BLOG

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed today to press on with his controversial move to amend Japan’s pacifist constitution, undeterred by a political scandal that has dented his popularity. Abe’s political capital is dwindling due to a widening scandal over the cut-price sale of government land to one of his supporters, with the opposition suggesting his wife Akie may have played a role. The scandal worsened when finance ministry bureaucrats admitted altering official records of the sales, erasing references to Abe and his wife as well as other political figures. “I…

A French police officer who offered himself up to an extremist gunman in exchange for a hostage has died of his injuries, the interior minister said today. Col Arnaud Beltrame was among the first officers to respond to the attack on the supermarket in the south of France yesterday. His death, announced by French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb, raises the toll to four. The gunman was also killed, and 15 people were injured in the attack. The gunman first hijacked a car and opened fire on police, then took hostages…

The US and China’s top economic officials agreed by phone today to “continue to communicate” on trade issues, Chinese state media said, as President Donald Trump pledged his escalating trade showdown would get results despite pushback from Europe and Beijing. In his latest jolt to the prevailing global order, Trump on Thursday authorised tariffs on as much as USD 60 billion of Chinese imports, targeting sectors in which Washington says China has stolen American technology. Liu He, the Chinese vice premier in charge of the economy, told US Treasury Secretary…