Russia will respond if interests threatened: Lavrov
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Russia will retaliate if its citizens' interests are threatened and its territory comes under attack.
The comment comes after the Ukraine government announced the resumption of a security operation to retake government buildings from pro-Russian activists.
Lavrov also calls for Kiev to withdraw military units from the east of Ukraine and accused the U.S. of being behind the current tensions in Ukraine.
Ukraine's government has ended an Easter truce and is remounting the campaign to eliminate armed pro-Russian activists in the east.
Officials say the U.S. has assured military support to the Ukrainian government.
China Denies U.S.-Japan Alliance's Diaoyu Islands Bearing
Chinese officials say US-Japan bilateral ties should not undermine China's territorial sovereignty and rights.
The comment follows a statement from the US President, who is in Japan for a state visit.
In an interview with a Japanse newspaper, Barack Obama said the Diaoyu Islands "fall within the scope of Article 5 of the US-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security."
That's a cold-war era agreement that was made without any input from the Chinese government.
The Foreign Ministry says China "firmly oppose(s) putting the Diaoyu Islands within the scope" of that treaty.
The Ministry further notes that Japan's occupation of the islands is illegal and invalid, calling them an inherent part of China's territory.
Not to lift wreck of sunken ferry yet: SK authorities
South Korean authorities say no attempt will be made to lift the sunken ferry southwest of the country while there is any chance survivors may still be trapped in the submerged vessel.
150 bodies have been retrieved from in and around the ferry, which sank last week. 152 others are still missing.
Ship-borne cranes have been on standbye at the site of the sinking, waiting to raise the vessel.
The search was suspended in the afternoon because of strong tidal currents.
Meanwhile, the executives of the ferry company are now under investigation on possible charges including criminal negligence and embezzlement.
Tony Abbott says may re-think search, but not giving up while reasonable hope remains
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott says his country is not going to abandon the hunt for the missing Malaysian flight if the current underwater search turns up no evidence of the plane.
Abbott confirms that the American sub Bluefin-21 is continuing to search an area of around 400 square kilometres.
On Wednesday, the air search for debris from the plane was suspended for a second consecutive day due to poor weather conditions.
But Western Australia Police have recovered some material that washed ashore 10 kilometers east of Augusta, south of Perth.
There is speculation it could be from the missing plane.
Authorities are examining photographs of the material to determine whether further physical analysis is required.
Naval symposium closes Chinese official says no compromise on sovereignty or security
A two-day international naval gathering has come to an end here in China, with a pledge by a leading Chinese military official promising resolve in defending this country's territorial integrity.
Vice-Chair of the Central Military Commission Fan Changlong says China will unwaveringly protect its sovereign rights, national security and development interests, and no country should expect China to swallow the bitter pill of its sovereign rights, national security and development interests being compromised.
The Western Pacific Naval Symposium in Qingdao has seen two-dozen Asia-Pacific nations adopt an agreement aimed at reducing the possibility of conflict between China and its neighbors.
The Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea is also designed to increase naval communication.
Fatah, Hamas Announce Palestinian Reconciliation Deal
In the Palestinian territories, the Fatah party and Hamas movement have announced a reconciliation agreement.
Under the agreement, the sides will start discussions to form a unity government within five weeks.
The new deal is the outcome of two days of intensive discussions between Hamas officials and a prominent delegation representing the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
The new understandings would end a Palestinian political rift that started when Hamas took over Gaza in June 2007 after routing forces loyal to Abbas, which now rules the West Bank.
Since the beginning of the Palestinian rift, the Hamas and Fatah movements have reached several deals to form a unity government and prepare new elections.
But none of those past deals were implemented as Hamas insisted that elections cannot be held before controversial issues were resolved.
Nigerian rights group calls for release of abducted girls in northeast state
A women's rights group in Nigeria is calling for the release of more than 200 schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram members.
The group has called the mass abduction a crime against humanity and is demanding the unconditional release of the girls, who were taken from a government-run school earlier this month.
The activists have also called on Boko Haram insurgents to lay down their arms and embrace dialogue.
Ear implant may help regrow auditory nerves: study
Electrical impulses delivered from cochlear implants, which have been commercially available since the 1970s, can be used to regrow auditory nerves in people with severe hearing loss.
That's according to Australian researchers, who have published their findings in the US Journal Science Translational Medicine.
The report also states that this discovery may lead to new ways of treating a range of neurological disorders including Parkinson's disease, and psychiatric conditions such as depression. |