Japan steps up surveillance posture against China
Tokyo (AFP) April 20, 2014 -
Japan bolstered its military surveillance capabilities in the southern island region of Okinawa over the weekend, reports said, as territorial tensions with China simmer.
The nation's armed forces, called the Self-Defence Forces, launched a squadron of four E-2C early warning planes at its air base in Naha on the main Okinawan island Sunday, the Jiji and Kyodo news agencies reported.
Thi ...
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N. Korea slams Obama's 'dangerous' Asia tour
Seoul (AFP) April 21, 2014 -
North Korea warned Monday that an upcoming Asian tour by US President Barack Obama could escalate military tensions, as South Korean media cited intelligence reports of increased activity at the North's main nuclear test site.
Obama's April 23-29 tour includes visits to Japan and South Korea, the two main US military allies in Asia and key partners in the effort to curb Pyongyang's nuclear w ...
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Japan defence chief puzzled by Russian warplanes
Tokyo (AFP) April 20, 2014 -
Japan's defence minister said Sunday there have been an "abnormal" number of flights by Russian military aircraft close to Japanese islands in recent days.
The country's air defence force scrambled fighter jets for seven days in a row through Saturday after spotting Russian military planes flying along the Japanese archipelago, according to the defence ministry.
On Friday six Russian T ...
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Japan warns over China ship seizure
Tokyo (AFP) April 21, 2014 -
Tokyo warned Monday that the seizure of a Japanese ship in Shanghai over pre-war debts threatened ties with China and could undermine the very basis of their diplomatic relationship.
Authorities in Shanghai seized the large freight vessel in a dispute over what the Chinese side says are unpaid bills relating to the 1930s, when Japan occupied large swathes of China.
The move is the latest ...
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Algeria army hunts Islamists behind deadly attack
Algiers (AFP) April 21, 2014 -
Algeria's army was hunting on Monday for an armed Islamist group linked to an attack in the rugged Kabylie region in which 11 soldiers were killed, a security official said.
Gunmen ambushed an army convoy carrying soldiers back to their barracks late on Saturday in Iboudrarene, in the restive mountainous region, a bastion of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), with three assailants also ...
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US plans to sell Black Hawks to Mexico for $680 mn
Washington April 21, 2014 -
The Pentagon said Monday it has informed the US Congress that it plans to sell 18 Black Hawk helicopters to Mexico for $680 million.
Lawmakers have 30 days as of April 17, when they were notified, to raise any objections. Otherwise, the contract will be concluded.
The proposed deal - announced a few days before a visit to Mexico by US defense chief Chuck Hagel - is for 18 UH-60M Black ...
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Yemen says 55 Qaeda suspects killed in Sunday air raids
Sanaa (AFP) April 21, 2014 -
A wave of air strikes on Al-Qaeda bases in south Yemen killed 55 militants, including three local chiefs, the interior ministry said Monday.
The raids on Al-Qaeda bases in the rugged mountains of Abyan province on Sunday were among the "most severe" against the jihadist network in Yemen, the ministry said on its website.
On Sunday, tribal sources had put the death toll from the raids nea ...
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