A bill that would have ended the U.S. government’s bulk collection of Americans’ phone records was defeated in the U.S. Senate Tuesday. The Democratic-controlled Senate voted 58-42 to move the bill to a formal debate, falling two votes short of the 60 required. The bill, dubbed the U.S.A. Freedom Act, would have required the National […]
Japan’s economy, the world’s third largest, has fallen into recession. New data show the economy shrank at a 1.6 percent annual rate in July, August and September, after an even sharper decline in the previous quarter. Textbooks often define “recession” as two consecutive quarters of “negative growth.” The shrinking economy follows a tax increase that […]
Iraqi officials said Friday government forces have driven out Islamic State militants from the oil refinery town of Beiji, north of Baghdad. The Islamic jihadists had captured Beiji during their blitz across northern and western Iraq earlier this year. The town of Beiji is located on a highway leading to the key northern city of […]
U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says the U.S.-led airstrikes against Islamic State militants will intensify in the future as Iraqi ground forces work to become more effective. Hagel told a U.S. congressional committee Thursday the “tempo and intensity” of the coalition’s air campaign against IS will accelerate in tandem with Iraqi forces as they become […]