8 rescued from flooded mine in central China

Eight miners have been rescued after being trapped for over three days under a flooded mine in Hunan.
The miners have been rushed to hospital for further treatment.
Four others miners have been confirmed alive and are waiting to be lifted out of the pit in Leiyang city.
However the remaining four are unaccounted for.
The mine flooded on Wednesday afternoon when 40 miners were working underground. 24 of them managed to escape.
The mine owner is in police custody.
Short circuit causes fatal fire in Tianjin

Police in Tianjin says that an electrical short circuit caused the mall fire which left 10 people dead and 16 others injured on June 30th.
Investigators have found that the short circuit of a warehouse air conditioner in Laide mall in Jixian County triggered the fire.
Nine out of the 16 injured have been discharged from hospital.
Police say they have caught the internet users who spread false rumors of a greater number of deaths in the fire.
Death toll in Nigeria village massacre hits 90

At least 90 people were killed over the weekend in central Nigeria in suspected sectarian attacks.
The greatest reported loss of life was in Matsai village in northern Nigeria's Plateau State, where 50 burnt bodies were discovered in a church.
A further 20 people were killed in at a mass burial of victims in the city of Jos.
On Friday, another 20 were reportedly killed in the town of Barkinladi by an unidentified gunman.
Muslim herdsmen from the Fulani ethnic group have been blamed for the attacks but they deny any wrongdoing.
Putin declares July 9 day of mourning for flood victims

Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared Monday a day of national mourning for floods victims.
Flags will fly at half mast in Russia and at its missions abroad on Monday.
Cultural organizations and state-owned television channels have been advised to refrain from showing entertainment programs.
More than 150 people have been killed by torrential rain and floods in southern Russia.
Local authorities say losses could exceed one billion roubles, or some 300 million US dollars.
Over 130,000 Syrians flee to Jordan since 2011

Jordan's Prime Minister Fayez Tarawneh says that over 130,000 Syrians have crossed the border into his country since the start of the unrest in their country in 2011.
Tarawneh claimed on Sunday that the influx was placing increasing pressure on Jordan's limited resources.
Jordan has yet to open a camp for Syrian refugees, although the Kingdom has appealed to the international community to assist with the ongoing aid efforts.
Mursi orders parliament to reconvene

The newly elected Egyptian president, Mohamed Mursi, has ordered the country's legislative assembly to reconvene, one month after it was controversially dissolved.
The decree will put Mursi at odds with Egypt's military leaders.
The military ordered the dissolution of parliament last month, as party members had contested seats reserved for independents. The decision sparked large scale protests on Cairo's Tahrir Square.
Mursi - whose party the Muslim Brotherhood had won most seats in parliament - said Sunday that the body should reconvene until a new house could be elected.
China's premier warns of further economic slowdown

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has reiterated the stern position that the recent interest rate cut will not trigger a new round of real estate speculation.
Wen Jiabao stated that local rules aimed at cooling a surge in house prices will be punished during his visit to eastern China.
He also noted that China's economy faces pressure to slow further despite stimulus measures.
The government has cut interest rates twice in a month, reduced gasoline prices and promised more spending on low-cost housing to revive growth that fell to a nearly three-year low of 8.1 percent in the first quarter.
Jiangxi lead poisoning sees 12 plants temporarily shut

Twelve industrial plants in Jiangxi have been temporarily shut down after more than a dozen children were found to have excessive lead levels in their blood.
The plants are mainly involved in copper, recycled paper and petrochemical products.
However, none of the 30 companies at the local industrial park have business involving lead.
Meanwhile, tests on samples of water and air have yielded nothing unusual. More children are yet to be tested.
Excessive amounts of lead in the blood harm the nervous and reproductive systems and can cause high blood pressure and anemia. In severe cases, it can lead to coma and death.
S China Sea wildlife survey planned

The forestry administration of Hainan is set to launch a survey of wildlife on and around the South China Sea Islands.
The one-month survey is the first of its kind in China, covering the entire ecosystem of the South China Sea Islands.
The administration said the project will be part of a nation-wide survey to be launched next year.
The survey is expected to cover marine life, birds and amphibians on the islands and in their surrounding waters.

Greek coalition gov't wins confidence vote
Greece's 3-party coalition government won a vote of confidence in Parliament early Monday, ending months of political uncertainty in the country.
The vote was split strictly down party lines, with the conservative New Democracy, the socialist PASOK and moderate Democratic Left all casting their 179 votes in favour.
All 121 opposition deputies, including the Radical Left Syriza, voted against.
The vote clears the way for the Greece to embark on the first round of negotiations with its international creditors to overcome the country's debt crisis.