2 June 2014 Last updated at 08:39
Guo Jian held after interview in which he described artwork to commemorate massacre of pro-democracy protesters in 1989
King Juan Carlos of Spain abdicating
King Juan Carlos of Spain has decided to abdicate, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has announced.
King Juan Carlos, who is 76, has ruled since 1975. His son Prince Felipe, 45, will take over the throne.
For much of his reign, Juan Carlos was seen as one of the world's most popular monarchs.
But recently many Spaniards have lost confidence in him, mainly because of a long-running corruption investigation into his daughter and her husband.
Australian artist arrested for marking Tiananmen anniversary
Guo Jian held after interview in which he described artwork to commemorate massacre of pro-democracy protesters in 1989
Chinese police have detained an Australian artist in Beijing, according to friends, as part of a severe crackdown on attempts to commemorate the bloody repression of pro-democracy protests that began in Tiananmen Square 25 years ago.
Guo Jian, 52, texted friends to say that officers had come for him hours after the publication of an interview he gave discussing the crackdown. It included his description of a work he had created to mark the anniversary: a diorama of Tiananmen Square that he covered in 160kg of minced pork.
Hundreds if not thousands are believed to have died in the bloody crackdown that began on 3 June 1989 after weeks of student-led pro-reform protests that drew mass support from ordinary citizens across the country.
On the road with Subcomandante Marcos
An Irishwoman’s Diary on the Zapatista Caravan
Sorcha Hamilton
In February 2001 I decided, on a whim, to jump on a bus and follow the Zapatistarebel group around Mexico. In the two weeks that followed, I slept rough every night, showered only once, and survived on cold beans and rice, cheap cigarettes and endless cups of sweet, watery coffee. I had joined the Zapatista Caravan, a convoy of 30 or so buses journeying across the vast Mexican landscape as a peaceful protest, demanding better rights for the Maya Indians.
In the villages and towns all along the route from Chiapas to Mexico city, people lined the roadsides, chanting and clapping, schoolchildren waved flags, and workers crowded office windows, balconies and rooftops to watch the passing entourage. Everyone wanted a glimpse of the masked insurgents from the wilds of the Chiapas jungle, the rebels responsible for the armed uprising in 1994.
Ukraine makes first gas payment to Russia ahead of Brussels talks
Russia's Energy Ministry has confirmed it received a $786.4 million (576.88 million euros) payment from Ukraine's Naftogaz. The installment is considered essential for both sides ahead of gas price talks in Brussels.
Naftogaz, the national oil and gas company of Ukraine, made the payment Monday morning, the Energy Ministry told Interfax news agency. Moscow says Ukraine owes it some $5.2 billion in gas debt in total.
A spokeswoman for the Energy Ministry confirmed to Reuters news agency Monday's payment was for February and March.
Following the payment, Russia's state gas company Gazprom pushed back its ultimatum to June 9 for Ukraine to pay its debts. Gazprom had threatened to cut off supplies to Ukraine if Naftogaz fails to clear its $5.2 billion debt, saying from Tuesday it would only deliver gas that had already been paid for.
Father of gang-raped, murdered India girl demands justice
June 2, 2014 - 12:39PM
Lucknow: The father of one of two girls gang-raped and lynched in northern India said he had refused compensation from the state government he blamed for failing to stop the horrendous crime.
The father, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said he only wanted justice for the men who attacked his daughter and niece, aged 14 and 12, who were found hanging from a tree on Wednesday last week.
The father made the comments after a string of politicians descended on the dirt-poor village in Budaun district of Uttar Pradesh amid growing uproar over the attacks.
Heavy fighting reported in Libya's Benghazi |
Armed group Ansar al-Shariah and fighters loyal to former army general Khalifa Haftar clash in the eastern city.
Last updated: 02 Jun 2014 08:50
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Heavy fighting is ongoing in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, apparently between the armed group Ansar al-Shariah and irregular forces loyal to Khalifa Haftar, a former army general.
Witnesses said on Monday that gunfire, which began the day before, could be heard across the city, particularly coming from a special forces army base in a western suburb of Benghazi.
News agencies reported that at least seven people have died and about a dozen have been wounded in the fighting.
Haftar is campaigning to rid Libya of fighters that he says the government has failed to control.
Suleiman El Dressi, a Benghazi resident in the area of the clashes, told Al Jazeera that two people had been killed as a result of explosions there.
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