NY officer convicted of manslaughter in stairwell shooting

A newly-hired police officer who shot an unarmed man dead in a darkened public housing stairwell was convicted on Thursday of manslaughter in a case closely watched by advocates for police accountability.

IN BRIEF (Page 4)

Pyongyang shuts Kaesong joint industrial park

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea decided on Thursday to shut down a jointly run factory park with the Republic of Korea just a day after Seoul's announcement to stop operations at the industrial zone in the DPRK border city of Kaesong.

'Iron Boy' saves Sydney as Downey Jr tweets support

A seriously ill Australian boy was granted his wish on Thursday to become a superhero like Iron Man, with police staging an elaborate event on the Sydney Opera House steps as Hollywood star Robert Downey Jr tweeted his support.

Foreign Ministry: Russia ready to discuss ceasefire

Russia is ready to discuss the possibility of a ceasefire in Syria, Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said on Thursday as foreign ministers gathered in Munich in a bid to restart peace talks.

Havana assumes role as peacemaker

The heads of the Roman Catholic and Russian Orthodox churches will hold a historic meeting Friday in the international airport of an officially secular tropical island.

Digest

A 94-year-old former guard at Auschwitz goes on trial in Germany on Thursday accused of being an accessory to the murder of at least 170,000 people - the first of four such court cases that could be the last due to the very old age of the defendants.

Stocks enjoy year's biggest weekly gain

Chinese equities capped the biggest weekly gain this year despite a mild correction on Friday as liquidity injection by the central bank and eased rules on foreign funds helped alleviate market anxiety over its worst yearly start.

Spinning an icy web of money

Amid temperatures as low as-22 C, China's Internet-savvy northeastern provinces are turning their ice and snow into money-spinners.

Foxconn's Gou says deal with Sharp '90 percent there'

Foxconn Technology Group Chairman Terry Gou has taken a step forward in the hotly contested battle for control of Japan's Sharp Corp, winning an agreement to become the preferred negotiating partner for a bailout of the struggling consumer electronics maker.

Innovation sector comes of age

Core innovation capability of the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone has been largely enhanced since the municipal government released a framework plan to link the FTZ with Shanghai Zhangjiang National Innovation Demonstration Zone in late November last year.

Pro-innovation strategy paying rich dividends

Shanghai's 20-point strategy to attract leading talent into the scientific research and innovation sector, launched six months ago, is already paying dividends, according to municipal authorities.