Headlines

Tokyo, June 8.– It is somehow fitting in a country known for longevity that one of Japan's most prominent former leaders reached 100 years of age last May. 

As a World War II naval officer, Yasuhiro Nakasone witnessed the depths of his country's utter defeat and devastation. Four decades later he presided over Japan in the 1980s at the pinnacle of its economic success. In recent years, he has lobbied for revision of the war-renouncing, U.S.-drafted Constitution, a longtime cause that neither he nor any successor has achieved to date.

NATO is about to significantly increase its combat capacity along the border with Russia. By 2020, 30 battalions of land forces, 30 combat ships and 30 squadrons of aircraft must be on site within 30 days to strengthen the troops already in Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. In terms of land forces alone, this means 18 to 30,000 men.

 Brussels, June 6.– Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expects NATO Ministers of Defense to approve the 'Nato readiness initiative' initiated by America tomorrow (literally: readiness initiative). From the outset, it was the intention that the troops that are more or less semipermanent along the eastern NATO border, can quickly help in case of emergency.

As far as the NATO headquarters are concerned, two other decisions are included: a faster decision-making structure and greater mobility, especially for land forces and their equipment.

How an online purchase helped find the Russian blamed for downing MH17 

 May 30 (by Jerry Skinner).– I am on an airplane at 35,045 feet above the Atlantic. I am returning from Amsterdam to my home in the US. But my heart is still with my clients in Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand and today most of all in the Netherlands.

Just before I left, the Joint Investigative Task-Force for MH17 made the bravest, most critical decision made by a nation state in the history of the sordid tale of Malaysian Airlines flight, MH17. The Dutch-led criminal investigation held a press conference and true to their real and powerful drive for justice they declared a truth that many have been waiting almost four years to hear.

New date set for parliamentary probe into corruption in diamond industry.

After white minority rule was dismantled in 1979/1980, Mugabe became a dictator and ruled for 37 years.  

May 24.– Former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe failed to turn up yesterday for a parliamentary hearing where he was due to give evidence on corruption in the diamond mining industry.

The 94-year-old, who is in frail health, had been summoned to a session at 9am, but when he did not show up, legislators rescheduled the session for Monday.