Putin ally lambasts Western values embodied by Conchita Wurst
BERLIN (Reuters) – A confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the West on Thursday of trying to impose decadent values on the rest of the world, saying the bearded drag queen who won the Eurovision Song Contest last weekend symbolized its …
Japan PM eyes landmark change on limits to military combat abroad
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called for a review of legal limits on the military’s ability to fight overseas on Thursday, signaling a potential landmark change in a security policy long constrained by the pacifist, post-war cons…
Lebanese lawmakers fail for fourth time to elect president
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Lebanese lawmakers failed for a fourth time to choose a new head of state on Thursday and will try again in a week’s time, only three days before President Michel Suleiman’s term ends.
Bosnia, Serbia hit by worst flooding in 120 years; three die
SARAJEVO/BELGRADE (Reuters) – The heaviest rains and floods in the past 120 years hit Bosnia and Serbia this week, killing three people, cutting off electricity and leaving several towns and villages isolated.
Jail, lawsuits cast shadow over Myanmar media freedom
YANGON (Reuters) – Two years after Myanmar scrapped censorship in one of its boldest reforms, its journalists are again living in fear of jail and are convinced a state-sponsored crackdown is under way to limit press freedom.
Hackers deface Bulgarian church website over mosque attack
SOFIA (Reuters) – Hackers defaced the website of Bulgaria’s Orthodox Church on Thursday, accusing the organization of failing to condemn an attack on a mosque and underlining simmering sectarian tensions in the EU’s poorest country.
Azerbaijan sentences opposition journalist to eight years in jail
BAKU (Reuters) – An opposition journalist in Azerbaijan was sentenced on Thursday to eight years in prison in a case critics say highlights a government-led crackdown on dissent in the oil-rich former Soviet republic.
Thai July election unlikely as renewed unrest grips Bangkok
BANGKOK (Reuters) – A Thai general election is unlikely to go ahead in July after renewed unrest, officials said on Thursday, as the acting prime minister was forced by protesters to flee a meeting with electoral officers and gunmen killed three people…
Sudanese woman sentenced to death for converting to Christianity
KHARTOUM (Reuters) – A Sudanese court has sentenced a 27-year-old woman to death for converting to Christianity, judicial sources said.
India’s Modi on course to become prime minister: latest exit polls
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi is set to become India’s next prime minister, according to a major exit poll released late on Wednesday, following others forecasting that his opposition party and its allies could win a parliamenta…
