Australia summons Chinese ambassador over airspace announcement
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia summoned China’s ambassador to express concern over its imposition of an “Air Defence Identification Zone” over the East China Sea, the foreign minister said on Tuesday, decrying the move as unhelpful in a region beset by t…
11 Pakistani teachers kidnapped during polio campaign released: officials
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) – Militants released on Tuesday 11 teachers who had been kidnapped in Pakistan’s lawless northwest during a polio vaccination campaign last week, local officials said.
Nepal’s Maoists demand election investigation, but soften rhetoric
KATHMANDU (Reuters) – Nepal’s Maoist former rebels, trailing in last week’s election, have called for an independent investigation into complaints of vote fraud, but they also signaled willingness to compromise to end political deadlock in the Himalaya…
China sends carrier to South China Sea for training amid maritime disputes
BEIJING (Reuters) – China sent its sole aircraft carrier on a training mission into the South China Sea on Tuesday amid maritime disputes with some neighbors and tension over its plan to set up an airspace defense zone in waters disputed with Japan.
Bombs detonated, rail lines removed in protest against Bangladesh poll date
DHAKA (Reuters) – Bangladeshi opposition supporters detonated scores of homemade bombs and removed railway tracks to disrupt train services on Tuesday as a planned nationwide protest against upcoming elections turned violent, witnesses and police said….
Indonesia steps up threats in Australia row
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia’s diplomatic rift with Australia over phone bugging accusations threatened to widen on Tuesday after the trade minister said Southeast Asia’s biggest economy was looking elsewhere for food imports.
Honduras ruling party hope wins presidency on vow to tame gangs
TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) – Honduras’ conservative ruling party candidate, Juan Hernandez, has won Sunday’s presidential election after campaigning on a promise to tame rampant drug gang violence that has given the struggling nation the world’s highest mur…
Xinjiang college says approved political views needed to graduate
BEIJING (Reuters) – College students in China’s restive western Xinjiang region will not graduate unless their political views are approved, a university official said, as the country wages what school administrators called an ideological war against s…
China aims to harness religious beliefs to promote harmony
BEIJING (Reuters) – China should harness the positive influence of moderate religious believers, including their traditions of benevolence and tolerance, and recognize their contributions to society, the country’s top religious affairs official wrote o…
Malaysia summons Singapore envoy over spying reports
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysia’s government summoned Singapore’s high commissioner for talks on Tuesday, saying it was “extremely concerned” by media reports that the city-state helps Western intelligence agencies spy on its Southeast Asian neighbor…