China: Stop oil rig harassment

Beijing demanded on Thursday that Hanoi cease its harassing actions against a Chinese oil rig in waters off an island in the South China Sea and called for dialogue to end the conflict.

Search for abducted girls gets intl help

World powers, including China and the United States, have joined in the search for the more than 200 schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram Islamists who have also killed hundreds in Nigeria's northeast this week.

Eastern Ukrainian cities stick to referendum

The councils of Donetsk and Lugansk in southeastern Ukraine won't postpone referendums on their regions' future as part of Ukraine and will hold them as planned on Sunday, the cities' anti-government activists said.

Polish PM Being cautious

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Thursday he was treating conciliatory comments from Russian President Vladimir Putin on the Ukraine crisis with caution.

IN BRIEF (Page 11)

11 more girls kidnapped in Nigeria

Suspected Boko Haram gunmen kidnapped 11 more girls from two villages in northeastern Nigeria on Tuesday night as the United States made plans to help search for more than 200 schoolgirls seized by the militant group last month.

Lavrov: Europe ignoring a resurgence of fascism

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has accused Europe of turning a blind eye to the rebirth of fascist ideology in Ukraine, pointing to the deaths of 42 pro-Russian protesters in a fire in Odessa on May 2 as evidence of fascist violence.

Cats blamed for decline of marsupials

Small, furry marsupials such as the bandicoot, quoll and tree possum are in dramatic decline in northern Australia, and feral cats could be the cause, according to an analysis reported on Wednesday.

Syrian rebels start pullout in Homs

Rebels started withdrawing from the heart of the Syrian city of Homs on Wednesday, leaving an early center of the revolt against the Syrian government and handing President Bashar al-Assad a symbolic victory less than a month before his likely re-election.

Replacement named for ousted Yingluck

Thailand's prime minister was ordered to step down on Wednesday, along with part of her caretaker Cabinet, after the Constitutional Court found her guilty in an abuse-of-power case, pushing the country deeper into political turmoil.

Manila's seizure of Chinese boat 'pure belligerence'

Manila illegally seized 11 Chinese fishermen and a boat from waters off China's Half Moon Shoal in the Nansha Islands, a move likely to escalate tension in the South China Sea.

Philippine munitions depot blast injures 24

Twenty-four people were injured when fire and a series of explosions struck a Philippine army munitions depot near the country's financial district on Wednesday, officials and witnesses said.