China, UAE establish strategic partnership

China and the United Arab Emirates have now decided to set up a relationship of strategic partnership.

The two sides have signed a joint communique, promising to establish a "long-term and comprehensive" strategic relationship in the energy sector.

Wen Jiabao says the move will create a broader prospect for the bilateral ties between the two countries.

The Chinese Premier now in Dubai.

As part of his time there, Wen Jiabao has also paid a visit to the Dragon Mart, China's largest overseas trading center, which accommodates some 4-thousand Chinese business owners.

China, India sign pact on border consultation, coordination working mechanism

China and India have now agreed to set up a working mechanism for consultation and coordination over their border issues.

The agreement is part of the 15th round of border talks between the two sides, which have been just concluded in New Dehli.

At the same time, the two sides have restated their expectations about maintaining peace along the shared border.

China and India share a long and still disputed border, which has remained largely peaceful since a brief border war in 1962.

Yahoo! co-founder Jerry Yang resigns from company

雅虎創始人楊致遠辭職

A big shake-up in the corporate world on Tuesday.

Yahoo! has announced that it's co-founder, Jerry Yang, has resigned from all his positions with the company.

Taiwan-born Jerry Yang has also resigned from his position on China-based Alibaba's board as well.

Yang -- who co-founded the company in 1995 -- has been at odds with Yahoo! in recent years.

A number of the company's shareholders have been calling for his head, following his move to block Yahoo's takeover by Microsoft in 2008.

He is also said to have told private equity firms recently that he and other board members would oppose any full takeover of Yahoo!

In a statement to the company, Yang says he's quitting Yahoo! to focus on other interests, and says he's optimistic about Scott Thompson's recent appointment as the new CEO of Yahoo!.

"Frequent hazy days" listed among top environment news in 2011

The headline reading "Frequent hazy days triggering public concern" is now listed among the top ten environmental news items for last year by a leading Chinese environment newspaper.

China Environment News, run by the Environment Ministry, says smoggy days shrouded the skylines of Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Jinan and many other Chinese cities during October and November.

These 'hazy days' helped stir up public discussion about Chinese air quality measuring standards.

Other top environment news items from this past year include ConocoPhillips-China's oil spill in Bohai Bay, Japan's earthquake and ensuing nuclear leak crisis and the Horn of Africa suffering through a once-in-a-century drought.

Iran warns Saudi on possible Iranian oil embargo

伊朗警告沙特勿增產原油

Iran is urging Saudi Arabia to rethink its offer to offset losses in the world oil market if the European Union imposes an oil embargo on Iranian exports.

Saudi Arabia's Oil Minister suggested earlier this week that his country would be able to increase its oil output by over two million barrels per day to meet the gap, should European countries ban Iranian oil imports.

Saudi Arabia is said to be the only OPEC member with enough spare capacity to make up the shortfall if Iranian oil exports are blocked.

European leaders are expected to decide by the end of this month whether to bring in an Iranian oil embargo.

AL to send 10 more observers to Syria

阿聯盟向敘利亞派出10名觀察者

Despite previous reports to the contrary, the Arab League has now announced that it's sending in more observers into Syria.

10 new international observers will head to the country, which will bring the number of observers back in the country up to 165.

The 10 new observers replace 10 others who left.

The Arab League insists the 10 who are leaving are going for personal reasons, and not out of any frustration with the AL's mission in the country.

There has been growing criticism of the Arab League's mission in Syria, including from at least one former observer.

Shocking audio shows captain abandoned Costa Concordia

震撼聲音顯示船長瀆職棄船而逃

Searchers have discovered 5 more bodies in the stricken Italian cruise liner Costa Concordia, raising the official death toll to 11.

At least 24 people still remain unaccounted for.

Searchers have been blasting holes in the ship, trying to enter the parts they have not yet been able to search.

The 52-year-old captain of the boat is now facing charges of manslaughter and abandoning ship.

Captain Francesco Schettino denies those charges.

A recording of a call between the Captain and a port official shortly after the cruise ship ran aground appears to suggest he left the ship before the passengers did.

Some 4-thousand people were on the luxury cruise liner when it ran aground and began listing off the western coast of Italy on Friday.

Canada leaves key interest rate unchanged at 1 percent

加拿大央行維持基準利率1%不變

Canada's central bank has left its key interest rate unchanged at 1 percent, as a slowing global economy weighs on growth in Canada.

The Bank of Canada says it expects the recession in Europe to be deeper and longer than it previously expected.

The bank also says the pace of growth in Canada is expected to be more modest than previously thought, largely due to factors in Europe and the U.S.

However, the Bank of Canada is also downgrading is predictions because of a slowdown of Chinese growth.