Chinese team arrives in Sudan for rescuing hostages

A Chinese working team has arrived in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum to try to assist in the rescue of the Chinese workers who are missing or being held hostage after an attack over the weekend.
The 6-member team is being led by the Chinese foreign ministry, and includes officials from the cabinet's State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission.
The team is designed to help the Chinese embassy in Sudan with both planning rescue operations and coordiating with Sudanese authorities.
China's ambassador to Sudan is Luo Xiaoguang.
"29 workers are still being held by the rebels, and there's no report of their casualties yet. We'll urge the Sudanese side to take active rescue efforts under the condition of ensuring their safety."
Rebels with Sudan People's Liberation Army attacked the Chinese company camp on Saturday, capturing 29 Chinese workers.
17 others managed to escape. One is still missing.
25 Chinese workers held by locals in Egypt's Sinai

25 Chinese nationals working for a cement factory in Egypt are being held captive by locals in the Sinai.
The group were heading for their work site when their bus was commandeered.
Their captors are demanding the Egyptian government release a number of their tribesmen who have been imprisoned for a number of years.
An official with the Chinese embassy in Cairo is on his way to try to deal with the situation.
The 25 Chinese captives are said to be safe.
Efforts to contain river pollution in south China Making Progress

Local authorities in Guangxi now say the water supply for the city of Liuzhou is not going to be cut off because of the cadmium spill in the Long River.
New lab analysis indicates the cadmium concentration levels near Liuzhou's water plant are still sitting at around twice the official limit.
Despite the high levels of cadmium in the Long River, the drinking water produced by four major water plants in Liuzhou yesterday was up to standard.
7 chemical plant executives have since been detained in connection with the contamination.
China's "father of hybrid rice" receives 2011 Mahathir Science Award

China's leading agricultural scientist has recieved a prestigious award from the authorities in Malaysia.
Yuan Longping, the so-called "father of hybrid rice," has been awarded the 2011 Mahathir Science prize.
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad -- to whom the prize is named after -- has personally given the award to the 81-year old Yuan.
Yuan Longping is credited with developing so-called "super rice" in the 1960s, and continues his work on hybrid rice strains even today.
UN Security Council meets over Syrian situation

联合国安理会调查叙利亚情况

The 15-member UN Security Council is now holding an open session to decide whether to adopt an Arab League plan that calls for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to stand down.
The Arab League is calling on the Security Council to take "rapid and decisive action".
The draft calls for Assad to hand power to one of his deputies.
Syria's UN ambassador says the Syrian side will not accept any foreign interference, alleging that certain countries are dreaming of a return to the colonial times.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, British Foreign Secretary William Hague and French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe are among those in the Security Council meeting.
A Security Council vote on the new Syrian draft could be made by the end of this week.
Iran and IAEA

伊朗和IAEA

Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency have agreed to continue their nuclear talks.
The decision has come after three days of initial meetings.
Those meetings are being described by the Iranian side as "positive and constructive," though no official details have been unveiled.
A high-ranking IAEA delegation arrived in Tehran this past weekend for a tour of Iran's nuclear facilities.
These talks are the first since the UN atomic watchdog put out a call in November for a resumption of talks, despite an earlier contention by the IAEA that Iran had been working on nuclear weapons' construction for quite some time.
Search of Italian cruise ship abandoned

意大利游轮搜索被搁置

Italian authorities have abandoned the search for bodies in the submerged sections of the capsized cruise ship Costa Concordia.
The Italian civil protection agency says it's no-longer safe for divers to continue working in the underwater sections.
A total of 17 bodies have been recovered since the accident.
15 others remain unaccounted for.
Some 4-thousand people were on the luxury cruise liner when it ran aground and began listing off the western coast of Italy last month.
Eastern Europe's cold snap kills 60

东欧寒流致使60人死亡

The death toll from the severe cold snap gripping Eastern Europe now stands at at least 60 people.
At least 30 of them, mostly homeless, have died in Ukraine.
Some 24-thousand people have sought refuge in shelters across that country.
Deaths are also being reported in Poland, Romania and Bulgaria.