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.
Social Issues Sep 20, 2013
Richard Dawkins: 'I don't think I am strident or aggressive'
by Andrew Anthony
On the top floor of Random House’s offices in London, the world’s number one thinker — according to Prospect magazine’s annual poll — walks in from the roof terrace and shakes my hand. Richard Dawkins is a trim 72-year-old with one of those faces ...
World Sep 20, 2013
Islamists are ousted from Egyptian town
Egyptian security forces backed by combat vehicles and helicopters stormed a town near the pyramids famed among tourists for its traditional rugs and dresses, aiming to drive out Islamist militants who held sway there for over a month, brandishing their weapons as they roamed ...
Crime Sep 17, 2013
Top Bangladesh court sentences Islamist to hang
Bangladesh’s Supreme Court on Tuesday sentenced a senior Islamist leader to death for mass murder, toughening the sentence originally handed down by the country’s war crimes tribunal and sparking fresh violence. Abdul Quader Molla, 65, the fourth-highest leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, had been ...
Asia Pacific Sep 16, 2013
Philippine troops step up effort against Muslim rebels in Zamboanga
The Philippine military launched a helicopter assault Monday on Muslim rebels occupying parts of a major southern city, stepping up efforts to end an eight-day standoff that has left dozens dead. Two air force helicopters fired rocket rounds toward Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) ...
World Sep 3, 2013
Extremist rebel groups and Syrian army hide assets to dodge strikes
by Liz Sly
Al-Qaida-affiliated groups are redeploying their resources in rebel-held parts of Syria amid widespread fears that any strikes carried out by the U.S. would target not only the Syrian government but also Islamists in the opposition, according to rebels. In many parts of the northern ...
Social Issues Sep 2, 2013
'Black Jesus' castrated, hacked to death after sacrifices: report
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 ...
Politics & Diplomacy | ANALYSIS Aug 20, 2013
Riyadh vows to make up Egypt aid shortfall
by Liz Sly
Saudi Arabia is emerging at the forefront of a forceful effort by Persian Gulf monarchies to back Egypt’s new military leaders, exacerbating a fierce struggle for influence in the chaotic and increasingly leaderless Arab world and putting the Saudis at odds with the U.S., ...
World | ANALYSIS Aug 16, 2013
Violence in Egypt bolsters jihadist message about democracy's dangers
by Ernesto Londono
Jihadists in the Middle East and beyond are moving to capitalize on the political crisis in Egypt, arguing that the crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood vindicates their long-espoused view that democracy is a dangerous proposition. As blood has poured down Egyptian streets and civilians ...
World | Focus Aug 13, 2013
Iraqi al-Qaida group widens influence in Syria
by Liz Sly
A rebranded version of Iraq’s al-Qaida affiliate is surging onto the front lines of the war in neighboring Syria, expanding into territory seized by other rebel groups and carving out the kind of sanctuaries that the U.S. military spent more than a decade fighting ...
Crime | Focus Aug 13, 2013
Year after slaying, threat persists for U.S. Sikhs
by Shaun Tandon
When they spotted a stranger parked near their temple, two Sikh men came out and asked if he would like tea. He responded by shooting them both dead and walking inside. Satwant Singh Kaleka, an immigrant from India who worked long hours at a ...
World Aug 12, 2013
Al-Qaida group claims deadly attacks in Iraq
An al-Qaida front group on Sunday claimed a wave of attacks that killed dozens of people during the Eid al-Fitr holiday, and Iraqis angrily blamed authorities for failing to prevent the violence. The international community condemned the attacks, which killed 74 people and wounded ...
World Aug 10, 2013
U.K. girls treated after acid attack in Zanzibar
Two British teenage girls were being treated for burns at a London hospital Saturday after acid was hurled in their faces on the Indian Ocean island of Zanzibar. Doctors said Kirstie Trup and Katie Gee, both 18, were doing “well” after Wednesday’s attack, and ...