China, Japan agree to keep momentum alive for better ties
TOKYO (Reuters) – China and Japan held their first security talks in four years on Thursday and agreed to keep alive and foster a nascent recovery in bilateral ties plagued by the legacy of Japan’s wartime aggression and a territorial dispute.
Cambodia passes strict poll laws criticized by U.S., rights groups
PHNOM PENH (Reuters) – Cambodia’s parliament passed two controversial new election laws on Thursday that have drawn criticism from rights groups and the United States for limiting oversight and stifling freedom of speech during campaign periods.
Mali arrests three over deadly militant attack on restaurant
BAMAKO (Reuters) – Malian security forces have arrested three people suspected of complicity in a militant attack on a restaurant in the capital on March 7 that killed a French citizen, a Belgian security officer and three Malians.
Egyptian court acquits top Mubarak era official on graft charges: sources
CAIRO (Reuters) – An Egyptian court acquitted former Interior Minister Habib el-Adly of graft charges on Thursday, judicial sources said, the latest ruling to clear prominent figures from the era of President Hosni Mubarak, who was ousted in the 2011 r…
Vanuatu provides lessons in cyclone survival
PORT VILA (Reuters) – Villagers in Vanuatu buried food and fresh water as one of the strongest storms on record bore down on them, fleeing to churches, schools and even coconut drying kilns as 300 kph winds and massive seas tore their flimsy houses to …
Zimbabwean police shot prisoners, death toll at five: VP
HARARE (Reuters) – Five Zimbabwean inmates died after being shot by police in last week’s prison protest over food shortages, which turned violent as some prisoners attempted to break out of jail, vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa said.
Yemeni tribesmen free French woman kidnapped last month: tribal sources
SANAA (Reuters) – Yemeni tribesmen on Thursday freed a French and a Yemeni woman kidnapped last month in the capital Sanaa, tribal sources told Reuters.
Japan to expand SE Asia security ties with Indonesia pact
TOKYO/JAKARTA (Reuters) – Japan will sign a defense pact with Indonesia next week, officials in both governments said, the latest effort by Tokyo to forge closer security ties with Southeast Asian nations and build a counter-balance to China.
Japan’s Kyushu hopes to restart reactor in July: company official
TOKYO (Reuters) – Kyushu Electric Power Co hopes to restart a nuclear reactor in southwestern Japan in July, a company official said, marking what would be the nation’s first resumption in about two years following stringent safety checks that were imp…
China charges former chief of state asset regulator with graft
BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese prosecutors on Thursday charged the former head of the state asset regulator with bribery and abuse of power, paving the way for the trial of the one-time oil man who had close links with a disgraced retired domestic securit…
