Recently in International News Category

France legalized same-sex marriage Tuesday by a vote of 331 to 225 in the National Assembly, Washington Post reported.

The National Assembly passed "Marriage for All" law in February.The second and final reading was Tuesday, and the same bill was approved by upper-house Senate on April 12, France 24 reported.

Justice Minister Christiane Taubira told legislators on Tuesday evening the law was a "very beautiful reform," Washington Post reported.

"I feel like this is part of an evolving process; this is clearly the direction France needs to move in. The impression I have is that we are finally catching up," Gaillard, the gay-marriage activist, said.

The same-sex marriage bill still faces challenge after it passed as opponents said they would keep dispute on the matter.

A 6.6 magnitude quake struck in Ya'an, Sichuan provence Saturday, approximately 11,200 people were injured, CNN reported.

According to the state media, 207 people were dead or missing and 960 severely injured, BBC news reported.

Although thousands of rescue workers, including soldiers, are delivering supplies to locations the earthquake hit, Ya'an City will to run out of fresh drinking water within three days, the Sichuan Red Cross estimated, CNN reported.

Chinese Premier Chief Li Keqiang told reporters the most important thing is to save lives. He is currently overseeing the relief efforts in Ya'an, BBC News reported.

Soon after 8 a.m. local time on Saturday, the earthquake struck 71 miles from the capital of Chengdu, at a depth of around 12 kilometers, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

"I tried to call my brother but could not get through. I ran back to the village and was told at the entrance of the village that my brother's house had collapsed," Yang Shanqing, a survivor, said. "I rushed here only to see a crowd of people trying to grab the family out of the ruins, but they failed."

Yang had lost his entire family in the tragedy, BBC News reported.

Nearly all the building were ruined in Longmen village, Lushan county, officials said.

"The Chinese government has put a lot of money into building schools and hospitals. I can guarantee that no schools collapsed," Chen Yong, the vice-director of the Ya'an city government earthquake response office, said.

Margaret Thatcher, an influential politician and the first female prime minister of Great Britain, died on Monday. She was 87.

The cause was a stroke, the New York Times reported.

"If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman," Margaret Thatcher said.

Thatcher was Britain's most important leader of the 20th century, the Los Angeles Times reported.

She was the first and only woman so far as the leader of Conservatives from 1975 to 1990, ABC news reported.

Through Thatcherism, she brought Britain's decline and the welfare state back to life, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Durning Thatcher's serving time, her efforts to tame the unions, own the state power and won the Falklands war changed Britain, London 24 reported.

"She democratised Britain in so many senses. She opened up the economy, and gave opportunities to all, regardless of gender," Margot James, Conservative MP for Stourbridge, told the Today programme, BBC News reported.

North Korea has moved a missile Thursday with "considerable range" to its east coast, South Korea's defense minister said, USA Today reported.

According to CNN, the missile transfer to eastern coast of North Korea is for a "test" launch.

Although South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin said Pyongyang was unlikely preparing a extensive conflict, the motive of North Korea's missile transfer remains unknown, USA Today reported.

"There could be war, or there could be peace," said Joo Yang-yi, 26, a graduate student who studies North Korea, the Washington Post reported.

According to the Washington Post, concerns for North Korea's movement has tripled over the past two months among South Koreans.

North Korea may be arranging a missile launch soon, and the official said the components are compatible to a Musudan missile, which could threaten South Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia, CNN reported.

"The spiral of crisis will continue for the time being, but I don't feel it will go to extremes, I don't expect military action," Park Young Ho, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul, said.

Amanda Knox is waiting Monday of Italy's top criminal court hearing, for the murder of her roommate in 2007,her lawyer said, USA Today reported.

Knox and Raffaele Sollecito, her Italian boyfriend, were arrested and convicted in 2007, USA Today.

British student Meredith Kercher, 21, was found throat slashed in her bedroom November 2007 that she shared with Knox in a Italy University town Perugia, ABC News reported.

Italy's top Court of Cassation will announce Tuesday if Knox's acquittals is confirmed and welcome their third trial, ABC News reported.

After 4 years in prison, Knox is back in Seattle currently a student at the University of Washington, and Sollecito continued with his computer science studies, ABC News reported.

While France decided to withdraw its troops in April, Western and African officials were concerned with African troops' resources and ability to fight against Al Qaeda on its own, the New York Times reported.

French President Francois Hollande said their campaign in Mali, which began January 11, is in its "ultimate phase," Voice of America News reported.

