The Government of Japan is considering mounting air-to-ground cruise missiles on national Air Self-Defense Forces’ fighters to protect against the North Korean threat, as reported by the newspaper, Asahi.

It is noted that the associated research costs will be included in the fiscal 2018 budget plan (which starts on April 1, 2018).  According to the newspaper’s source, the government is especially interested in the acquisition of Lockheed Martin Corp's JASSM air-to-ground missile which has a …

Ukraine and China agreed on deepening cooperation at a meeting between the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Volodymyr Groysman and Vice Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, Ma Kai, according to the Ukrainian government’s website.

“As Ukraine and China celebrate 25 years of diplomatic relations they reach for a new strategic level of cooperation that envisages the implementation of joint projects worth approximately USD 7 billion,” the statement read.

Ma Kai stressed that …

A special refund mechanism for returning money back to Russia may be developed for businessmen who fear new sanctions.  The plan envisages special bonds in currencies with high yield.

The idea was initiated on December 5th by a group of wealthy Russians who have assets abroad, Reuters reports. The newspaper cites anonymous sources in the state-owned companies and in the financial markets, one of whom describes the idea as absurd. The refunds would be issued in foreign currency bonds with …

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has decided to stop providing food and other humanitarian assistance to people of Ukraine affected by the Donbas conflict, as reported by a representative of the humanitarian organization.

According to the spokesperson, the cessation of the supply of aid to the east of Ukraine in the next two months is due to a lack of funding for the WFP.

According to the speaker, it has become increasingly difficult to continue implementing programs in Ukraine due to …

68 Ukrainians (55 men and 13 women) appear in the international offshore investigation dubbed "Paradise Papers," reports Deutsche World with reference to the analytic system YouControl.

According to YouControl, among 57 offshore companies owned by Ukrainians, 27 are registered in the British Virgin Islands, 11 in Bermuda, 7 in Malta, 4 in the Isle of Man, 3 in the Cayman Islands, 3 in the Seychelles Islands, 1 in the United Kingdom and 1 on the Island of Jersey.

It is reported that two-thirds …

The human rights society Memorial has reported the mass abduction of Grozny residents by Chechen law enforcement officers. At least seven have been kidnapped, Radio Liberty reports.

According to Memorial, they are being held "in inhumane conditions" by militarized police forces in Grozny, in an unheated room, and have practically not been fed. Chechen law enforcement officers have not admitted any involvement in the disappearances of these individuals.

Memorial intends to submit a request …

Mark Feygin, a Russian lawyer and defender of Ukrainian political prisoners in Russia and the Crimea appealed to European leaders asking them to protect him from persecution in his own country.Feygin wrote an appeal addressed to German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron, which he then handed over to Ukrinform.

"By the will of the circumstances, Germany and France are involved in the settlement of the crisis in Ukraine through the quadripartite ‘Normandy format.’ This …

The United States is closely following events in Kyiv connected to the detention and escape of Mikheil Saakashvili, the former President of Georgia and former Governor of Odessa Oblast, said State Department spokesman Heather Nauert during a briefing, TSN reports.

"We’re closely monitoring that situation and what happened in Kyiv. We are in close contact, as you know. We have a good relationship with the Government of Ukraine. It doesn’t mean that we agree with them on absolutely everything, …