnson-Sirleaf is widely expected to win the run-off, which would keep her in office for another 6-year.

 

 

China issues first certificate for right of using uninhabited island

The Chinese government has issued the first approval for the development of the dozens of uninhabited islands off this country's coast.

The Ningbo Longgang Industrial Company has acquired the certificate to develop Danmenshan Island, which is off the coast of Ningbo in Zhejiang.

The company spent some 3.4 million yuan to get the certificate.

It is authorized¹⁷ to use the island for 50 years.

The island is among a list of 176 uninhabited islands identified by the central authorities this year.

With government-issued certificates, individuals and companies can use the uninhabited islands for tourism, transport, storage, fishing, and public services.

 

 

China launches 1st Mars probe

China's first Mars probe, the Yinghuo-1, has been sent into space along with a Russian probe.

Yinghuo-1 is expected to live out its life in space and communicate with ground control directly via satellites.

The Chinese probe is designed with a two-year life.

It's goal is to try to discover why water disappeared from Mars.

Yinghuo-1 is also designed to shed light on other environmental changes on the planet.

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