Philippines, U.S. to hold naval drills near disputed shoal in South China Sea
MANILA (Reuters) – Philippine and American troops are set to hold naval exercises this month near a disputed shoal, which will almost certainly anger China with tension already high in the South China Sea.
Taliban attack NATO supplies in Afghan east, destroy dozens of trucks
KABUL (Reuters) – Four Taliban militants struck a NATO post in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar on Thursday, destroying dozens of trucks and sparking a gun battle with polices, Afghan officials said.
Hong Kong’s democracy ‘referendum’ likely to rile China’s communists
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong holds a controversial “referendum” on democracy on Friday, a prelude to an escalating campaign of dissent that could shut down the former British colony’s financial district and further anger China’s Communist Party lead…
Iraq asks United States for air support to counter rebels
BAGHDAD/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Iraq has asked the United States for air support in countering Sunni rebels, the top U.S. general said on Wednesday, after the militants seized major cities in a lightning advance that has routed the Shi’ite-led governmen…
Chinese official shot dead in Tibetan area
BEIJING (Reuters) – An official in charge of preserving social stability was shot dead in a mountainous area of a Tibetan prefecture in southwestern China last week, state media reported.
Biden warns of further costs for Russia over Ukraine violence
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Vice President Joe Biden told Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Wednesday the United States would work with its allies to “impose further costs on Russia” if Moscow failed to use its influence to stop separatist violen…
Kurds committed abuses in Syria: rights group
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Kurds in parts of northern Syria have carried out arbitrary arrests and failed to investigate the killings and disappearance of political opponents, Human Rights Watch said on Thursday in a report documenting rights abuses.
Libya condemns U.S. arrest of Benghazi suspect
TRIPOLI (Reuters) – Libya condemned the United States on Wednesday for snatching a man suspected of masterminding the deadly 2012 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, describing the arrest as a violation of Libyan sovereignty.
Iraq asks United States for air support to counter rebels
BAGHDAD/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Iraq has asked the United States for air support in countering Sunni rebels, the top U.S. general said on Wednesday, after the militants seized major cities in a lightning advance that has routed the Shi’ite-led governmen…
Japan’s ‘Patriotic Wives’: praise for Abe, censure for China, South Korea
TOKYO (Reuters) – One by one, women take the microphone near a crowded crossing in a popular Tokyo shopping district on a hot and humid weekday, denouncing Japan’s pacifist constitution, blasting China’s “recklessness” and mocking the South Korean flag…
