Sri Lanka bans activist groups from contact with media
COLOMBO (Reuters) – Sri Lanka has banned activist groups and NGOs from holding press conferences and issuing press releases, a Defence Ministry circular says, raising new concerns over freedom of expression in the island nation.
Ukraine accuses Russia of abducting woman army officer
KIEV (Reuters) – Ukraine accused Russia on Wednesday of abducting a woman army officer captured by separatist fighters in eastern Ukraine and demanded she be released and returned home.
Iraqi security forces find 53 blindfolded bodies south of Baghdad
HILLA Iraq (Reuters) – Iraqi security forces found 53 corpses, blindfolded and handcuffed, in a town south of Baghdad early on Wednesday, local officials said.
Singapore says citizens participate in Syria conflict
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – A handful of Singaporean citizens have gone to Syria to participate in the conflict there, raising concern about a terrorist threat in the city-state, a senior government official was quoted by a state-owned TV network as saying.
U.S. author, Spaniard gored in Spain’s San Fermin bull run
PAMPLONA Spain (Reuters) – An American who co-wrote a book called “How to Survive the Running of the Bulls” was badly gored on Wednesday in the morning bull run at Pamplona’s San Fermin festival.
India’s Modi tightens grip on ruling party, naming close aide as chief
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s closest political associate was named the president of his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday as the leader tightened his grip on the party he carried to its biggest election victory t…
Weakened typhoon leaves two dead, heads north from Okinawa to main Japan islands
TOKYO (Reuters) – Torrential rains from a weakened but still dangerous typhoon battered Japan’s Okinawa islands on Wednesday, leaving two dead and threatening widespread flooding as the storm headed for the nation’s main islands.
Australian PM says won’t bow to ‘moral blackmail’ over asylum seekers
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott on Wednesday vowed not to bow to “moral blackmail” following reports of suicide bids by female asylum seekers at a detention center on Christmas Island.
Afghan war inflicting devastating toll on civilians: U.N.
KABUL (Reuters) – Afghanistan’s war is inflicting an increasingly devastating toll on the civilian population, with the number of casualties rising by almost a quarter in the first half of this year, the United Nations said in a report on Wednesday.
Rape and murder of 13-year-old spark debate in junta-ruled Thailand
BANGKOK (Reuters) – The rape and murder of a 13-year-old girl on an overnight train in Thailand have prompted a nationwide call for stricter enforcement of rape laws and a weekend rally that will defy military restrictions on public gatherings.