Hollande will reveal their troops' success, such as the killing of certain "terrorist leaders," on Wednesday, Voice of America News reported.

The Islamic militants of northeastern Mali is the major threat in Africa, and the Jihadist groups has provoked several attacks against France and any allies African countries, Voice of America News reported.

"If the French do withdraw most of their 4,000 troops, you're going to have a relatively weak African force, poorly trained, heading right into the rainy season without the strength of the French forces, facing militants who have gone to ground or gone to the mountains or wherever now, crawling back out and potentially launching asymmetric attacks all throughout the rainy season that could turn the African forces into little more than defending isolated garrisons," J. Peter Pham, a Sahel security experts, said.

The duty of keeping Mali in peace will be left for African troops to maintain, and they are likely to operate under a United Nations mandate, the New York Times reported.

Jesuit Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina was elected as the 266th pope Wednesday at Vatican City, Washington Post reported.

Francis is the third non-Italian pope after the Polish John Paul II and the German Benedict, transforming the Italian dominance papasy, Washington Post reported.

Francis chose his name that was never used in the past church history, and he claimed the new name represents a new start for his faith, signaling to a Vatican analysts, Washington Post reported.

The name Francis means "he is here to serve," Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said, Washington Post reported.

Many people believed Francis will draw close attentions to the poor from his "enormous pastoral experience" with a humble suffering, Guillermo Marco, Bergoglio's former spokesman, told Argentina's TN television station, USA Today reported.

"He will certainly be the pope who is closest to the people of Latin America. He knows the problems of Latin America very well," Bishop Eugenio Lira, secretary-general of the Mexican Conference of Bishops said.

Francis will be placed officially as the new pope of the Roman Catholic Church in a Mass on Tuesday, Washington Post reported.

Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, 47, son-in-law of Osama bin Laden, pleaded not guilty of collaborating with Al Qaeda group in federal court Friday in New York, the New York Times reported.

Abu Ghaith was arrested by federal authorities on Feb. 28 in Jordan and gave 22-page statements, officials said, the New York Times reported.

Abu Ghaith was the recruiter for bin Laden's terror training camps in Afghanistan and later became Al Qaeda's official spokesman after 9/11 attack, according to the indictment, CNN reported.

Abu Ghaith was in a video sitting next to bin Laden after the 9/11 attack that promotes violence against "the Jews, the Christians and America," CNN reported.

U.S. authorities have charged Abu Ghaith of persuading people to devote to bin Laden and participated in the conspiracy of terrorist attacks against United States, CNN reported.

"Among other things, Abu Ghaith urged others to swear allegiance to Bin Laden, spoke on behalf of and in support of Al Qaeda's mission, and warned that attacks similar to those of Sept. 11, 2001, would continue," according to the indictment, the New York Times reported.

Trial data are currently unavailable, and the prosecutors are reviewing classified evidences to use in Abu Ghaith's case in civilian court.

Dennis Rodman, former N.B.A. star who won 5 NBA championships, met and bonded with North Korea leader Kim Jong-un Thursday, the New York Times reported.

Dennis Rodman arrived in Pyongyang, North Korea Tuesday to join the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team and play with the North Korean "Dream Team," CNN reported.

Kim Jong Un watched a basketball game with Rodman in Pyongyang when the ex-basketball player said he was Kim's "friend for life", CNN reported Thursday.

When Rodman won his third championships, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was a basketball fan and favored Chicago Bulls in the 1990s, Washington Times reported.

Rodman's mission was to visite the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, former memorial palace, on Thursday, according to KCNA, CNN reported.

Rodman said Kim told him he does not want to raise a war and want only a phone call from President Barack Obama, after Rodman got back to United States, Star Tribune reported.

Rodman plans to go back to North Korea and further explore the country, Star Tribune reported.

North Korea warned South Korea's top American military commander Saturday to deliver "a miserable destruction" if they perform joint military exercise with the United State army, the New York Times reported.

North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency delivered the message in English Saturday, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported.

North Korea tested nuclear weapon two weeks ago, and their missile was confirmed capable of traveling warheads long-distance, CNN reported.

North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un, visited many military units and promised to "blow away the bastion of aggression without a trace" if the war is declared, K.C.N.A. reported Saturday, according to the New York Times.

Foal Eagle joint military exercise is expected to involve approximately 10,000 U.S. forces from March to the end of April, CNN reported.