Japan Awaits Hostages’ Fate After Islamic State Deadline Passes
Japan’s government and public await the fate of two Japanese captives threatened with execution, 24 hours after the passing of a deadline on Islamic State’s demand for a $200 million ransom. The government considered the cutoff point to have been 2:50 p.m. Tokyo time on Friday. Islamic State... read more »
Death of ‘reformer’ King Abdullah: Why Saudis will remain frene...
The death yesterday (23 January) of Saudi King Abdullah – widely acclaimed as a “reformer”, albeit a one only in the context of the glacial pace of change in this semi-mediaeval kingdom – changes nothing for anybody anywhere. While the optics of geopolitical political correctness... read more »
US officials detail Islamic State kills, but hard part ahead
LONDON: The US and its allies sought to put a good face on the coalition’s deliberate campaign to roll back the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria on Thursday, boasting of having killed thousands of militants while acknowledging that ousting the group from key cities remains a distant... read more »
Historic move: UK begins transfer of powers to Scotland
LONDON: The British government began a historic transfer of powers to Scotland on Thursday, keeping a pledge it had given to persuade Scots to reject independence as renewed nationalist support surges. The draft bill, to be enacted after a general election on May 7, will further dismantle... read more »
