Ukraine rebels free one observer, keep seven

6:27am The self-appointed mayor of Slaviansk displayed eight detained members of a European military observer mission and later released one for health reasons.

'Panic attack' sparked Virgin incident

The man who sparked hijack scare on Bali flight says a panic attack prompted the incident.

Saudi Arabia confirms 26 more MERS cases

7:13am Saudi Arabia has confirmed 26 more cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, which has killed nearly a third of sufferers, and said 10 more people have died from the disease.

Abbas calls Holocaust 'heinous crime'

6:46am Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called the Holocaust "the most heinous crime" against humanity in modern times, in an apparent bid to build bridges with Israel.

Paris police officers charged over tourist rape

4:27am Rape charges against elite police officers shock France.

No peace talks without recognition: Netanyahu

3:57am Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says peace talks off until Hamas recognises Israel.

Best of the world

The Herald's picture editors showcase the best images from around the globe.

US, Philippines reach deal on troops

Jim Gomez 5:21pm The United States and the Philippines have reached a 10-year pact that would allow a larger US military presence in this Southeast Asian nation as it grapples with increasingly tense territorial disputes with China, according to two Philippine officials and a confidential government primer seen by The Associated Press on Sunday.

Hijack scare man unlikely to face charges in Bali

Michael Bachelard and Amilia Rosa 4:31pm The man who sparked a hijack scare on a Virgin Australia flight to Bali has been released from police custody and handed over to the airport authority for further investigation.

Berlusconi says Germans deny concentration camps existed

3:45pm Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, about to begin a sentence for tax fraud, provoked fresh outrage from his political opponents on Saturday by suggesting that Germany did not acknowledge the existence of World War Two concentration camps.

Space

SpaceX to sue Pentagon over satellite launch monopoly

Kathleen Miller and Jonathan D. Salant 2:26am Elon Musk's SpaceX plans to sue the US Air Force, saying it should be allowed to compete in a satellite-launch market monopolised by the two biggest defence contractors.

Former Malaysian PM lays blame on Boeing for MH370 disappearance

LINDSAY MURDOCH 6:26pm Malaysia's former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad has questioned whether flight MH370 crashed into the southern Indian Ocean and blamed Boeing for its disappearance.

Berlusconi says Germans deny concentration camps existed

3:07pm Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, about to begin a sentence for tax fraud, provoked fresh outrage from his political opponents on Saturday by suggesting that Germany did not acknowledge the existence of World War Two concentration camps.

World's first Tiananmen museum opens in Hong Kong

2:09pm The world's first museum dedicated to the Tiananmen Square crackdown has opened in Hong Kong with an emotive ceremony and protests from pro-China demonstrators.

China's president Xi Jinping warns against growing threats to national security

1:59pm Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Saturday that China faces increasing threats to national security and warned of the dangers of terrorism in a speech indicating that Beijing could impose tougher controls on its ethnic minorities.

The Dutch celebrate King's Day

1:52pm Queen Maxima plays hockey during festivities marking King's Day in Amstelveen, near Amsterdam, Netherlands. The Dutch celebrate the first ever King's Day, a national holiday held in honour of the newly installed monarch, King Willem Alexander. King's Day replaces the traditional Queen's Day.

Study links marijuana use to potential heart problems

Melissa Healy 12:43pm Over a five-year period, a government-mandated tracking system in France showed that physicians in that country treated 1979 patients for serious health problems associated with the use of marijuana, and nearly 2 percent of those encounters were with patients suffering from cardiovascular problems, including heart attack, cardiac arrhythmia and stroke, and circulation problems in the arms and legs. In roughly a quarter of those cases, the study found, the patient died.

Search for lost bones of Miguel de Cervantes

unknown 12:37pm Archaeologists are on a quest to discover the lost bones of Miguel de Cervantes, author of the adventures of knight-errant Don Quixote of La Mancha, almost 400 years after he died penniless and virtually unknown.

Secret to shrimp's lethal weapons inspires harder composites

Meeri Kim 12:11pm Move over, Sugar Ray. The title of fastest punch in the animal kingdom firmly belongs to the peacock mantis shrimp, whose club-like appendages reach the speed of a .22-caliber slug, shatter clam shells with ease, and can slice human fingers to the bone.

South Korean PM resigns over government response to ferry disaster

6:44pm South Korean Prime Minister Chung Hong-won resigned on Sunday over the government's response to the April 16 ferry disaster.

Pro-Western politician Abdullah Abdullah leads Afghan presidential vote

Tim Craig and Mohammad Sharif 10:17am A pro-Western candidate has emerged from Afghanistan's April 5 presidential contest with the most votes but still must compete in a runoff election, Afghan election officials said Saturday.