Japan PM Abe’s ‘Holy Grail’ of revising pacifist constitution increasingly elusive
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has achieved much of his conservative security agenda since taking office in 2012 but unless he can revive his flagging popularity, his goal of revising the pacifist constitution is likely to elude h…
Up to 80 percent of Thailand’s tsunami warning system needs maintenance
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Up to 80 percent of Thailand’s tsunami warning system needs maintenance work, the deputy director-general of its disaster prevention department said on Monday, more than a decade after the region was hit by a tsunami that killed 226…
Stranded Yemenis, thousands of others stand to lose ‘golden ticket’ to U.S.
NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Yemen is urging the U.S. government to take in dozens of Yemenis who traveled to Malaysia in recent months expecting to immigrate to the United States, only to find themselves stranded by President Donald Trump’s tempora…
Australia ramps up airport security after alleged plane bomb plot
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Stricter screening of passengers and luggage at Australian airports will stay in place indefinitely after police foiled an alleged “Islamic-inspired” plot to bring down a plane, which local media said may have involved a bomb or pois…
China hits back at Trump criticism over North Korea
BEIJING (Reuters) – China hit back on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted he was “very disappointed” in China following North Korea’s latest missile test, saying the problem did not arise in China and that all sides need to work for a solu…
Mexico rescues 147 Central American migrants headed for U.S.
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexican authorities said on Sunday they rescued 147 Central Americans abandoned in the wilderness of Veracruz state after suspected human smugglers forced them out of the cramped tractor trailer they were traveling in on their w…
Iraqi Shi’ite leader Sadr makes rare visit to Saudi Arabia
DUBAI (Reuters) – Iraq’s influential Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr made a rare visit to Saudi Arabia on Sunday, where he met the Saudi crown prince and other officials, Saudi state news agency SPA reported.
Kremlin orders Washington to slash embassy staff in Russia
MOSCOW (Reuters) – The Kremlin has ordered the United States to cut about 60 percent of its diplomatic staff in Russia but many of those let go will be Russian citizens, softening the impact of a measure adopted in retaliation for new U.S. sanctions.
Thousands rally in Istanbul against Israel’s Al-Aqsa mosque measures
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Thousands of people rallied in Turkey’s largest city on Sunday against security measures Israel has imposed at the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, shortly after Israel removed other measures that led to two weeks of violent Palestinia…
Russian official threatens retaliation over U.S. sanctions
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A top Russian diplomat on Sunday lambasted the United States Congress for voting to sanction Russia, and warned of retaliation by Moscow.
