Shenzhou-9 under tests

China is now testing the manned spacecraft Shenzhou-9 and its carrier rocket at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.
Shenzhou-9 will be launched sometime in mid-June to carry out the country's first manned space docking mission with the orbiting Tianggong-1 space lab module.
Three astronauts - including China's first female astronaut - will board the spacecraft to perform the docking mission manually.
11 killed in car crash in E China

A highway pileup Saturday night has killed at least 11 people in eastern China's Anhui province.
Nearly 60 injured still remain in hospital.
Five of them are in critical condition.
Landslides kill 5 in China

Landslides triggered by heavy rain have killed at least 5 people across China.
Over 15-hundred townships in southwestern China's Guizhou have been battered by rainstorms since early Saturday.
Two people are also listed as missing in central China's Hunan.
Forecasters are warning of another spate of heavy rain due to hit the country's south and northeast in the coming days.
Spanish PM hails EU "loan", not "bailout"

The Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has hailed the 100 billion Euro package to help bolster his country's banking sector as a victory for the European single currency.
European finance ministers agreed at the weekend to lend Madrid 100 billion Euros - around 125 billion USD - to support Spanish banks hit by the fallout of bad property loans.
However, Rajoy was keen to avoid comparing the loan to the "bailouts" given to Greece, Ireland and Portugal over recent years.
The loan was "a victory for the Euro" Rajoy told reporters, adding that it would speed up credit to Spanish families and small businesses.
International reaction to the loan has mostly been positive, although some have questioned whether the amount is large enough to turn around the Spanish economy.
France's left-wing parties take lead in 1st round of legislative election

The Socialist Party of new president Francois Hollande looks set for success in the first round of voting in France's parliamentary elections.
The Socialist Party - together with left-wing allies, the Front Left and the Greens - garnered over 40 percent of the vote in the weekend poll. Former president Nicolas Sarkozy's conservative UMP took 35,4 percent and the far-right National Front 13.4.
The vote should be enough to see give Hollande sufficient parliamentary support for the ambitious package of tax and spend reforms promised in his successful presidential election campaign.
Boko Haram claims responsibility for attacks on Nigerian churches

The Islamist militant group Boko Harem have claimed responsibility for the two weekend attacks in Nigeria that left several Christians dead and dozens injured.
At least four people were killed in the central Nigerian town of Jos when a suicide bomber detonated a car bomb outside a church packed with a Sunday morning congregation. At least 50 people were also injured as the church collapsed under the force of the explosion.
Six people were later killed in deadly reprisal attacks as local residents took to the streets to voice their anger.
In a separate incident, Gunmen opened fire on a service in the northeastern Borno state, killing 5 and seriously injuring 15.
Two ministers killed in Kenya's plane crash

Two top Kenyan government officials, including the minister of internal security and his deputy, are among the dead in an air crash.
Their helicopter came down near the capital Nairobi Sunday morning on its way to a church service, killing all 6 people on board.
The accident happened exactly four years after Kenya's transport minister was killed in a plane crash in the same area.
Spain held by Italy in Group C Opener

The European Championships went underway over the weekend with defending champions Spain opening their campaign by drawing against Italy.
The Italians took the lead through Antonio Di Natale, just on the hour mark.
Cesc Fabregas then equalised just moments later.
In the other group C clash, Croatia beat Republic of Ireland 3-1 to go top of the group.
Playing today, in group D, France take on England, while Sweden and co-hosts Ukraine play the later game.
Terracotta entertainers found in Qin's Mausoleum

Archeologists in China have unearthed dozens of terracotta warriors from the Mausoleum of Emperor Qin that experts believe look like court entertainers.
They are among the some 100 terracotta soldiers in the most recent excavation of the mausoleum of the China's first emperor dating back over 2 thousand years.
Archeologists have also found burnt signs in some of the pits, further evidence that the Mausoleum was set on fire during the civil war that followed the end of Qin's reign.