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.
World | Focus Aug 13, 2013
Al-Qaida's Yemen branch eyes a new haven
by Sudarsan Raghavan and Ali Almujahed Ali
Al-Qaida’s branch in Yemen is focusing on expanding its presence in a remote eastern province that is the ancestral homeland of Osama bin Laden, even as it remains the target of U.S. drone strikes and Yemeni military assaults, according to Yemeni officials. Last year, ...
World Aug 13, 2013
U.N. chemical arms experts' mission delayed
U.N. chemical weapons experts have delayed their departure to Syria because of differences with Damascus over how they will investigate alleged attacks, U.N. diplomats said Monday. The experts were supposed to have left over the weekend and to have begun work this week. But ...
World Aug 7, 2013
U.S. buys time in Yemen with drone strikes
The Obama administration authorizes a series of drone strikes in Yemen as part of an effort to disrupt an al-Qaida terrorism plot that has forced the closure of American embassies around the world.
Politics & Diplomacy Jul 31, 2013
Israeli-Palestinian aim: A peace deal in nine months
Israeli and Palestinian negotiators agree to meet again within two weeks to start substantive talks in hopes of reaching a long-elusive settlement within nine months.
World Jul 23, 2013
Hundreds of al-Qaida-linked extremists freed in bloody Iraq jailbreak
by Jabbar Yaseen and Liz Sly
Hundreds of extremists are feared to be on the run in Iraq after al-Qaida's affiliate in the country launched a major assault on the infamous Abu Ghraib prison, offering a fresh boost to the group's resurgent fortunes in Iraq and in Syria.
Politics & Diplomacy Jul 23, 2013
Hezbollah military wing added to EU terror list
by Michael Birnbaum and Ruth Eglash
The European Union declares the military wing of Hezbollah a terrorist organization, a move designed to put pressure on the Shiite political and militant group after years of urging from the United States and Israel.
World Jul 22, 2013
Family of 13 massacred by Assad militia: opposition
A Syrian pro-regime militia killed 13 members of the same family, including six children, in the village of Bayda on the Mediterranean coast, a watchdog said Sunday. “The number of people from one family who were killed by regime forces in the village of ...
Politics & Diplomacy Jul 21, 2013
Helen Thomas, 'hero of journalism' and scourge of U.S. presidents, dies at 92
by Patricia Sullivan
Helen Thomas, whose sharp questions from the front row of the White House press room challenged and annoyed nine presidents and who was effective in divulging information that federal officials tried to keep secret, has died.
Offbeat | Focus Jul 19, 2013
Renewed crackdown targets Iran's dog lovers
by Mitra Amiri
Iran is again cracking down on people with pet dogs, viewed as unclean in Islam, but Soroush Mobaraki says sales are booming despite fears the pooches might be “arrested” and the owners fined. Sitting in the small Tehran pet shop he owns, the veterinary ...
Politics & Diplomacy Jul 19, 2013
McCain threatens to block Dempsey from second term over Syria policy
Washington THE WASHINGTON POST Sen. John McCain on Thursday threatened to block a second term for Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, after a testy exchange over the Obama administration’s response to the Syrian civil war. McCain, a member of ...
Global-related Jun 26, 2013
Stalled negotiations take a toll on Israeli economy
by Cesar Chelala
Israeli Prime Benjamin Netanyahu is warned by Israeli businessmen that failure to make peace with the Palestinians will have big economic consequences.
Global-related Jun 13, 2013
The trouble within Islam
by Tony Blair
There is a problematic strain within Islam, and we have to be honest about it. At its heart is a view of religion that is not compatible with pluralistic societies.