Hourly News 每日新闻 2014-06-16

Chinese Ambassador to Britain Brief Media on Highlights of Premier 1 Li Keqiang's UK Visit

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is to start an official visit to the UK later on this Monday.

Li Keqiang is due to meet with Prime Minister David Cameron in London.

He's also been granted an audience with Queen Elizabeth II.

Talks connected to economic cooperation will be heavy on the Premier's UK agenda.

He is also scheduled to travel to Greece following his time in the UK.

 

China, Central Asian countries open 3rd gas line

The China National Petroleum 2 Corporation has announced a third natural gas line running from Central Asia into China is now operational.

The over 18-hundred kilometer line runs from the Turkmen-Uzbek border, and crosses through central Uzbekistan and southern Kazakhstan before going into Xinjiang.

The capasity of the new line, which currently stands at 7 billion cubic meters per year, is expected to hit 25 billion cubic meters by the end of 2015.

The three lines, built by CNPC and its central Asian partners, are expected to have a combined capacity of 55 billion cubic meters per year.

A 4th pipeline 3 is also in the works, and is expected to be operational by the end of this year.

 

Knife-wielding attackers seized in Xinjiang

There's been another knife attack in Xinjiang.

Local authorities in Hetian prefecture in southern Xinjiang say three men armed with knives stormed into a gaming parlor 4 late yesterday afternoon.

The people inside the gaming parlor fought back and set off an alarm.

The alarm then alerted nearby shop keepers and others, who armed themselves with tools then encircled the attackers.

In the end, two of the attackers were killed by the group, while the other was subdued 5 and later taken into police custody 6.

Four civilians 7 were also injured in the attack.

Authorities have not said what the motivation for the initial attack may have been, though there's been no mention of terrorism at this point.

 

NATO chief to visit Turkey amid worsening situation in Iraq

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen is due to meet with Turkish officials later on this Monday to discuss the dozens of Turkish nationals taken hostages in Iraq.

Rasmussen says he doesn't see a role for NATO to play in Iraq, but says they're monitoring the situation closely.

In taking control of the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, the al-Qaeda-affiliated group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant has kidnapped a total of 80 Turkish nationals.

The Iraqi government has also requested help from the United States in trying to root-out the insurgents 9.

US President Barack Obama says he's still reviewing options.

The Pentagon has sent an aircraft carrier and two warships 10 into the Gulf 11 through the weekend.

 

U.S. condemns 12 abduction of three Israeli teens

The US government is voicing strong condemnation 13 of the kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank.

US Secretary of State John Kerry has also issued a call for their immediate 14 release.

Three yeshiva students, two 16-year olds and a 19-year old from a religious high school in the West Bank were snatched Thursday night while returning to their homes for the weekend.

Both the Israeli government and the US side are pointing the finger at Hamas.

Hamas has yet to respond to the allegations, and no group has yet claimed responsibility.

In response to the kidnapping, the Israeli government has turned the city of Hebron into a military zone.

Israeli warplanes have also been launching strikes on suspected militant 15 targets in the region.

Security at border checkpoints has also been increased.

 

Pakistan sends troops to the North Waziristan region after a deadly attack by militants 16

The Pakistani military has launched, what's being described, as a "comprehensive operation" against militants holed up in the tribal 17 areas of Northern Waziristan, a week after a deadly insurgent 8 attack on the country's biggest airport in the southern port city of Karachi.

A curfew has been imposed in the region.

The Army is also setting up checkpoints to search for suspected insurgents.

Many people living in the region are now trying to flee the area.

The Taliban and ethnic 18 Uzbek fighters have both claimed responsibility for last Sunday's commando-style attack on Karachi airport.

The attack has come as Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif struggles to try to get the Taliban to the negotiating table for talks.

 

5.8-magnitude quake jolts 19 Fukushima, northeast Japan

A strong earthquake has rattled 20 the Fukushima region of Japan.

The 5.8-magnitude quake hit shortly after 5am this morning local time.

It was strong enough to be felt as far away as Tokyo.

So far no damage or injuries have been reported, and no tsunami 21 alerts have been issued.

 

Tanker 22 has close encounter with pirates in South China Sea

The Singaporian Navy says it helped fend 23 off a pirate attack on a Singapore-based tanker in the South China Sea over the weekend.

The tanker came under attack by pirates on Saturday.

The Singaporian Navy, along with naval 24 forces from Malaysia and Indonesia, also helped chase off the pirates before they managed to loot the vessel 25.

Pirate attacks in the South China Sea have been on the rise in the past few years after the international community turned its focus mostly to the Gulf of Aden off the Horn of Africa.