Ukraine separatists stay put

Mistrust between pro-Russian force, Kiev govt may hinder Geneva deal

China welcomes agreement

Beijing welcomed the agreement reached by the Geneva talks on defusing tension in Ukraine and called for joint efforts to promote a final political settlement to the crisis, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Friday.

NASA discovers possibly habitable 'Earth cousin'

The hunt for potential life in outer space has taken a step forward - an international team of researchers has discovered the first Earth-sized planet within the "habitable zone" of another star.

Panic-filled sinking conveyed in texts

Teenagers send heart-wrenching messages to parents as ferry tilts

Classmates celebrating 60th birthday among missing

Kim Jeong-keun woke up on his cabin bed to find out his friends had smeared lipstick on his face while he had been asleep, a prank harking back to their school days.

Putin seeks to restore 'trust' with US

Russian leader urges Washington to respect other nations' interests

3 killed in Black Sea base attack

Three pro-Russian protesters were killed and 13 were injured during an attempted overnight raid on a Ukrainian National Guard base in the Black Sea port of Mariupol, Ukrainian authorities said.

India holds biggest day of voting as Hindu nationalists gain

India held the biggest day of its mammoth general election on Thursday, with a quarter of its 815-million-strong electorate eligible to vote during a week of fresh blows for the ruling Congress party and gains for the Hindu nationalist opposition.

IN BRIEF (Page 11)

Boston tributes bombing victims

US Vice-President Joe Biden, local leaders, officials and survivors of the Boston Marathon bombing shared messages of thanks and defiance on Tuesday at a tribute to the three people killed and the 264 who were wounded in the attack one year ago to the day.

NYPD disbands Muslim-tracking unit amid concerns

Muslim groups and civil liberties advocates applauded the decision by New York Police Department officials to disband a controversial unit that tracked the daily lives of Muslims as part of efforts to detect terror threats. But concerns remained over whether other problematic practices remained in place.

Overseas payment to Iran 'to be freed'

Iran expects to get a fifth installment this week of previously blocked overseas funds, a senior official was quoted as saying, a payment that would confirm Teheran's compliance with an interim deal with world powers to curb its nuclear program.