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TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s government will forgo setting a ceiling on defense spending in next fiscal year’s annual budget, the Nikkei newspaper reported on Saturday. The government usually sets a ceiling on spending requests submitted by ministries in crafting its annual state budget to avoid expenditures from increasing too much and straining Japan’s already worsening …

Japan to forgo setting ceiling on next year’s defense spending -Nikkei Read More »

By Greg Torode HONG KONG (Reuters) -Hong Kong’s highest court on Friday overturned the conviction of a protester for carrying plastic zip fasteners, with judges warning that the authorities’ expanded interpretation of the law risked creating a “thought crime”. Chan Chun-kit was sentenced to 5-1/2-months’ jail by a lower court after his arrest in November …

Top court warns Hong Kong against risk of prosecuting ‘thought crimes’ Read More »

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia on Friday imposed sanctions against 384 members of Japan’s parliament, the foreign ministry said in a statement. Moscow said the measures were taken against those who had “taken an unfriendly, anti-Russian position.” Tokyo has hit Russia with harsh sanctions, joining the G7 in freezing the central bank’s assets, since Moscow sent …

Russia sanctions 384 Japanese lawmakers Read More »

By Fransiska Nangoy and Stefanno Sulaiman NUSA DUA, Indonesia (Reuters) – Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati on Friday called for a joint forum involving G20 finance and agriculture ministries to come up with concrete action to tackle growing food insecurity and a looming fertilizer supply crisis. Food insecurity is one of the top issues …

Indonesia calls for G20 joint ministerial forum to tackle food crisis Read More »

COLOMBO (Reuters) – The speaker of parliament in crisis-hit Sri Lanka has accepted a resignation letter from President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, having verified its authenticity after it was flown from Singapore late on Thursday, he told reporters. “From this point, we will move to constitutionally appoint a new president,” the speaker, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, said on …

Sri Lanka parliament speaker accepts Rajapaksa’s resignation Read More »

By Hyonhee Shin SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea’s foreign ministry said on Friday that Ukraine has no right to raise sovereignty issues after joining the United States’ “unjust, illegal” actions that breached Pyongyang’s sovereignty. North Korea’s state media released a statement from the ministry after formally recognising two Russian-backed breakaway self-proclaimed republics in eastern Ukraine …

N.Korea says Ukraine can’t talk about sovereignty while aiding U.S Read More »

By Hyonhee Shin SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korea hopes a high-level visit to Tokyo next week will kickstart talks aimed at a breakthrough in historical disputes despite concerns the death of former Japanese premier Shinzo Abe could disrupt efforts to mend ties, Seoul officials said. Relations between the two North Asian U.S. allies have been strained …

S.Korea seeks to kickstart talks to resolve historical feuds with Japan Read More »