Thailand confident it can avoid U.S. sanctions as trafficking report looms
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand will likely avoid U.S. sanctions even if it stays on the lowest tier of an annual State Department human trafficking report, Thailand’s defence minister said on Wednesday, days before the crucial progress report is due out….
Special Report: Bedouins drawn into Egypt’s Islamist fight
EL-ARISH/CAIRO (Reuters) – One afternoon in mid-April, a Bedouin woman screamed inside her single-storey, stone house in the Egyptian village of al-Taweela. The screams were so loud that neighbors took notice, said Ali Abu-Freij, a resident in the nort…
China says fleeing Uighurs want to bring holy war home
BEIJING (Reuters) – Uighurs from China’s far western region of Xinjiang who have traveled to Turkey via Southeast Asia are being trained in Syria and Iraq with the aim of bringing jihad back to China, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.
Japan fighter jet scrambles down by half in April-June
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s fighter jet scrambles in April-June fell by half to 173 times from a year earlier as Tokyo saw a sharp slide in the number of air maneuvers against Russian aircraft, the Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.
China arrests Britons, South Africans for “terror” videos
BEIJING (Reuters) – A group of 20 foreign tourists including Britons, South Africans and an Indian national, have been arrested in northern China, according to reports by Britain’s Foreign Office and a South African charity, on suspicion some had ties …
Japan security debate masks clash of views on pacifist constitution
TOKYO (Reuters) – Is Japan’s constitution a symbol of peace and respect for universal values or a reminder of humiliating defeat?
Two-wheeled revolution: Pyongyang installs bike lanes
SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea has installed cycle lanes on major thoroughfares running through Pyongyang in an apparent bid to cut down on pedestrian accidents as more people have the cash to spend on bicycles to get around.
Quake-hit Nepal to train 50,000 workers for reconstruction
KATHMANDU (Reuters) – Earthquake-hit Nepal will train 50,000 workers to help carry out reconstruction, the finance minister said, the biggest skill development program in the country’s history as economic growth is expected to fall to the slowest rate …
Japan’s Abe pushes security bills in summer of discontent
TOKYO (Reuters) – Legislation for a dramatic change in Japan’s defense policy that could allow troops to fight abroad for the first time since World War Two was approved by a lower house panel on Wednesday, despite opposition from a majority of ordinar…
Japan security bills approved by lower house committee
TOKYO (Reuters) – Legislation to implement a dramatic change in Japanese defense policy that could allow troops to fight abroad for the first time since World War Two was approved by a lower house panel on Wednesday, despite opposition from a majority …
