IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Abe floats hawkish plan

Japan's top leader makes first public statement aiming at lifting nation's military restriction

Japanese group seeks to sue PM over shrine visit

A civic group in Osaka, Japan, is expected to file a lawsuit against Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for visiting the Yasukuni Shrine on Dec 26, claiming the visit has brought trauma to the group. They are seeking financial compensation from the state, the prime minister and the Yasukuni Shrine, according to Japan's Kyodo News agency.

Kyrgyzstan suspects gunmen were separatists

Kyrgyzstan's Foreign Ministry suspects the 11 gunmen killed in Thursday's skirmish with state border guards are Chinese Uygur separatists, according to the Chinese embassy in Bishkek on Friday.

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At least 4 dead as car bomb hits Cairo police HQ

A car bomb struck the main Egyptian police headquarters on Friday in the heart of Cairo, killing at least four people in a hugely symbolic attack on the eve of the third anniversary of the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime president Hosni Mubarak.

Cease-fire signed in South Sudan

South Sudan's government and rebels have signed a cease-fire, but analysts warn that bringing battling gunmen on the ground under control and making the truce stick is far from guaranteed.

Geneva talks near collapse

Syrian govt delegation threatens to go home after last-minute demand

5 dead, 30 missing in blaze at Quebec retirement home

Police were sifting overnight through burned remains of a wooden, three-story retirement home in the eastern Canadian province of Quebec, searching for 30 elderly residents who were still missing after a fire killed at least five people.

Davos execs cool to low-margin markets

'Gold rush is over' as bosses take new look at developing economies

Australia rejects charges of abuse

Australia rejected on Wednesday claims by a group of asylum seekers that they were beaten and suffered burns while being returned to Indonesia by the Australian navy under a policy that has strained ties between the countries.

Thai court defers election ruling; military prepared to intervene

Thailand's Constitutional Court deferred on Thursday a ruling on whether a general election scheduled for Feb 2 can be postponed, as protesters who say they will boycott the vote kept up pressure on the government to step down.