Special forces set to control Odessa

Entire leadership of local police sacked for failure to control rebels

Bank closes branches

Ukraine's largest bank has temporarily closed branches in separatist-held Donetsk and Luhansk, saying it could no longer carry out cash transactions in regions riddled with crime that could "threaten the lives" of its workers.

S. Sudan troops retake fallen towns

Government troops have captured a rebel stronghold and taken back control of another town, sending rebels fleeing toward the Ethiopian border, a South Sudanese military spokesman said on Monday.

Experts: Improving China-Japan ties in the interests of both sides

A flurry of exchanges between China and Japan in the absence of high-level political contacts highlights efforts on both sides to mend ties, observers said.

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Tokyo lawmakers begin China visit amid tensions

A group of bipartisan Japanese lawmakers began their trip to Beijing on Sunday, with more delegations from Japan scheduled to visit China later this month.

Landslide aid work shifts to homeless

Afghan rescuers and volunteers armed with shovels and little more than their bare hands dug through the mud on Saturday after a massive landslide swept through a village the day before, turning it into an earthen tomb holding hundreds of bodies, officials said.

Xi extends condolences over catastrophe

Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a message of condolence to his Afghan counterpart, Hamid Karzai, on Sunday over the landslide in the country's northern province.

Turmoil spreads in east Ukraine

Nation mourns after dozens die in continuing Odessa violence

India boosts patrols after 33 killed

Indian soldiers in armored trucks patrolled streets in northeast Assam on Sunday after 33 Muslims were killed in carnage that police blamed on tribal separatists.

Obama roasts himself, rivals at dinner

US President Barack Obama cracked jokes about the government's disastrous healthcare policy rollout and mocked political opponents at the White House Correspondents' Dinner late on Saturday.

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