President:China will ensure SCO summit's success
China says it will make its utmost efforts to ensure the success of the Beijing summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
President Hu Jintao made the pledge during a meeting with foreign ministers from the SCO member states of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
He sais the Beijing summit, slated for June, is an important meeting in terms of inheriting past traditions and breaking new ground, adding that China will prepare well for the meeting and enhance its contact with other members.
Death toll rises to 37 in NW China storms;19 still missing
The death toll has risen to 37 and 19 others remained missing after hail and torrential rains battered a mountainous county in northwest China.
Authorities say the storms have affected 358,000 people in Minxian county, Gansu province, forcing the evacuation of nearly 30,000 local residents.
The hail and torrential rains destroyed basic facilities, cut power supplies and damaged the communication network in the area.
The national flood control and drought relief headquarters has issued fresh warnings to northwestern provinces,urging them to step up weather monitoring and flood prevention efforts.
China again issues alert for rainstorm in south
China's national observatory has issued a blue alert for a new round of rainstorms expected to hit the country's southern regions over next three days.
The National Meteorological Center says from Saturday to Monday, heavy rains are likely to fall in most parts of regions along the Yangtze, Hanjiang and Huaihe rivers as well as south China.
It urges local authorities in south China to strengthen monitoring and guard against possible geological disasters such as landslides.
Meanwhile, the center forecast thunderstorms, strong winds and hail in southeastern parts of northwest China,Sichuan province and Qinghai-Tibet Plateau within the next 24 hours.
5 dead in N China mine fire
A coal mine fire has killed five people in north China's Hebei province.
The accident occurred in the Jiazhuang Coal Mine in Jingxing county yesterday. A preliminary investigation indicated that seven miners were working underground when the mine's air compressor caught fire.
Two of the miners managed to escape, while the other five were suffocated.
The local security department has launched a further investigation into the case.
China's consumer confidence falls in April
China's consumer confidence fell slightly last month as food prices rebounded in late April, according to a report released yesterday.
The decline was largely blamed on a rebound in food prices, especially produce, in late April, as the Labor Day holiday boosted domestic demand.
The National Bureau of Statistics says China's consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, rose 3.4 percent year on year in April, easing slightly from the 3.6-percent rate registered in March.
Russian team arrives to join plane crash investigation
A team of Russian investigators and government officials have now arrived in Indonesia to join the probe into this week's deadly plane crash outside Jakarta.
One of the team's tasks will be to identify the 10 Russian nationals, who were among the 45 people on the plane when it went down Wednesday.
The Russian-built Sukhoi passanger jet was on a demonstration run, filled with commercial industry officials and potential buyers, when it slammed into the side of a mountain outside Jakarta Wednesday afternoon.
While the cause of the crash remains unclear, it has been noted the pilot of the ill-fated plane did ask for permission to descend just before the plane dropped off the radar screens.
Government allied parties grab absolute majority in Algeria's new parliament
The ruling National Liberation Front (FLN) remains the first political force in Algeria after grabbing 220 of the 462 seats in the parliament, followed by its partner National Democratic Rally (RND) with 68 seats, according to the latest results.
The parliamentary election wrapped up Thursday in the North African nation, with a turnout of over 42 percent.
UN mission in Syria continues to set up deployment:spokesman
The UN Supervision Mission in Syria continues to step up its deployment on the ground, despite a series of blasts

hit different cities of the Middle East country, which has been plunged into a crisis since March 2011.
A UN spokesman has told reporters that on Friday, the mission had 145 observers and 56 civilian staff deployed in Syria. And the mission is also carrying out patrols, one day after the attacks that took place in Damascus.