Beijing - An earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Ritcher scale shook a large area of south-western China's Sichuan province on Friday afternoon, the government said.

The quake was recorded at 4:32 pm (0832 GMT) Friday with an epicentre close to several of the areas worst-hit in the devastating May 12 earthquake in Sichuan, the State Seismological Brueau said on its website.

Severe landslides and major rockfalls were reported near Pingwu county and Nanba township in northern Sichuan, the official Xinhua news agency said.

London, August 1 : The BBC’s Chinese-language website appears to have been unblocked in China ahead of the Olympic Games.

According to a report by BBC News, an International Olympic Committee spokesperson called it a “good sign”, after complaints about Internet access.

Some journalists arriving to cover the Games complained when they found a number of websites at Olympic media centres were blocked.

China has long prevented its citizens accessing websites it considers sensitive, but the issue has come to the fore over the last few days.

Canberra, August 1: The CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) and its Chinese partners have officially launched a post-combustion capture (PCC) pilot plant in Beijing that strips carbon dioxide from power station flue gases in an effort to stem climate change.

The project represents another first for the CSIRO PCC program - the first capture of carbon dioxide in China using a PCC pilot plant.

It begins the process of applying the technology to Chinese conditions and evaluating its effectiveness.

Beijing - China's domestic economy is facing increasing challenges despite rapid growth, the country's President Hu Jintao said Friday, pledging reforms after the Olympic Games.

Uncertainties and destabilizing factors in the global economy were increasing, Hu said in a group interview with foreign journalists.

At the same time, challenges in China were increasing, despite the economy growing by 10.4 per cent in the first quarter, he said. China was to ensure steady and fast growth while at the same time keeping fast-growing inflation in check, Hu said.

Beijing - An explosion Friday in a coal mine in central China killed 14 miners and trapped another 11, local media reported.

The explosion at Pingyu mine in Yuzhou city, Henan province, occurred early Friday, reported Xinhua news agency.

Rescuers were attempting to find the 11 trapped miners. The cause of the explosion was unknown.

On Thursday, nine of 38 coal miners working underground in central Shanxi province were trapped, Xinhua said, without disclosing further information.

Taipei- Taiwan, in another sign of improved cross-straits ties, said Thursday that it will allow more Chinese media outlets to post reporters in Taiwan.

Liu Teh-shun, spokesman for the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), said while there are already five Chinese news organizations allowed to post reporters in Taiwan, Taipei will allow five more Chinese news organizations to do so.