The following are the top stories in the international news today. National newspapers are not published, today being Good Friday.
The world media has reacted favourably to the deal reached at multi-party talks in Geneva to calm tensions in Ukraine.
Kyiv Post says the announcement came after three pro-Russian militants died and 13 were wounded when Ukrainian troops repelled an attack on a National Guard base in the Black Sea port of Mariupol.
Korean Herald reports bad weather, murky water and strong currents are hampering the search for survivors of the South Korean ferry disaster.
TV Azteca announces the death in Mexico City of Columbian author and Nobel Prize laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez. He was 87.
Radio Vaticana says Pope Francis washed and kissed the feet of 12 disabled youngsters and elderly people, including a young Libyan Muslim, in the traditional Holy Thursday Mass at a top Catholic clinic in Rome.
Ansa quotes former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi saying he was “pleased” to do community service at a facility for the elderly, while reiterating that the fraud-tax conviction that it resulted from was a miscarriage of justice.
Space and Aviation News says astronomers have discovered what they say is the most Earth-like planet yet detected. The rocky planet, named “Kepler 186f”, is located some 500 light years away and is close to the size of Earth. They also believe it has liquid water, which is critical for life on its surface.
The Washington Times reports Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of former President Bill Clinton and former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, has announced she and her husband, Marc Mezvinsky, are “very excited” to be expecting their first child later this year.
Il Tempo says DNA tests have confirmed there was a mix-up of embryos at Rome's Sandro Pertini hospital during assisted-fertility treatments and identified the biological parents of twins being carried by a woman who is not their genetic mother.
Sole 24 Ore reports an Italian has been sentenced to 18 months in jail on charges of slander after he falsely claimed to have found a set of teeth in a panino.
The world media has reacted favourably to the deal reached at multi-party talks in Geneva to calm tensions in Ukraine. The Russian, Ukrainian, EU and US foreign ministers agreed that all illegal military groups in Ukraine should “disband, disarm and leave the places they have been occupying”. Those activists who comply would be given an amnesty. President Obama has said together with European leaders he would draw up a plan for imposing further sanctions on Russia in case Moscow backs out from the deal.
Kyiv Post says the announcement came after three pro-Russian militants died and 13 were wounded when Ukrainian troops repelled an attack on a National Guard base in the Black Sea port of Mariupol. A crowd of around 300 men armed with stun grenades and Molotov cocktails attacked the base. There were no casualties among the Ukrainian servicemen. Ukrainian officials said 63 attackers were detained.
Korean Herald reports bad weather, murky water and strong currents are hampering the search for survivors of the South Korean ferry disaster. Emergency services say 25 people are confirmed dead and 271 missing after the ship carrying 475 passengers and crew capsized on Wednesday. Officials say 179 people have been rescued. Most of the passengers were pupils at the same high school.
TV Azteca announces the death in Mexico City of Columbian author and Nobel Prize laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez. He was 87. Garcia Marquez was considered one of the greatest Spanish-language authors, best known for his masterpiece of magical realism, “One Hundred Years of Solitude”. The 1967 novel sold more than 30 million copies and he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982. Garcia Marquez had been ill and had made few public appearances recently.
Radio Vaticana says Pope Francis washed and kissed the feet of 12 disabled youngsters and elderly people, including a young Libyan Muslim, in the traditional Holy Thursday Mass at a top Catholic clinic in Rome. This year's Holy Thursday liturgy took place at the Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi – one of Italy's best-known bodies for the care of the elderly, including the terminally ill, and disabled children. The 12 disabled people ranged from 16 to 86 years of age, and included three foreigners.
Ansa quotes former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi saying he was “pleased” to do community service at a facility for the elderly, while reiterating that the fraud-tax conviction that it resulted from was a miscarriage of justice. Earlier this week a court ordered Berlusconi to serve the year remaining on a four-year tax-fraud conviction by doing community service a facility near Milan for a shift of no less than four hours at least once a week. Under standard Italian legal practice, the 77-year-old billionaire is too old to go to jail. The rest of the four-year sentence for fraud at his media empire was covered by amnesties.
Space and Aviation News says astronomers have discovered what they say is the most Earth-like planet yet detected. The rocky planet, named “Kepler 186f”, is located some 500 light years away and is close to the size of Earth. They also believe it has liquid water, which is critical for life on its surface.
The Washington Times reports Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of former President Bill Clinton and former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, has announced she and her husband, Marc Mezvinsky, are “very excited” to be expecting their first child later this year. The former First Lady said she was “really excited” about becoming a grandmother and it made the work of empowering future generations even more important.
Il Tempo says DNA tests have confirmed there was a mix-up of embryos at Rome's Sandro Pertini hospital during assisted-fertility treatments and identify the biological parents of twins being carried by a woman who is not their genetic mother. Only two couples are involved in the mix-up of embryos that led to a woman getting pregnant with twins that are not genetically hers. The biological mother of the twins is not pregnant herself.
Sole 24 Ore reports an Italian has been sentenced to 18 months in jail on charges of slander after he falsely claimed to have found a set of teeth in a panino. Pietro Pertoll, 63, was convicted of slandering bakery Leymar di Merano in 2011 by claiming that he found a dental bridge and three teeth in a sandwich he bought at the bakery. He claimed he cut his mouth on the dental device when biting into the panino, but investigations discovered that it and the teeth in question actually belonged to the accused. Pertoll was also ordered to pay €10,000 in compensation to the bakery.