Dec 17 Why Japan is boosting its arms budget and ‘counterstrike capability’ By Mari Yamaguchi, Associated Press Japan this week adopted a new national security strategy to gain a more offensive footing and improve its resilience to protect itself from growing risks from China, North Korea and Russia. Continue reading
Dec 17 As cases surge, COVID-linked deaths seen in Beijing after easing of virus rules By Dake Kang, Associated Press Deaths linked to the coronavirus are appearing in Beijing after weeks of China reporting no fatalities, even as the country is seeing a surge of cases. Continue reading
Dec 16 Watch 7:55 News Wrap: Biden signs short-term spending bill to avoid government shutdown In our news wrap Friday, President Biden signed a short-term spending bill to avoid a government shutdown by keeping federal agencies open through next week, basketball star Brittney Griner left a medical center in Texas after recovering from her time… Continue watching
Dec 16 Watch 6:04 Twitter faces criticism after suspending accounts of journalists covering CEO Elon Musk By Amna Nawaz, Dorothy Hastings Twitter is facing intense criticism after a series of moves by billionaire owner Elon Musk. Twitter suspended the accounts of at least eight journalists that had recently posted about Musk or his policy changes on content moderation. Some posted links… Continue watching
Dec 16 Watch 1:35 U.S. armed forces members band together to celebrate Hanukkah through song By Dan Sagalyn Over the past few years the NewsHour has asked a little known Defense Department unit called the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service, or DVIDS, to produce a holiday song in which service personnel from around the world sing. This year… Continue watching
Dec 16 Ukraine businesses to receive $2 billion in international loans By Fatima Hussein, Associated Press Private businesses in Ukraine are in line to receive $2 billion in financing arranged by the International Finance Corp. to help rebuild the country's agriculture and fuel import industries and other ventures, which have faced extensive losses because of the… Continue reading
Dec 16 Easter Island rebounds after wildfire singes iconic statues By María Teresa Hernández, Associated Press Rapa Nui, the Chilean territory widely known as Easter Island, is one of the most remote inhabited places on Earth. Continue reading
Dec 16 Slovak leader sets framework for early election after coalition government collapses By Associated Press Slovakia's president has formally dismissed the country's government a day after it lost a parliamentary no-confidence vote and set the framework for holding an early election by mid-2023. Continue reading
Dec 16 Malaysia campground landslide kills 21 people, leaves 12 more missing By Eileen Ng, Syawalludin Zain, Associated Press A thunderous crush of soil and debris has killed 21 people, including several children, at a campground in Malaysia. Continue reading
Dec 16 As regional threats rise, Japan shifts away from defense-only strategy By Mari Yamaguchi, Associated Press Japan on Friday adopted a national security strategy declaring plans to possess preemptive strike capability and cruise missiles within years to give itself more offensive footing against threats from neighboring China, Russia and North Korea. Continue reading