Whats New?

The US state department gives federal agencies more time to review the Keystone XL oil pipeline before determining whether to issue a permit.
BBC News – US & Canada

The headmistress of a school in Nigeria calls on the government to do more to save teenage girls abducted by suspected Islamist militants.
BBC News – Africa

The Co-operative Group reports losses of £2.5bn, the worst results in its 150-year history, after what its chief executive calls a “disastrous” year.
BBC News – Business

The United States is to release frozen Iranian funds, saying Tehran has kept commitments made under an interim deal over its nuclear programme.
BBC News – Middle East

Presidents and fellow writers pay tribute to Nobel prize-winning Colombian author Gabriel Garcia Marquez ,who has died in Mexico aged 87.
BBC News – Latin America & Caribbean

Pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine refuse to leave official buildings, just hours after an international deal was reached to defuse the crisis.
BBC News – Europe

A sacked heart specialist was unfairly dismissed after raising concerns about patient safety, an employment tribunal rules.
BBC News – UK

President Barack Obama defends his signature healthcare law, saying the debate over its repeal is “over” as he touts high enrolment numbers.
BBC News – US & Canada

Dozens of civilians sheltering in a UN base in the South Sudan city of Bor have been killed in an attack by armed youths, the UN says.
BBC News – Africa

The number of people out of work in the UK has fallen by 77,000 to a five year low of 2.24 million in the three months to February, official figures indicate.
BBC News – Business

A meeting between Palestinian and Israeli peace negotiators has been postponed in the wake of a killing of an Israeli in the West Bank.
BBC News – Middle East

Brazil sends thousands of federal troops to maintain order in the north-eastern state of Bahia after police there went on strike over pay.
BBC News – Latin America & Caribbean

Ukraine’s defence ministry says six of its armoured vehicles have been seized by pro-Russian militants, amid mounting tension in eastern Ukraine.
BBC News – Europe

After nearly six years of falling real wages, rises in weekly earnings have finally caught up with inflation, according to the Office for National Statistics.
BBC News – UK

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announces a $ 50m (£30m) election year push for stricter gun laws across the US.
BBC News – US & Canada

A forensics expert contradicts police ballistics testimony by telling the trial of Oscar Pistorius that his girlfriend was shot in quick succession.
BBC News – Africa

UK’s inflation rate, as measured by the consumer prices index, fell to 1.6% in March, the Office for National Statistics says.
BBC News – Business

Iran complains to the United Nations over the decision by the US to refuse a visa for its newly appointed permanent representative.
BBC News – Middle East

Residents of the Chilean city of Valparaiso return to areas burned by a fast-moving forest fire which engulfed parts of the historic port.
BBC News – Latin America & Caribbean

Tension is high in eastern Ukraine as the authorities in Kiev announce the start of an “anti-terrorist operation” against pro-Russian separatists there.
BBC News – Europe