BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand is close to introducing chemical castration as a means of tackling sex crime after lawmakers approved a bill that will give some offenders the right to choose the procedure in return for a reduced prison sentence. The bill, which the lower house passed in March, was approved late on Monday by …
Thailand on verge of using voluntary chemical castration for sex offenders Read More »
By Karen Lema MANILA (Reuters) – The Philippines reaffirmed on Tuesday that it had the legal high ground over China in a long-running maritime row, marking the anniversary of an arbitration ruling that concluded Beijing’s claim to almost the entire South China Sea was groundless. Following a heated standoff with China, the Philippines took the …
‘Award is final’ – Philippines asserts sovereignty on arbitration anniversary Read More »
BEIJING (Reuters) -China’s Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday its embassy in Japan had lodged “stern representations” with the government there about Taiwan Vice President William Lai attending the funeral of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe. Lai visited Japan in what a Japanese official described as a private visit to pay his respects as a …
China complains to Japan about Taiwan vice president at Abe funeral Read More »
(Reuters) – Washington will defend treaty ally the Philippines if its forces are attacked in the South China Sea, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said, urging China to follow international law and cease “provocative behaviour” in the busy waterway. Blinken made the comments on Monday, the sixth anniversary of a ruling by an …
U.S. urges China to end ‘provocative’ behaviour in S. China Sea Read More »
COLOMBO (Reuters) – Sri Lanka’s main opposition party will nominate its leader, Sajith Premadasa, as the country’s next president when elections are held in parliament on July 20, a party official told Reuters on Tuesday. “The parliamentary group of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya voted for leader Sajith Premadasa,” the official said on condition of anonymity …
Sri Lanka’s main opposition to nominate Premadasa as president – party official Read More »
By Brenda Goh and Jason Xue SHANGHAI (Reuters) -Shanghai residents queued up in sweltering heat for compulsory mass testing for COVID-19 on Tuesday, as persistent small outbreaks fuelled anxiety in a city that is still recovering from the painful two-month lockdown lifted a few weeks ago. The nagging daily case tolls in the commercial hub …
Unnerved Shanghai residents brave stifling heat for mass COVID tests Read More »
By Anna Voitenko and Tom Balmforth CHASIV YAR, Ukraine/KYIV (Reuters) – Rescuers pulled survivors on Monday from an apartment block destroyed by a Russian missile strike that killed 31 people in eastern Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said while lamenting Moscow’s firepower advantage despite billions in Western aid. The civilian deaths hammered home the human cost …
Rescuers pull survivors from ruined Ukrainian apartment building Read More »
By Devjyot Ghoshal and Uditha Jayasinghe COLOMBO (Reuters) – In June, a few dozen activists started meeting regularly at a seaside tented camp in Colombo for hours-long sessions to think up ways to revive Sri Lanka’s flagging protest movement. The group, which included a Catholic priest, a digital strategist and a popular playwright, succeeded beyond …
How a band of activists helped bring down Sri Lanka’s government Read More »
COLOMBO (Reuters) – Sri Lanka’s parliament will reconvene on July 15 and a new president will be elected on July 20, the parliamentary speaker said on Monday, as President Gotabaya Rajapaksa plans to resign on Wednesday amid a devastating economic crisis. “Nominations for the next president will be presented to parliament on 19 July. On …
Sri Lanka’s parliament to elect new president on July 20 Read More »
By Uditha Jayasinghe and Devjyot Ghoshal COLOMBO (Reuters) -Sri Lanka’s parliament will elect a new president on July 20, its speaker said on Monday, after protesters stormed the residences of the current president and prime minister, who have both offered to quit amid an economic meltdown. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who had overseen a ruthless crushing …
Sri Lanka to get new president next week amid political and economic meltdown Read More »
