China issues its second national plan for human rights protection

The Chinese government has issued its second national plan for human rights protection.
The National Human Rights Action Plan of China, promises to work for happiness and dignity of every citizen.
The new plan also states China will carry out community-based rehabilitation services for 13-million disabled people in the coming years.
China is among 29 countries worldwide to issue a national plan for human rights protection.
Shenzhou-9 to face tests of adverse weather

Meteorologists are warning that the Shenzhou-9 manned spacecraft is likely to face thunderstorms, high

temperatures and other adverse weather conditions ahead of its launch this summer.
Li Dongxiang, head of the meteorology office at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center said thunderstorms are the greatest hazard for the craft and - if extreme weather does happen - it could be disastrous.
Meteorological reports for the last 30 years reveal that thunderstorms occur twice as often in the area during the summer months.
Li says that nearly 30 weather forecasters are working on the craft's launch scheduled in mid-June.
China to boost air transport capacity

A top civil aviation official says China will build more airports and expand airline fleets, as the number of flights in the country is expected to double by 2020.
Li Jiaxiang, head of the Civil Aviation Administration of China said Chinese people will make 700 million air journeys annually by 2020 and that China will have over 240 airports open for civil use by then, up from 180 of last year.
Li made the annoucement at the annual conference of the International Air Transport Association in Beijing.
He added that China's civil aviation industry saw increased revenues but reduced profits in 2011, as passenger flow slowed and jet fuel costs increased.
China issues regulations to protect overseas workers

The Chinese government has issued new regulations for the management of foreign labor service enterprises to protect workers sent overseas.
According to the regulation, foreign labor service enterprises will each be required to create a bank account containing no less than 3 million yuan in order to cover potential risks.
Foreign labor service providers are not allowed to charge any service fees or financial guarantees from the workers they have signed labor contracts with.
The regulations will go into effect on Aug. 1st.
100 feared dead after earthquake in Afghanistan

At least 100 people are feared dead after an earthquake and landslide buried more than 20 houses in northern Afghanistan on Monday.
U.S. Geological Survey reported an earthquake measuring magnitude 5.4 struck the Hindu Kush region in the morning, followed by a 5.7 quake.
Both were felt as far away as the Afghan capital, Kabul, where buildings shook.
Local authorities in Baghlan province said a massive landslide triggered by the quakes buried houses so deep that rescuers gave up trying to use shovels to dig through the debris.
Over 20 killed by gunmen in northern Nigeria

An armed gang has killed at least 20 people in two villages in northern Nigeria, according to local police.
80 gunmen on motorcycles are reported to have opened fire on residents of Dan-Guibi and Guru Villages in Nigeria's Zamfara state.
The attacks are believed to be in revenge for the killing of a suspected group of armed robbers by local villagers and vigilante groups last year.
Authorities do not believe that the Islamist group Boko Harem – which carried out two deadly attacks on Christian services at the weekend – is in any way connected.
British chancellor denies conspiracy deal with Murdoch over BSkyB

British Chancellor George Osborne says there was "no conspiracy" to hand control of BSkyB over to media tycoon Rupert Murdoch.
At a public inquiry into media conduct and ethics in the UK, Osborne said that News Corp's 8-billion-pound bid for the broadcaster had been a "political inconvenience" and called the conspiracy claims "nonsense."
BSkyB - of which News Corp owns a 39.14-percent controlling stake - is the largest pay-TV broadcaster in Britain and Ireland.
The Leveson Inquiry - launched after the News International phone hacking scandal - was attempting to discover if Murdoch's company promised support for the UK Conservative Party in return for assistance in its bid to acquire full control of BSkyB.
The bid was dropped in the wake of the hacking scandal.
Apple previews iOS 6 with new Maps,Siri features

Apple has previewed the upcoming version of its mobile operating system iOS 6, with notable features including support for more languages and new Apple-designed Maps apps.
The intelligent personal assistant Siri will support more languages such as Mandarin, Cantonese, Spanish, Italian and Korean.
Scott Forstall, Apple's senior vice president of iOS software, introduced the new mobile platform at Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco.
The iOS 6 will be available in a few months as a free software update for iPhone, the new iPad, iPad 2 and fourth -generation iPod touch.