Academics, activists eye seats in parliament to curb Myanmar military
YANGON (Reuters) – Leading activists and academics in Myanmar are rallying behind opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi ahead of Nov. 8 parliamentary elections, hoping that a resounding win for her party will help force the military to loosen its grip on …
Cartoon capers: Japan PM uses offbeat PR blitz to rescue ratings
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is using ‘anime’ cartoons, Internet chats and even an unusual show-and-tell TV appearance, complete with a mockup of burning buildings, in an effort to persuade wary voters that his bolder defense po…
Turkish army returns fire on Islamic State after soldier killed: officials
ANKARA/BEIRUT (Reuters) – Turkish forces returned fire on Islamic State militants in Syria with tank shells on Thursday after a Turkish soldier was killed and two others were wounded in a cross-border firefight, military and government officials said.
Turkey lets U.S. strike Islamic State from Incirlik base: U.S.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Turkey has agreed to allow U.S. planes to launch air strikes against Islamic State militants from the U.S. air base at Incirlik, close to the Syrian border, U.S. defense officials said on Thursday.
Obama urges Britain to stay in EU in BBC interview
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama told the BBC in an interview excerpt that aired on Thursday that Britain must remain in the European Union to maintain its global influence.
Kerry: critics of Iran deal spinning ‘fantasy,’ urges approval
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday mounted a furious counterattack against critics of the Iran nuclear deal, telling skeptical lawmakers it would be fantasy to think the United States could simply “bomb away” Tehran’s…
China in ‘race to bottom’ with North Korea on rights: U.S. congressman
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – An influential U.S. congressman denounced religious persecution in China on Thursday, comparing some practices to those of the Nazis and saying that Beijing was in a “race to the bottom” with its neighbor North Korea on human rig…
Paychecks aplenty as ghosts haunt Cambodia’s lax bureaucracy
PHNOM PENH (Reuters) – Borith has been on the payroll of Cambodia’s parliament for 15 years but rarely shows up for work. He is busy with his other job at a non-governmental organization, and no one notices his absence.
Chinese dissident sets sights on seat in Taiwan parliament
TAIPEI (Reuters) – Twenty-six years after Wu’er Kaixi stood alongside young comrades to stare down People’s Liberation Army tanks in Tiananmen Square, the Chinese democracy activist has his sights set on winning a seat in Taiwan’s parliament.
Laws passed, Greece to open bailout talks as recession pushes goals further
ATHENS/BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Greece’s creditors prepared on Thursday for the start of bailout talks in Athens, after lawmakers adopted a second package of reform measures before dawn despite a left wing rebellion that may bring early elections.
