DPRK

Leader visits front-line artillery unit at border

Kim Jong-un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, inspected a front-line artillery unit days before Seoul and Washington are to launch their annual joint exercises, state media reported on Saturday.

During his visit to the unit of the Korean People's Army on the DRPK's border Mu Islet on the southwest front, Kim praised service members as heroes and told them never to tolerate any enemy aggression, the official news agency KCNA reported.

The annual joint drills between Seoul and Washington, code-named Ulchi Freedom Guardian, are set for Aug. 20-31 and will involve some 56,000 South Korean troops and about 30,000 US soldiers.

New tourist route opened with China

Companies from China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea inaugurated a new tourist route from Yanji, located in the Korean autonomous prefecture of Yanbian in Northeast China's Jilin province, to Rason on Friday to boost economic and tourism exchanges between the two countries.

China launched its first charter flight from Jilin to DPRK in July this year.

Spain

Chinese firm to send Spanish rover to moon

China Great Wall Industry Corporation will send a Spanish rover to the moon in June 2014, according to the Galactic Suite company, which heads the "Barcelona Moon Team" that is competing in the Google Lunar X Prize contest to the moon.

The rover will be launched by a Long March 2C/CTS-2 rocket from China's Xichang Satellite Launch Center.

The Google Lunar X Prize challenges participants to create a robot that can move over the lunar surface and send live images back to Earth before December 2015.

Uzbekistan

No plan for military base: US official

US Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake said this week his country has no plan to set up a military base in Uzbekistan, local media reported in Tashkent on Saturday.

He made the remarks last week in response to earlier news reports that his four-day trip to Tashkent was meant to reach a deal on setting up a US military base in the Central Asian country.

Russia

Four policemen die in Chechnya attack

Four police officers were killed in an attack by militants in Russia's North Caucasus republic of Chechnya late Friday, officials said on Saturday. No group nor individual claimed responsibility for the attack near a checkpoint in the Alkhan-Kala village near Grozny.

China applauds new UN envoy for Syria

China welcomes the appointment of Lakhadar Brahimi, a veteran Algerian diplomat, as the joint special representative of the United Nations and the Arab League for Syria to replace Kofi Annan, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry said in Beijing on Saturday.

Spokesman Qin Gang said that Brahimi, an experienced diplomat, is a suitable candidate for the post.

United States

Pot fans rally for legalization effort

Tens of thousands of people descended on a waterfront park in Seattle on Friday for the opening of what's billed as the nation's largest marijuana rally - an event that has a pressing political edge this year as Washington state's voters consider whether to legalize the fun use of pot for adults.

Colorado, Oregon and Washington already have medical marijuana laws. All three also have legalization measures on the November ballot.

Xinhua - Associated Press

(China Daily 08/19/2012 page2)