South Korea lifts travel ban on Japanese journalist in defamation trial
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea lifted a travel ban on a Japanese journalist on trial for a charge of defaming South Korean President Park Geun-hye, a prosecution official said on Tuesday, removing what has been an irritant in bilateral relations.
Indonesian Islamic parties seek ban on alcohol consumption
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Two Islamic parties have proposed legislation that would ban all consumption of alcoholic drinks and bring jail terms of up to two years for offenders in Indonesia, home to the world’s largest Muslim population.
Supporters scramble for compromise on U.S. Senate Iran bill
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. senators scrambled to shore up bipartisan support for a controversial Iran nuclear bill before a committee meeting on Tuesday that could determine whether the legislation will survive President Barack Obama’s promised veto.
Kerry asks Congress for more time and space on Iran deal
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told skeptical Republicans and Democrats on Monday that the U.S. Congress should give him another two and a half months to secure a final nuclear deal with Iran.
Pope’s genocide comments spark indifference, frustration among Turks
ANKARA/IZMIR (Reuters) – When Pope Francis became the first pontiff to publicly call the 1915 Armenian massacre a genocide this weekend, the reaction from Ankara was swift and irate: it summoned the Vatican ambassador for a dressing down and recalled i…
Nigeria’s new president pledges effort to free girls kidnapped a year ago
ABUJA (Reuters) – Nigeria’s President-elect Muhammadu Buhari vowed on Tuesday to make every effort to free more than 200 schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram militants a year ago but admitted it was not clear whether they would ever be found.
U.N. vote on Tuesday on Yemen arms embargo; Russia stance unclear
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The U.N. Security Council is due to vote on Tuesday on a resolution to blacklist the son of Yemen’s former president and a Houthi leader and effectively impose an arms embargo on the rebels who rule most of the country, diplo…
Labour Party most likely to form government, Deutsche Bank research shows
(Reuters) – Ahead of the May 7 election, in which Labour Party and Prime Minister David Cameron’s incumbent Conservative Party are neck-and-neck in polls, Deutsche Bank said in a research note that the Labour Party is most likely be able to form the ne…
Boko Haram abducted 2,000 women and girls, forced to fight: Amnesty
LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Boko Haram has abducted at least 2,000 women and girls in Nigeria since the start of 2014, forcing many into sexual slavery or combat, Amnesty International said on the first anniversary of the abduction of more th…
Violence escalates in east Ukraine ahead of talks
KIEV (Reuters) – Ukraine’s military accused pro-Russian rebels on Monday of using heavy weapons that were meant to have been withdrawn under a ceasefire deal, after one Ukrainian serviceman was killed and six wounded in rebel-held territories.
