One European military observer freed in Slovyansk
A European military observer detained by pro-Russian activists in the eastern Ukranian city of Slovyansk has been freed.
The officer, together with other seven who are still under detention, are deployed by the Vienna-based Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
Russia, an OSCE member, has pledged to take all possible steps to secure the observers' release.
Across eastern Ukraine, pro-Russian activists continue to occupy government buildings in a dozen cities.
The U.S. has accused Russia of encouraging destabilizing activities in the region and is expected to levy new sanctions against Russia starting from today.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin said sanctions were hurting the Russian economy, but the damage was not critical.
South Korea's prime minister offers to resign over ferry sinking :updated
South Korea's President has accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Chung Hong-won over the sunken ferry accident.
The PM will leave office once the disaster is deemed to be "under control."
Chung resigned Sunday over criticism of the government response to the sinking of the Sewol.
187 people have now been confirmed dead, with another 110 still listed as missing.
The search in and around the sunken vessel made little progress over the weekend because of weather conditions.
The Sewol, carrying 476 passengers, sank on a routine trip to the southern holiday island of Jeju over a week ago.
Investigations are focused on human error and mechanical failure.
Serbia new PM pledges public sector reform
Serbia's new prime minister has pledged to implement reforms in the public sector.
Aleksandar Vucic took office on Sunday after a parliamentary vote.
He says the government plans to revise its budget by June, looking to cap a deficit that currently runs at around 7 percent of GDP.
The plan is to cut that percentage to between 3 and 4 percent by 2017.
The budget revision is a key to securing a new loans from the International Monetary Fund, a move that would cut Serbia's borrowing costs.
Afghan presidential runner Abdullah says to decide on runoff after final results
A leading Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah on Sunday said that he will decide whether to take part in a possible runoff election after the final results are announced.
On the same day, Afghan presidential candidate Dr. Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, who was declared the second winner in preliminary results, said he was ready to take part in runoff elections if the polls take place.
To secure an outright victory, a candidate must win more than 50 percent of valid ballots. Otherwise, the top two candidates will go into a runoff.
10 killed in Baghdad car bomb attack
At least 10 people have been killed and dozens of others wounded in a suicide attack in the Iraqi capital.
Police say a car bomb was detonated in a popular market in eastern Baghdad.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack just yet.
It happened just three days ahead of Iraq's parliamentary elections, the first in the country since the withdrawal of US troops in late 2011.
Israel marks holocaust remembrance day
Israel marked Holocaust Remembrance Day on Sunday with an official ceremony in Jerusalem, attended by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Shimon Peres, and a number of holocaust survivors.
The official service commemorates the six million jews who died at the hands of the Nazis during World War II.
According to a study of anti-Semitism published last year by Tel Aviv University's Kantor Center for the Study of Contemporary Jewry, while violent anti-Semitic attacks have declined in the past year, overall anti-Semitic sentiment is on the rise.
It reported that a third of the respondents, Jews living in European countries, are contemplating emigration as a result.
Danish Queen visits Nanjing massacre memorial hall
Danish Queen Margrethe II has become the first incumbent foreign head of state to visit the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall in east China.
She laid flowers symbolizing peace on Sunday morning.
China to enhance supervision over work safety
Chinese prosecutors will strengthen supervision over officials' dereliction of duty in work safety accidents.
An official from the Supreme People's Procuratorate says prosecutors will target officials' malpractice that leads to major accidents or the postponement of rescue operations.
Supervision priorities will be in the transportation of dangerous chemicals, natural gas, and oil, infrastructure construction, environment, and food safety, according to the official.
He says officials should not cover up, delay or give false information about work safety accidents, or instruct others to do so.
More than 5,000 officials were investigated or prosecuted for dereliction of duty in more than 4,000 cases over the past five years.
118 sentenced in China pyramid scam
A court in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Sunday sentenced 118 people for their involvement in a pyramid fund raising scam.
The defendants, including leaders and major members of the pyramid scheme, were given jail terms from 10 years to one year and seven months for organizing pyramid selling activities by Nanning Intermediate People's Court in Guangxi's capital.
The multi-level marketing network, running since 2009, had nearly 5,000 members.
The scam involved more than 100 million yuan. |