Japan PM protests against Okinawa incident at summit with Obama
ISE-SHIMA, Japan (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Wednesday he lodged a stern protest with U.S. President Barack Obama following the arrest last week of a U.S. base worker in connection with the death of a Japanese woman in Okinaw…
Afghan draft law must stop punishing women over ‘moral crimes’: rights group
LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Afghanistan’s president should ensure that the country’s draft penal code upholds women’s rights by banning “virginity exams” and outlawing the imprisonment of women and girls accused of so-called moral crimes, Hum…
Aid experts give first World Humanitarian Summit mixed report card
ISTANBUL (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – The World Humanitarian Summit has reinforced the urgent need for people hit by conflict and disasters to receive better help, but the first meeting of its kind may not trigger the changes necessary to fix their p…
Clearout of Greek refugee camp should reopen economic artery
IDOMENI, Greece (Reuters) – Greece has sent in police and bulldozers to clear out Europe’s biggest refugee camp because of the deteriorating humanitarian conditions there, but the operation should also unblock a vital artery for the ailing economy.
Cambodia PM sets 2018 election date, opposition leaders face legal charges
PHNOM PENH (Reuters) – Cambodia’s next election will be in July 2018, Prime Minister Hun Sen announced on Wednesday, as leaders of the opposition face legal charges they say are politically motivated to stop them challenging the veteran premier in the …
U.S.-backed Syrian militias not preparing assault on Islamic State capital: spokesman
BEIRUT (Reuters) – U.S.-backed Syrian militias are not preparing an assault on Islamic State’s de facto Syrian capital of Raqqa at present, a militia spokesman said, indicating the limited scope of a new offensive in nearby areas where fighting raged o…
Vietnamese dissident a reluctant tourist during Obama visit
HANOI (Reuters) – Vietnamese dissident Nguyen Quang A spent much of Tuesday as a tourist with plainclothes cops – eating fish noodle soup, visiting a temple and a fortune teller – returning home just as President Barack Obama took off from Hanoi aboard Air Force One.
Thailand canvasses support for controversial charter ahead of August vote
BANGKOK, Thailand (Reuters) – Thailand’s military government on Wednesday kicked off a drive to convince citizens to vote in an August referendum for a draft constitution that the junta has said will pave the way for an election next year.Opponents say…
Netanyahu signs coalition deal, names far-right Lieberman defense chief
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his choice for defense minister, ultranationalist Avigdor Lieberman, signed a coalition agreement on Wednesday and issued assurances that the most right wing government in Israel’s history wou…
Vietnam PM says country not pursuing military buildup in South China Sea
HANOI (Reuters) – Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said on Wednesday his country was not pursuing a military buildup over the South China Sea and would seek only peaceful means to solve disputes, with no use of force.
