News Headlines - 17 June 2013

▽Syria Conflict Exposes Old Rivalries at G8 Summit

World leaders gathering at the G8 Summit in Northern Ireland have been discussing how to end the Syrian conflict - and Russian President Vladimir Putin has been defending his support for Syrian leader Bashar al Assad, despite criticism from the his G8 counterparts.

▽AFP: British spying claims outrage Russia, Turkey

Russia, Turkey and South Africa expressed outrage on Monday over revelations that Britain and the United States spied on foreign delegates at G20 meetings in London in 2009.

▽China demands US explanation over surveillance claims - FT.com

China has broken its silence over the case of Edward Snowden, the former intelligence contractor, to demand that the US explain the extensive internet surveillance he revealed.

▽BBC News - Stuart Hall jailed for 15 months for sex assaults

BBC broadcaster Stuart Hall has been sentenced to 15 months in jail for sexually abusing girls. Hall, 83, of Wilmslow, Cheshire, admitted 14 offences that occurred between 1967 and 1985.

▽Larissa MacFarquhar: A Buddhist Monk Confronts Japan’s Suicide Culture : The New Yorker

From time to time, Ittetsu Nemoto gets a group of suicidal people together to visit popular suicide spots, of which there are many in Japan.