Japan to launch new intelligence unit focused on Islamic militants
TOKYO (Reuters) – A new Japanese Foreign Ministry unit will start collecting information on militant groups such as Islamic State in the countries they are based, the government said on Friday, prompted into action by last month’s attacks on Paris.
Fate of Afghan Taliban leader unclear after reports say he was wounded or killed
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) – Conflicting reports have deepened uncertainty surrounding the fate of Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour, after the insurgent Islamist group repeatedly denied he had been wounded in a gunfight after a dispute wit…
Syrians linked to Islamic State in Thailand ‘to attack Russian interests’
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Ten Syrians linked to Islamic State (IS) entered Thailand in October to attack Russian interests, Thai police said in a leaked document citing information from the Russian Federal Security Service.
Japan defense budget likely to top 5 trillion yen for first time
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s defense budget for the next fiscal year is likely to top 5 trillion yen ($40 billion) for the first time, government sources said, as the military prepares for an expanded role under new security legislation.
Police chief who put away Zhou Yongkang to head probe of China’s securities industry: Bloomberg
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – A former Beijing police chief who put away one of China’s top Communist Party officials will head a corruption investigation into the securities industry, Bloomberg reported on Friday, citing an unidentified source.
U.S., allies call for new UN meeting on North Korea human rights
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The United States and eight allies on the United Nations Security Council on Thursday called for reviving discussions on human rights in North Korea, which has been accused by a U.N. inquiry of abuses comparable to Nazi-era a…
Brazil speaker and government fan impeachment fire
BRASILIA (Reuters) – Brazil’s presidential chief of staff traded barbs with the speaker of the lower house of Congress on Thursday as President Dilma Rousseff’s government marshaled its defense for the impeachment proceedings launched against her on We…
Air strikes alone won’t defeat Islamic State, Kerry warns
BELGRADE (Reuters) – Syrian and other Arab ground forces must be found to take on Islamic State, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Thursday, saying the militant group would not be defeated by air strikes alone.
Forget ‘smart’ new cities; India needs old ones to be less dumb
NEW DELHI/BENGALURU, India (Reuters) – Prime Minister Narendra Modi has grand designs to build 100 futuristic ‘smart’ cities in India, but as this week’s devastating flooding in Chennai shows, fixing today’s accident-prone metropolises appears to be th…
Britain joins Syria air war; Putin vows more sanctions on Turkey
LONDON/MOSCOW (Reuters) – Britain joined U.S.-led air strikes against Islamic State in Syria on Thursday, but Vladimir Putin issued bitter new denunciations of Turkey for shooting down a Russian plane, demonstrating the limits to international solidari…
