Australia detains seven men suspected of trying to join militants
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Authorities have detained seven young Australian men as they were attempting to fly to the Middle East, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Thursday, over suspicions they wanted to join militant Islamist groups.
North Korea fires shots at South Korea loudspeaker in border zone: media
SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea fired shots on Thursday towards a South Korean loudspeaker that has been blaring anti-Pyongyang broadcasts in recent days, South Korean media reported.
Sirisena’s party offers to form coalition government in Sri Lanka
COLOMBO (Reuters) – The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) offered on Thursday to form a coalition government with this week’s winner of parliamentary elections, in a move that will pave the way for President Maithripala Sirisena to restart his stalled ref…
Turkey’s election board proposes November 1 as date for snap polls
ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey’s High Election Board has proposed November 1 as a date for possible snap parliamentary elections, ruling AK Party officials said on Thursday, paving the way for a break in a political deadlock after the collapse of coalition …
International envoys urge resolution to Somali impeachment effort
MOGADISHU (Reuters) – International envoys urged a rapid resolution to a move by Somali lawmakers to impeach President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud – the latest crisis to threaten the country’s stability as it struggles to rebound from two decades of chaos an…
To ease climate change, U.S. should end drilling on federal land: study
TORONTO (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Up to 450 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases would be kept out of the atmosphere if the U.S. government stopped leasing federal lands to fossil fuel companies, according to a study released on Wednesday.
Two Filipino coast guards held hostage for three months escape during raid
MANILA (Reuters) – Two members of the Philippine Coast Guard taken hostage by al Qaeda-linked militants three months ago have escaped captivity during a raid by U.S.-trained commandos on a remote southern island, an army spokesman said on Thursday.
Myanmar lawmakers to vote on recall bill amid political turmoil
YANGON (Reuters) – Myanmar lawmakers will vote on Thursday on a bill that could lead to the impeachment of ousted ruling party chief Shwe Mann, as political factions realign after the ex-general was dramatically sacked by the president last week.
Colombia confronts femicide, the ‘most extreme form of violence against women’
BOGOTA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Colombia’s new law on femicide is a key step to combat violence against women, but forensic experts and prosecutors will need to change the way they investigate gender-related killings to win convictions, officials…
Tanzanian gang rape film helps village women halt sexual abuse
PANGANI, Tanzania (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Aisha, an ambitious young businesswoman living in the city, returns to her home village for her younger sister’s wedding and re-connects with her past, meeting family and friends.
