Freedom of speech reaches ‘new low’ in junta-ruled Thailand
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s military seized power last year with a promise to eventually restore democracy. But a crackdown against critics of the monarchy and junta suggest the country is locked on a darker trajectory, say U.N. officials and human …
Spain’s PM says open to pact after too-close-to-call election
MADRID (Reuters) – Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, facing a likely slim win at the election on Sunday according to opinion polls, said on Wednesday he would consider a political pact to assure a stable government over the next term.
China tightens rules on maps amid territorial disputes
BEIJING (Reuters) – China has tightened its rules on the distribution of maps that violate the government’s stance on territorial disputes, state television said on Wednesday.
Wave of arrests after Pakistan school massacre has unclear results
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Pakistan has arrested nearly 100,000 people under a counter-terrorism program enacted after a massacre of school children a year ago, though only about 2,000 of them were militants, a senior Interior Ministry official told Reuters…
Iran’s October missile test violated U.N. ban: expert panel
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – Iran violated a U.N. Security Council resolution in October by test-firing a missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead, a team of sanctions monitors said, leading to calls in the U.S. Congress on Tuesday for more sancti…
Exclusive: U.S. to charge Venezuela’s National Guard chief with drug trafficking
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. prosecutors are preparing to unveil drug trafficking charges against the head of Venezuela’s National Guard, according to people familiar with the case, as the United States investigates the suspected involvement of senior V…
Japan’s asylum applications exceed 2014 level by end-October
TOKYO (Reuters) – The number of people seeking asylum in Japan this year hit a full-year record by the end of October, government data shows, as looser visa rules and severe labor shortages attract more of those fleeing conflict and poverty.
Japan agrees to raise host-nation spending for U.S. military
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan will boost its spending for U.S. forces stationed there by 1.4 percent for the next five years, the Japanese government said on Wednesday, supporting the U.S. military’s Asian presence in the face of a rising China.
Former PM Major says EU exit would leave Britain in dangerous ‘splendid isolation’
LONDON (Reuters) – Quitting the European Union would leave Britain in dangerous “splendid isolation” and could lead to the break up of the United Kingdom itself, former Prime Minister John Major said on Wednesday.
Afghan forces seize two tonnes of explosives in Kabul
KABUL (Reuters) – Afghan security forces have seized and destroyed two tonnes of ammonium nitrate, an ingredient of improvised explosives, foiling dozens of potential bomb attacks, the intelligence agency said on Wednesday.
