Asia

Thousands of Hong Kong protesters gather, government offices shut after violence

Editorial Bureau June 13, 2019

HONG KONG (Reuters) – Thousands of protesters readied in Hong Kong on Thursday for more potential clashes with police over a planned extradition law with mainland China, a day after police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at unarmed demonstrators. Small scuffles broke out between police

Asia

Putin says Russia-U.S. relations are getting ‘worse and worse’ – Mir TV

Editorial Bureau June 13, 2019

MOSCOW (Reuters) – President Vladimir Putin said in an interview published on Thursday that relations between Moscow and Washington were getting worse and worse, noting that the current U.S. administration had imposed dozens of sanctions on Russia. “They (relations) are deteriorating, getting worse and worse,” Putin told the Mir TV channel. Putin made his

Asia

India evacuates hundreds of thousands as cyclone Vayu builds fury

Editorial Bureau June 12, 2019

MUMBAI (Reuters) – India evacuated hundreds of thousands of people to shelters along the coast in its western state of Gujarat as a cyclone gathering intensity over the Arabian Sea was expected to hit land on Thursday. Weather officials said Cyclone Vayu, with wind speeds equivalent to those of a Category 1 hurricane, is set […]

Asia

Trump and Kim one year on: A ‘beautiful letter’, stalled diplomacy

Editorial Bureau June 12, 2019

SEOUL (Reuters) – A year after President Donald Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un met for the first time, they appear committed to a personal bond upon which hopes for peace appear to rest, despite a stalemate in efforts to get Kim to abandon nuclear weapons. Trump and Kim agreed at the first U.S.-North […]

Asia

With flowers and personal stories, Japan sexual abuse survivors seek reform

Editorial Bureau June 12, 2019

TOKYO (Reuters) – Sexual abuse victims and their supporters rallied in nine cities around Japan this week to protest against recent court acquittals of alleged rapists and urge reform of the nation’s anti-rape law. Holding flowers and placards with slogans such as “#MeToo, #WithYou”, sexual abuse survivors on Tuesday evening recounted their

Asia

Kim Jong Un’s sister to visit DMZ separating two Koreas, Seoul says

Editorial Bureau June 12, 2019

SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s sister will visit the demilitarised zone separating the North from the South on Wednesday to pay her condolences to former South Korean First Lady Lee Hee-ho, South Korea’s Unification Ministry said. North Korea said that the sister, Kim Yo Jong, will visit the border village of […]

Asia

Tens of thousands of protesters force delay in Hong Kong extradition bill debate

Editorial Bureau June 12, 2019

HONG KONG (Reuters) – Tens of thousands of Hong Kong demonstrators surrounded the Chinese-ruled city’s legislature on Wednesday, forcing it to postpone a second round of debate on an extradition bill that would allow people to be sent to mainland China for trial. The protesters, most of them young people dressed in black, erected barricades […]

Asia

Outrage at acquittals in rape cases sparks calls to fix Japanese law

Editorial Bureau June 11, 2019

(Reuters) – Miyako Shirakawa was a 19-year-old college student when she was raped by an older man. She said that when the attack started, her mind went blank and she froze up. “When I became aware, he was on top of me,” said Shirakawa, 54, now a psychiatrist who treats sexual abuse victims. That type […]

Asia

Former Pakistani president Zardari arrested on corruption charges

Editorial Bureau June 11, 2019

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Former Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari was arrested on corruption charges on Monday in a blow to the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party over what media said was an investigation into false bank accounts and money laundering. Zardari, widower of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB),

Asia

North Korea urges U.S. to change ‘hostile policy’ on eve of summit anniversary

Editorial Bureau June 11, 2019

(Reuters) – North Korean state media called on the United States on Tuesday to “withdraw its hostile policy” towards Pyongyang or agreements made at a landmark summit in Singapore a year ago might become “a blank sheet of paper”. The statement on state news agency KCNA, echoing a similar warning last week, reflected the stalemate […]