Philippine officials seek clarity after Duterte suggests end of U.S. exercises
HANOI/MANILA (Reuters) – Philippine officials said on Thursday they were awaiting clarification from President Rodrigo Duterte about military exercises with U.S. forces after he promised to honor their defense treaty, but declared joint war games would…
Signing peace deal, Afghan warlord calls for an ‘end to current crisis’
KABUL (Reuters) – Afghan president Ashraf Ghani formalized a controversial accord with one of Afghanistan’s most notorious warlords on Thursday, a deal the government hopes will lead to more peace agreements.
Leader of Indonesia gang which raped, murdered girl sentenced to death
CURUP, Indonesia (Reuters) – An Indonesian court on Thursday sentenced to death the leader of a gang of men and boys who raped and murdered a schoolgirl in a case that prompted the president to take steps to impose harsher punishments for attacks on c…
China armed forces warn Japan against South China sea patrols
BEIJING (Reuters) – Japan is “playing with fire” with plans to step up activity in the contested South China Sea through joint training patrols with the United States, China’s Defence Ministry said on Thursday, warning it would not sit watching from th…
Thailand cracks down on migrant workers as anti-immigration feelings rise
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand is cracking down on migrant workers from neighboring countries, saying they are “stealing jobs from Thais”, amid fears that anti-immigrant sentiment is rising as Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy stagnates.
Thousands of Indonesian workers protest against tax amnesty
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Thousands of Indonesian union workers marched to the heart of Jakarta on Thursday to protest against a government tax amnesty scheme, which is meant to plug a large budget deficit but which they say unfairly pardons wealthy tax dodg…
Kurdish militants kill three Turkish militia members: sources
DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) – Kurdish militants killed three members of a state-backed militia in a firefight in southeastern Turkey on Thursday, security sources said.
Warplanes knock out Aleppo hospitals as Russian-backed assault intensifies
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Russian or Syrian warplanes knocked two hospitals out of service in the besieged rebel sector of Aleppo on Wednesday and ground forces intensified an assault in a battle which the United Nations said had made the city worse than a sl…
Singapore court sends teen blogger back to jail for criticizing religion
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – A Singapore court sentenced 17-year-old blogger Amos Yee to six weeks in jail on Thursday for “wounding religious feelings”, his second prison term in a year, reigniting concerns about social controls and censorship in the conserv…
As Philippines’ Duterte visits Vietnam, U.S. jibes hang over new partnership
HANOI (Reuters) – Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte met Vietnam’s top leadership on Thursday, aiming to advance a burgeoning alliance that could become increasingly uncertain amid his defiance of the United States and overtures towards China.
