Japan PM to visit Ukraine
AFP, TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe left for Ukraine yesterday to show "solidarity" with Kiev in its battle against Russian-backed rebels in the country's east. In a lightning visit ahead of the Group of Seven
summit in Germany, Abe was set to meet embattled President Petro Poroshenko to offer his support, a Tokyo official said. "Japan does not accept changes in the status quo by force and emphasises the rule of law, sovereignty and the integrity of the territory of Ukraine," the official said.
Astronauts delay return from ISS    
AFP, MOSCOW:Three astronauts who had their stay on the International Space Station extended by a month after a rocket failure are set to land back on Earth on June 11, the head of Russia's space agency said yesterday.
"Expedition 42/43 returns from the ISS to Earth on June 11," the head of Roscosmos space agency, Igor Komarov was cited by RIA Novosti state news agency as saying.
Myanmar frees children from army
AFP, YANGON: Myanmar has freed 51 young people from its armed forces, the United Nations said, in the country's latest move towards ending the use of child soldiers.
The reformist government of the formerly junta-run nation committed to ending the recruitment and use
of children in its "tatmadaw" army in a June 2012 pact
with the UN.A total of 646 children have since been released by the army, the UN said in a statement released
Thursday.