War brutalizes half of children in Syria: UN

The number of Syrian children affected by the civil war in their homeland has doubled in the past year to at least 5.5 million - more than half the country's children - with devastating effects on the health, education and psychological well-being of an entire generation, the United Nations children's agency said on Tuesday.

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Snowden defends his NSA leaks

National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden, speaking via live video conference on Monday, told a packed audience at the South By Southwest Interactive Festival that he had no regrets and acted because he believed the US Constitution had been "violated on a massive scale".

Crimea declares independence, report claims

Crimea's parliament has adopted a declaration of independence from Ukraine ahead of a March 16 referendum, according to Russia Today.

Japan marks 3 years since disaster

Japan observed a moment of silence on Tuesday to mark the third anniversary of the earthquake-tsunami disaster that swept away thousands of victims, destroyed coastal communities and created a nuclear emergency that forced a global rethink of nuclear power.

Partnership pivotal to stability, Vietnamese general says

Beijing and Hanoi have to exercise utmost restraint to guarantee the resolution of maritime disputes in a peaceful and cooperative way, a senior Vietnamese general told China Daily on Tuesday.

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Crimea would offer choice of passport

Crimea's pro-Russian prime minister will give people living there the choice of taking Russian or Ukrainian passports if the Ukrainian territory becomes part of Russia in a March 16 referendum, RIA News Agency reported on Monday.

Sino-Vietnamese military border discussions begin

China and Vietnam vowed to boost exchanges along their border to better safeguard regional stability as the two nations' militaries launched their first high-level border talks on Monday.

Egypt military head wants to build 1m homes

Egypt's powerful military chief launched a housing initiative on Sunday that will build 1 million homes in cooperation with a major Emirati construction firm.

Tokyo says apology will not be revised

Japan has no plan to revise a landmark 1993 apology over wartime sex slavery, the government's top spokesman said on Monday.

Syria's healthcare system in disarray

Newborns freezing to death in hospital incubators, doctors cutting off limbs to stop patients from bleeding to death, surging cases of polio: A new report published on Monday paints a dire picture of Syria's collapsing healthcare system.