Internationals

Xi Jinping meets the press after highly anticipated transition

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, led the other newly elected members of the Standing Committee of the 18th CPC Central Committee Political Bureau to meet the press Thursday morning at the Great Hall of the People.

 
Now not only Russians working for foreign intelligence can be convicted but also citizens who pass state secrets to any foreign organisation.
Even if no secrets have been divulged, the treason charge may still be used.
It is enough for defendants to provide consultancy or "other assistance" to a foreign state or international body "directed against Russia's security".
The maximum punishment for high treason remains 20 years in prison but under the changes, Russians can now be jailed for up to four years if they have obtained state secrets - even if they have not shared them.
They can be jailed for up to eight years if they obtain them with the help of special surveillance equipment.
Human rights campaigners believe the aim of the legislation is to scare Russians into cutting links with Western non-governmental organisations, the BBC's Steve Rosenberg reports from Moscow.
Academic to be freed

It comes three days after Amaia Egaña, who was 53, died after jumping from her fourth floor apartment in northern Spain, just before she was due to be evicted. Her death has inflamed public anger at banks, accused of being heartless.

Another man in the city of Granada and whose house was also due to be repossessed, apparently committed suicide last month.

Spain's Finance Minister, Luis De Guindos, said it was important to find a bipartisan solution to the problem.

William Hague has confirmed that Britain is switching its focus to supporting the Syrian opposition rather than trying to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis.

Speaking at the Arab League meeting in Cairo Hague snubbed a call by international envoy Lakhdar Brahimi for the UN security council to try to reach agreement on Syria. He said:

The National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces was unveiled in Doha on Sunday.

Its president will be Moaz al-Khatib, a former imam of the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus who fled Syria this year.

Meanwhile, Syrian government aircraft bombed the rebel-held town of Ras al-Ain, near the border with Turkey.

Both jets and helicopters targeted the town, sending civilians fleeing into the Turkish settlement of Ceylanpinar. Casualties were reported.

Observers and activists estimate that more than 36,000 people have been killed in the long-running uprising against President Assad. Hundreds of thousands have sought refuge in neighboring countries.

International recognition

Western and regional powers have in recent weeks put pressure on a hitherto fractious Syrian opposition to create a unified, credible body that could become a conduit for all financial and possibly military aid.

BEIJING, Nov. 9 (Xinhuanet) -- A big day today for China - The 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China has kicked off in the capital Beijing. Hu Jintao, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPC and Chinese President, delivered a keynote report to the congress, on behalf of the 17th CPC Central Committee.

China to double its 2010 GDP by 2020

 Iranian warplanes fired at an unarmed U.S. drone in international airspace last week but did not hit the aircraft, the Pentagon said on Thursday, disclosing details of an unprecedented incident that triggered a formal warning to Tehran through diplomatic channels.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama congratulated President Barack Obama in a letter Nov. 7, following the incumbent's victory over his opponent, Republican Mitt Romney.

"When you were elected in 2008, you inspired the world with a call to take responsibility for the problems we face as global citizens. Since then, you have made earnest efforts to live up to that great hope and trust placed in you by the American public. I believe you have been re-elected now in recognition of that effort," the Dalai Lama wrote.

The letter, which can be read in full on the website of the Central Tibetan Administration, went on to thank the president for his "steady encouragement of... efforts to find a peaceful resolution to the problems in Tibet."

A UFO expert said an object spotted over Tweed Heads South Wales was impossible to identify because of a lack of data.

UFO Research Queensland president Sheryl Gottschall said it was important to record information to unravel the mystery.

"When something like this happens, human ability kicks in and you should get a feel for how far away the object is," Ms Gottschall said.

"The witness in the video said it was moving one way and then another and it was too fast to be a balloon, but balloons caught in the jet stream can move very fast.

"When people take photos or film UFOs it's important they get as much of the background in the film as possible to create a context so comparisons can be made.

"If this is done its then possible to derive speed, height etc of the object and formulate some sort of opinion of what witnesses have observed."

Ms Gottschall said reports on UFOs were trickling in from southern Gold Coast and the Tweed.

NOVO-OGARYOVO, November 6 (RIA Novosti) – President Vladimir Putin relieved Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov of his duties on Tuesday, and appointed Sergei Shoigu as his replacement.

"Taking into consideration the situation that has emerged regarding the Defense Ministry, in order to create the requisite conditions for an objective investigation of all the issues, I made the decision to relieve Defense Minister Serdyukov of his duties," Putin said.