China issues emergency response to Shanxi flood

The central government has sent in teams to try to cope with the recent flooding that has hit Shanxi.
7 people have been killed, and 3 others are missing, since the heavy rains began battering the province last week.
The rains have forced over 120-thousand people from their homes.
The flooding has also toppled over 30-thousand houses.
5 SW China mine collapse victims in good condition: doctor

5 miners trapped underground for some 96-hours have been rescued.
All are said to be in stable condition.
The men became trapped underground last Wednesday following a collapse at a mine in Guizhou.
53 other men who were sent in to try to retrieve the men later became trapped themselves after another collapse.
It took 6-hours to get them out.
Railway ministry aims to raise $4.2b in bond sale

The Ministry of Railways is hoping to raise 27-billion yuan in a new bond issue.
The money raised will be used in the construction of 51 rail projects.
The offering will be the 3rd for the ministry this year.
At the same time, the State Council has announced plans to roll out a number of key projects in the railways and public utilities sectors to try to attract private investment.
China reforms railway court system

China's railway courts are being integrated into the country's civilian court system.
Under a new set of orders issued by China's Supreme People's Court, the railway courts will be funded by local finances.
All postings for the railway courts will be made at the local level as well.
But under the changes, the railway courts, which used to deal with railway-related cases exclusively, will be able to deal with civil and criminal cases as well, as of tomorrow.
Securities firms may get new refinancing plan

The China Securities Journal is reporting preparations are close to being completed for securities firms to expand their margin trading and securities lending.
Under the new program, securities companies are going to be allowed to borrow money or stocks on behalf of their clients.
Margin financing and share lending has been restricted in China for a number of years.
However, the new head of the China Securities Regulatory Commission recently decided to open up margin trading and securities lending again to try to get more activity on the stock markets.
12 first-degree charges laid against Colorado shooting suspect

Colorado prosecutors have charged the suspect in the Colorado theatre rampage with 12 counts of first-degree murder.
24-year-old James Holmes has also been charged with 58 counts of attempted murder.
He faces 142 charges in total.
Holmes face the death penalty if convicted.
10 victims in the shooting remain in hospital.
4 of them are still in critical condition.
Holmes is also facing explosives-related charges connected to his booby-trapped apartment.
Holmes was arrested shortly after the rampage, which took place on July 20th during a midnight showing of the new Batman movie.
Authorities have so far not talked about a possible motive in the case.
Americans want next president to prioritize job creation, reducing corruption: poll

A new survey in the United States is showing that jobs seem to be the major priority for the next President.
The poll by USA Today and Gallup has found 92-percent of those asked rate jobs as the top priority of the 12 items listed.
2nd on the list of priorities is reducing federal government corruption.
The survey is also suggesting dealing with the federal budget deficit and terrorism also rank high on the list of priorities for voters.
The poll comes amid recent polling which suggests a tightening of the race between incumbent Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney heading into November's vote.
Syria explicitly accuses Saudi, Qatar, Turkey of supporting armed insurgents

The Syrian government is openly accusing Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey of funding and arming the insurgency in the country.
The accusation has come in a letter sent to UN Security Council.
The Syrian government says Turkey has been allowing the safe passage of mercenaries into Syria.
At the same time, the Syrian note is accusing its opponents of trying to derail the peace process to try to create the political conditions for the destruction of the Syrian state.
U.S., Germany pledge determination to tackle euro crisis

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble and U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner have issued a joint call for international cooperation to try to tackle the euro crisis.
This follows a meeting of the two at the North Sea holiday resort of Sylt in Germany.
Both Geithner and Schaeuble have taken time to laud Spain and Italy's attempts to bring in "far reaching fiscal and structural reforms."
Geithner is also due to meet with European Central Bank President Mario Draghi.
The meeting follow's Draghi's pledge last week to do whatever he can to keep the eurozone alive, which is expected to enclude a massive new round of bond-buybacks.
Russia to float out new-generation warships, submarines

The Russian goverment has unveiled new plans to roll out a new batch of naval vessels.
President Vladimir Putin has revealed plans to create 51 new Russian surface warships and two-dozen new submarines by 2020.
The Russian goverment is planning to pour in close to 137-billion US dollars into the projects.
This is part of Russia's overall rearmament program, which has been set at 680-billion US dollars over the next 8-years.