United States: A half century after getting a divorce, a Kentucky couple plans to get married again. The Lexington Herald-Leader reports that 83-year-old Harold Holland and 78-year-old Lillian Barnes will exchange wedding vows on April 14 in Lexington. Their grandson will perform the ceremony at a local Baptist church. Holland and Barnes first were married on Christmas Eve in 1955. They had five children together before splitting up. Holland says his job kept him away from the family prior to the breakup. Both remarried and their spouses died in 2015. After that, Holland and Barnes attended a family reunion, and by last December, they were talking marriage again. Holland says, "We decided we want to walk the last mile together."
Australia: Tourists have flocked back to the New South Wales south coast town of Tathra weeks after a massive bushfire reduced dozens of homes to ash. The small community, outside Bega, confronted a firestorm on March 18 which destroyed more than 60 homes as well as 30 caravans and cabins. Hundreds of residents face months or years of displacement as their destroyed properties are cleared of asbestos, assessed by insurance companies and — hopefully — rebuilt. But many quickly identified tourism would be critical to getting the town, on the whole, back on its feet. Bega Valley Shire Council, in a message posted online, said tourism is a major economic driver for the region and would be crucial for local restaurants, shops and, ultimately, families.
Syria: The group in control of the last rebel bastion near Damascus appeared to have agreed a deal for its fighters to surrender to the Government or quit the Eastern Ghouta enclave, Syrian state media said. Jaish al Islam has been defending the city of Douma against a months-long onslaught by government forces. If confirmed, this marks the end of their revolution and an end to large-scale conflict in the enclave. But the future of the people displaced from Ghouta is far less certain. Some 25,000 residents have now left for Idlib, the largest remaining rebel stronghold, under a deal agreed between opposition groups and the regime's Russian allies. Deals have played out across the country during the course of the seven-year war. The Government uses the term "reconciliation" when discussing them, the opposition prefers "forced repopulation".
Asia: Vietnam and China called for restraint in resolving disputes in the South China Sea. Speaking to reporters at a joint press briefing with his Chinese counterpart, Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh said the two countries should manage the disputes and not expand them. "We propose that the two sides in the coming time should seriously implement the mutual understandings of leaders (of two countries) ... well manage disputes, do not have activities that complicate and expand disputes, respect the legitimate rights and interests of each other in accordance with international laws," Minh said. For his part, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said "settling maritime disputes is very important for the healthy and stable development of bilateral relations."
