Malaysian court scraps cross-dressing ban in landmark decision
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – A Malaysian court on Friday gave transgender Muslims the right to cross-dress in a landmark decision overturning an Islamic sharia law ban that could trigger similar challenges.
Major 6.9 magnitude quake strikes off PNG’s New Britain island
SYDNEY (Reuters) – A major earthquake with a magnitude of 6.9 struck off Papua New Guinea’s New Britain island on Friday but there were no immediate reports of damage, said residents in nearby towns.
Japanese woman abducted by North Korea died of drug overdose: report
SEOUL (Reuters) – Megumi Yokota, a Japanese national abducted by North Korean agents decades ago as a schoolgirl, died from an overdose of medication in 1994 and was buried in a pit with other corpses, a South Korean newspaper said on Friday.
U.S. commission urges Obama to meet persecuted Rohingya in Myanmar
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A U.S. government agency called on President Barack Obama on Thursday to meet with Rohingya Muslims and other minorities when he visits Myanmar this month and to press the government to act to prevent “serious and alarming violen…
Indian intelligence agency on the cheap hampers war on militants
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – When a bomb went off last month in West Bengal state, police at India’s leading counterterrorism organization had to hail taxis to get to the scene because they did not have enough cars.
German rail strike to continue after court rejects lawsuit
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – A German court dismissed an attempt on Thursday by rail operator Deutsche Bahn to halt a nationwide strike that has paralyzed the country and threatens to keep people from attending weekend celebrations of the 25th anniversary of …
Train derails on Rio’s Canadian iron ore line, worker missing
MONTREAL (Reuters) – A train operated by Rio Tinto Plc’s Iron Ore Company of Canada derailed in Quebec and its single operator was missing following an apparent landslide, the Canadian iron ore miner said on Thursday.
German court rejects railways lawsuit, rail strike to continue
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – A German court dismissed an attempt on Thursday by rail operator Deutsche Bahn to stop a nationwide strike through an injunction by the GDL train drivers’ union which has crippled the country since Wednesday, labor court judge Urs…
U.S. Army to deactivate long-serving ‘Iron Brigade’ in South Korea
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – An Army combat brigade that has anchored the U.S. military presence in South Korea for nearly 50 years will be deactivated and replaced with a rotational unit as the service shrinks in size due to budget cuts, defense officials s…
Israel tried to limit civilian casualties in Gaza: U.S. military chief
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The highest-ranking U.S. military officer said on Thursday that Israel went to “extraordinary lengths” to limit civilian casualties in the recent war in Gaza and that the Pentagon had sent a team to see what lessons could be lear…
