Tag - syria

 
 

SYRIA

Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 31, 2015
Islamic State militants attack Kurdish outposts across Iraq
Islamic State militants struck at Kurdish forces southwest of the Iraqi city of Kirkuk on Friday, while bombs in Kirkuk, Baghdad, Samarra and Ramadi killed at least 27 people.
JAPAN
Jan 30, 2015
Fuji-TV crew member dies in traffic accident near Turkey-Syria border
A Japanese media crew member working for a television station died Thursday in a traffic accident near the Turkey-Syria border, the Japanese Embassy in Turkey said.
JAPAN
Jan 28, 2015
As deadline looms, Goto friends, family call for his release
Associates of Islamic State hostage Kenji Goto called for his release Wednesday, as another apparent deadline in the crisis loomed.
JAPAN
Jan 28, 2015
Journalists, Muslims say Japan is a friend, urge Goto release
Multiple organizations in Japan have issued statements on the hostage crisis. Following are selected quotes:
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 27, 2015
As Japan frets over hostages, China frets over Abe
The Islamic State's announcement last week of the kidnapping of two Japanese men has raised serious questions about how the crisis will affect Japan's Middle East policy.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Jan 26, 2015
Tokyo: Should Japan be negotiating with Islamic State for the release of Kenji Goto?
After the apparent killing of hostage Haruna Yukawa, Mark Buckton asked people in Tokyo whether the government should be talking to the terrorists holding journalist Kenji Goto.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 25, 2015
Friend wages 'I am Kenji' campaign to free held journalist
With the plight of hostage Kenji Goto still unknown, and his fellow captive apparently executed, friends of the journalist have taken to social media to work for his release, creating an "I am Kenji" Facebook page and collecting signatures online.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 25, 2015
Abe says likelihood of video being real is 'high'
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says the static video purportedly showing a photo of Japanese hostage Hau00adruu00adna Yuu00adkau00adwa is probably authentic.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 24, 2015
Fate of Japanese hostages uncertain as deadline passes
The fate of two Japanese taken hostage by the Islamic State group remains unknown, as the militants apparently have not made any announcements since the ransom deadline expired.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 24, 2015
Source in Syria says two Japanese hostages captured by the Islamic State still alive
According to an anti-government source in Syria, the two Japanese hostages captured by the Islamic State group are still alive.
WORLD
Jan 24, 2015
First U.S. troops head to Middle East to train Syrian opposition
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has ordered the first group of about 100 U.S. troops to head to the Middle East in the next few days to establish training sites for Syrian opposition fighters battling Islamic State militants, the Pentagon said on Friday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 23, 2015
Hostages in limbo as deadline passes
The presumed 72-hour deadline for paying the exorbitant ransom demanded by the Islamic State group apparently expired at 2:50 p.m. Friday without any hint about what would happen to the two Japanese hostages in its grasp.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2015
Journalists criticize Abe's response to hostage crisis
As the hostage drama continues over two Japanese held by the Islamic State group, journalists versed in Middle Eastern affairs are questioning how the Abe administration is handling the crisis.
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2015
Islamic State to release statement 'soon' on Japanese hostage pair, NHK reports
The Islamic State group will release a statement "soon" on the two Japanese hostages it has captured and is threatening to execute unless a ransom is paid, a spokesman for the armed group told NHK Thursday night.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jan 21, 2015
Islamic State likely gave hostage ultimatum knowing difficulty of meeting it
The militant group, which aims to establish an Islamic caliphate, is likely using the hostage situation to generate renewed international attention, according to leading analysts.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 21, 2015
Wife of Goto received ransom email from Islamic State in December
The wife a Japanese hostage held by the Islamic State group received an email in December demanding a ransom of more than u00a52 billion, according to government sources.
WORLD
Jan 21, 2015
Briton who faked own death in Syria admits terrorism offenses
A Briton who fought with an Islamist group in Syria and then faked his own death in the hope of being able to return home undetected has admitted to terrorism offenses in a London court.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jan 16, 2015
Germany arrests suspected Islamic State fighter after return from Syria
German police arrested a suspected supporter of the insurgent group Islamic State who was recently in Syria and raided his apartment in the state of Lower Saxony, federal prosecutors said on Thursday.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 13, 2015
Paris attacks suspect entered Syria on Jan 8, Turkey says
The suspected female accomplice of Islamist militants behind last week's attacks in Paris was in Turkey five days before the killings and crossed into Syria on Jan. 8, Turkish officials said on Monday.
WORLD
Jan 12, 2015
Veteran Algerian militant hails Paris killings
Veteran Algerian militant and former al-Qaida fighter Mokhtar Belmokhtar praised a deadly assault on a French satirical newspaper and urged Muslims in the West to carry out similar attacks, a monitoring service said Monday.

Longform

Traditional folk rituals like Mizudome-no-mai (dance to stop the rain) provide a sense of agency to a population that feels largely powerless in the face of the climate crisis.
As climate extremes intensify, Japan embraces ancient weather rituals