Indonesia to create new coastguard, boost defense spending
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia will launch a new coastguard next month to crack down on piracy and smuggling which can disrupt commerce in Southeast Asia’s biggest economy, the chief security minister told Reuters on Thursday.
Protesters over missing students in Mexico burn state assembly
CHILPANCINGO Mexico (Reuters) – Demonstrators set fire to the local legislature building on Wednesday in the capital of the southwestern state of Guerrero in protests over the apparent massacre of 43 students by corrupt police and thugs from drug gangs…
U.S. says Myanmar should draft new plan to give Rohingya citizenship
NAYPYITAW (Reuters) – The United States on Thursday urged Myanmar to draft a new plan to allow the ethnic Rohingya minority to become citizens and to scrap a proposed plan to send them to detention camps if they decline to identify themselves as Bengal…
Afghan power struggle seen delaying formation of new government
KABUL (Reuters) – Weeks after a new Afghan president was sworn in, a tussle for power means it could be weeks – if not months – before a cabinet is in place, the last thing his government needs as it gears for foreign troops to leave after 13 years of …
Turkey’s role in Libya adds to pro-Islamist perception
ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey’s effort to play a role in resolving Libya’s deepening conflict risks further damaging its strained relations with Western allies, by fuelling suspicions that it is doubling down on a pro-Islamist regional agenda.
Vietnam confidence vote offers more than political theater
HANOI (Reuters) – When lawmakers casting ballots are nearly all Communist Party members and “no confidence” is not among the options, a parliamentary censure vote on Vietnam’s top leadership might seem like a pointless exercise.
Russian PM says sanctions must be lifted for ties with West to improve
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev was quoted as saying on Thursday sanctions must be abandoned to overcome problems in relations with the West after meeting U.S. President Barack Obama on the sidelines of a meeting in Asia.
Italian engineer abducted in Libya in July freed: Italy ministry
ROME (Reuters) – An Italian construction engineer abducted in Libya last July has been freed, Italy’s foreign ministry said on Thursday.
U.S. says looks forward to full Bali package after agreement with India
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – An agreement between the United States and India to move ahead with a global trade facilitation agreement should give new momentum to multilateral efforts at the World Trade Organization, U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman …
Convicted crew of doomed South Korean ferry file for appeal
SEOUL (Reuters) – Eight of the 15 surviving crew members of a South Korean ferry that capsized in April have filed for appeal against their convictions on negligence charges in the country’s worst maritime disaster in more than four decades.
