Fading signals add urgency to search for missing Malaysian jet
PERTH (Reuters) – The search for a missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner resumed on Saturday, five weeks after the plane disappeared from radar screens, amid fears that batteries powering signals from the black box recorder on board may have died.
Deceased Dutch Catholic bishop was child molester: commission
PARIS (Reuters) – The Dutch Catholic Church, in a rare admission of guilt among senior clergy, has confirmed that a bishop who died last year had sexually abused two boys decades earlier.
Ukraine says Russia stoking unrest as gunmen seize more buildings
SLAVIANSK, Ukraine (Reuters) – Ukraine appealed to Russia to halt “provocative actions” in its eastern regions on Saturday as pro-Russian militants seized two more government buildings and called for autonomy from Kiev.
France’s Le Pen, in Moscow, blames EU for new ‘Cold War’
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Marine Le Pen, leader of France’s far-right National Front, blamed the European Union for declaring a new Cold War on Russia that would hurt all concerned, Russian media reported on Saturday as she paid an official visit to Moscow.
Beirut police detain Berlusconi ally ahead of mafia verdict
ROME (Reuters) – Beirut police on Saturday picked up a longtime political ally and friend of former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi after he was declared a fugitive earlier this week.
Iran insists on pick for U.N. envoy, to challenge visa denial: IRNA
DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran on Saturday dismissed a U.S. decision to deny a visa to its proposed new envoy to the United Nations, saying it would take up the case directly with the world body.
India’s Modi stands by Hindu customs but wants progress for Muslims
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi, leading the race to be India’s next prime minister, on Saturday sought to blunt criticism that he is hostile to Muslims, the country’s biggest minority group.
China protests after Japanese minister visits shrine for war dead
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s foreign ministry lodged a protest with Japan on Saturday after a Japanese minister visited a shrine which is seen by critics as a symbol of Tokyo’s wartime aggression.
Myanmar’s first census in three decades extended amid controversy
YANGON (Reuters) – A group of women dressed in green sarong-like longyis and simple white blouses stand around a table piled with census forms, entering neat notations on spreadsheets by hand.
Maoist rebels kill 13 in blasts in Indian state
BHUBANESWAR, India (Reuters) – Suspected Maoist rebels set off two bombs in the eastern Indian state of Chhattisgarh on Saturday, killing 13 people, most of them paramilitary soldiers and officials charged with holding elections in the region.