Economy | ANALYSIS
Households to take hit from tax hike
by Tomoko Otake
The consumption tax increase will hit every household in Japan hard, with many people’s financial future hanging on whether their wages rise enough to offset the hike's impact.
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CLOUDS AND SUN
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An infamous Papua New Guinea cult leader known as “Black Jesus” was castrated by an angry mob after being hacked to death for killing young girls as sacrifices, reports said Monday. Steven Tari, a convicted rapist who was suspected of cannibalism, was killed in ...
U.N. human rights chief Navi Pillay on Saturday accused Sri Lanka of becoming “increasingly authoritarian,” with activists facing growing military harassment four years after the end of a civil war. Pillay charged that military officials are harassing and intimidating priests, journalists and other civilians ...
Nearly 140 South Korean school students killed themselves in 2012, according to a new government report that cited family problems, depression and exam stress as the main triggers. The report, published this week by the Education Ministry, recorded 139 suicides last year — the ...
Dozens of same-sex couples said “I do” Monday as New Zealand became the first Asia-Pacific country, and only the 14th in the world, to legalize gay marriage. Vows were exchanged in venues ranging from an airliner cruising at 30,000 feet (9,150 meters) to a ...