介绍:
Kremlin backs referendum in eastern Ukraine
Russia says it respects the choice of people in Donetsk and Luhansk regions in Ukraine, following referendums there seeking independence.
A statement from the Kremlin press service says Moscow calls for dialogue between Kiev authorities and those two regions, saying all mediation efforts are welcome.
A vast majority of voters in the two Ukrainian regions are said to have voted for self-rule.
Ukraine's interim President Oleksandr Turchynov has condemned the referendums as a farce with no legal basis.
Thai Senate to draft crisis road map
The newly elected Senate Speaker in Thailand has called a special session, hoping to draw up a plan to end the current crisis in the country.
Surachai Liengboonlertchai says six months of political turmoil has created the country's biggest ever crisis.
Anti-government protesters are calling on the Senate to replace the cabinet with an appointed administration.
Last week a court removed Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and several ministers over abuse of power.
But a caretaker administration from her ruling party remains in place and says it is working towards the July 20th election.
Taliban launch spring offensive across Afghanistan
Taliban fighters have stormed a government building in eastern Afghanistan after killing two police guards.
The attack marks the start of the insurgents' annual spring offensive.
In the Taliban heartland in the south, an attack on a police checkpoint in Helmand province killed nine policemen.
Also Monday, rockets hit the grounds of the Kabul international airport but caused no damage.
U.S. drone kills four al-Qaida suspects in Yemen
A U.S. drone strike has killed four suspected al-Qaida militants in northeast Yemen.
Officials and tribesmen say the strike hit the suspects' car a village in the northeast province of Marib.
Last week, the Yemeni army launched a wide-scale assault on al-Qaida strongholds in the country's southern territories.
The al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula has vowed to hit back in main cities including the capital.
Libya: at least 40 dead after migrant boat capsizes
The Libyan government says at least 40 migrants drowned when their boat sank off the country's coast last week.
Earlier reports put the death toll at 24. The increased number follows the recovery of more bodies over the weekend.
The vessel was carrying 130 people. The Libyan navy said 51 people had been rescued.
Libya's proximity to Italy and Malta has made it a popular crossing point for African migrants trying to enter the European Union.
India's general elections enter final phase
India's mammoth nine-phase general elections have entered its final phase.
Polling is being held in 41 parliamentary constituencies in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal.
In Uttar Pradesh, all eyes are on the battleground of Varanasi constituency.
The main opposition BJP's candidate Narendra Modi remains a front runner there, but is being challenged by the anti-graft Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal.
The nine-phase election began on May 7. Vote counting is due on May 16.
Lithuania to hold presidential runoff on May 25: electoral body
Lithuania is to hold a presidential runoff on May 25.
The announcement comes as no winner emerged from the first round of voting on Sunday.
Incumbent president Dalia Grybauskaite won more than 46 percent of the votes, followed by social democratic candidate Zigmantas Balcytis who garnered 14 percent.
Iran says it has built copy of captured American drone
Iran says it has succeeded in copying an American drone it captured in 2011 and will soon take the replicated aircraft on a test flight.
Iran has long claimed it managed to reverse-engineer the RQ-170 Sentinel which was seized in December 2011 after it entered Iranian airspace from its eastern border with Afghanistan.
Washington has confirmed the Sentinel had been monitoring Iran's military and nuclear facilities.
Three dead in south China rainstorms
Heavy rainstorms have killed three people and forced the relocation of more than 54,000 residents in southern China.
The southern booming town of Shenzhen in Guangdong Province experienced its strongest rainfall since 2008 on Sunday, with 2,000 cars submerged and the operations of more than 5,000 buses suspended.
The heavy rain promoted the city to issue a red-alert for flooding.
Across southern China, more than one million people have been affected by the rainstorms since Thursday.
Beijing sends 150 armed patrol vehicles to streets
Beijing police are deploying 150 armed patrol vehicles to city streets as of Monday.
Police say the armed vehicles will become the principal forces in countering street terrorism and fighting severe violence in the capital.
The patrol forces will mainly deal with incidents involving guns, bombs as well as mass violence or terrorism.
The police are required to reach the scene within three minutes after receiving a report.
