Toyota’s top female executive steps down after arrest in Japan
TOKYO (Reuters) – Toyota Motor Corp said on Wednesday that Julie Hamp, its first female managing officer, had resigned following her arrest last month on suspicion of illegally importing the painkiller oxycodone into Japan.
“Conscience vote” may help Australia decide on same-sex marriage
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia will soon decide whether to legalize same-sex marriage under a cross-party bill which may allow parliament members to vote according to their conscience, rather than along party lines, media reported on Wednesday.
China upset with Turkey’s concern on Ramadan restrictions
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s Foreign Ministry denied restricting religious freedom on Wednesday in a sharp response to Turkey for voicing concern over reports that ethnic Uighur muslims had been banned from worship and fasting during Ramadan.
Lebanese army says kills five militants at Syria border
BEIRUT (Reuters) – The Lebanese army said on Wednesday it had killed five militants in a clash at the border zone with Syria, the second such confrontation in less than a week.
Suspected militants kill 11 Egyptian soldiers in North Sinai attack: sources
CAIRO (Reuters) – At least 11 Egyptian soldiers were killed in a car bomb attack on a military post in North Sinai on Wednesday, security sources said.
China adopts new security law to make networks, systems ‘controllable’
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s legislature adopted a sweeping national security law on Wednesday that covers everything from territorial sovereignty to measures to tighten cyber security, a move likely to rile foreign businesses.
China’s military on mission to bring ‘modern civilization’ to Xinjiang
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s military must bring “modern civilization” to the restive southern areas of the Xinjiang region, where Muslim ethnic Uighurs are in majority, and help develop its economy, two senior army officers wrote in an influential jour…
Tunisia hotel gunman trained in Libya jihadist camp: government
TUNIS (Reuters) – The Tunisian gunman who carried out a deadly attack on a hotel last Friday trained in a jihadist camp in Libya last year, Tunisia’s government said on Tuesday.
Crew of crashed Taiwan TransAsia plane shut off working engine: source
TAIPEI (Reuters) – The crew of a TransAsia Airways ATR plane that crashed in Taiwan in February, killing 43 people on board, had shut off the working engine after the other lost power, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said on Wednesday.
More than 135,000 refugees reached Europe by sea in 2015’s first half: UNHCR
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – More than 135,000 refugees and migrants have arrived in Europe by sea in the first half of 2015, with most of the burden being borne by countries in southern Europe, according to a new report by the United Nations High Commission…
