Indonesia government aims to outlaw insulting president, sparks uproar
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesian legislators and human rights activists criticized on Wednesday a government proposal to make insulting the president illegal, citing concern for freedom of speech in the world’s third-largest democracy.
U.S. to send aid to flood-hit Myanmar: Kerry
YANGON/KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – The United States will announce an aid package for Myanmar to help the Southeast Asian country provide relief for the hundreds of thousands of people affected by floods, Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday.
Kerry to meet Russia’s Lavrov in Malaysia on Wednesday
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will meet for a second time in three days on Wednesday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who has been trying to bring about a rapprochement between Syria and regional states to forg…
Japan minister’s nuclear comments spark new row over security bills
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s defense minister triggered a new row over controversial security legislation on Wednesday when he said the bills under consideration by parliament would not rule out the military transporting the nuclear weapons of foreign for…
Italian foreign minister invites Iran’s Rouhani to Rome: IRNA
DUBAI (Reuters) – Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni has invited Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to visit Rome, Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported on Wednesday, a week after France invited him to visit Paris.
Pakistan’s secret military courts given Supreme Court blessing
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Pakistan’s Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that secret military courts were legal and could pass death sentences on civilians, a judgment that critics said further strengthened the military’s grip on power at the expense of civil…
Turkish reporters face jail for publishing photo: prosecutors
ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkish prosecutors are pushing for jail terms of up to 7 1/2 years each for 18 journalists accused of terrorist propaganda after publishing an image of a legal official held at gunpoint by far-left militants in March, local media sa…
Weary Hungarians polarized by tide of refugees
SZEGED, Hungary (Reuters) – Every day, some 1,500 mostly Afghan and Syrian refugees stream through the woods from Serbia into Hungary.
Norwegian police investigate ‘bomb-like’ package at Oslo university
OSLO (Reuters) – Norwegian police are investigating a suspicious package found on Wednesday on the campus of the University of Oslo, they said on their Twitter account.
Japan’s Abe asks Biden for investigation of possible U.S. spying
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe asked U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday for an investigation into possible spying on high-level Japanese government and corporate officials following WikiLeaks’ release last week of a list o…
