Abe unveils plan to revise Constitution

TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Wednesday that he hopes to see a revised Constitution go into effect in 2020 under a plan that will see the first change to the postwar charter.

BOJ governor: AIIB positive for infrastructure development in Asia

TOKYO - Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda said this week that the Chinese-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is playing a positive role in the development of infrastructure in the region.

NSA kept collecting phone records

WASHINGTON - The US National Security Agency collected more than 151 million records of US citizens' phone calls last year, even after Congress limited its ability to collect bulk phone records, according to an annual report issued on Tuesday by the top US intelligence officer.

US climatologist receives China's top honor

WASHINGTON - John Kutzbach, a US climatologist and professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, on Tuesday received China's top science honor for foreigners, the International Science and Technological Cooperation Award.

IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Polish dairy farmer turns east to China

WARSAW - Never before has Mariusz Marczak shown so much interest in the Chinese market half a world away from Poland.

Australia should embrace proposal, senator says

Penny Wong, the Opposition's foreign affairs spokeswoman, on Tuesday urged the Australian government to embrace China's Belt and Road Initiative in times of increasing protectionism and global uncertainty.

Venezuelan government calls for a new Constitution

CARACAS - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Monday announced the creation of a constituent assembly to draft a new Constitution to break a political deadlock that has brought the country to a standstill.

Canberra defends university funding cuts

CANBERRA, Australian - Federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham has defended his government's plan to cut university funding and raise fees, saying that it will not affect the country's status as a desirable destination for international students.

Trump 'unlikely' to meet DPRK leader

The White House said on Monday that US President Donald Trump's is unlikely to meet with Kim Jong-un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, in the near future despite Trump's openness to that possibility.

May: EU united in getting deal that 'works for them'

LONDON - Prime Minister Theresa May warned British voters on Tuesday the European Union was lining up to win a divorce deal that "works for them", using criticism she had "illusions" over the talks to bolster her election campaign.

Violence scars France's May Day marches

Paris - Traditional May Day union marches turned violent in France on Monday and presidential election front-runner Emmanuel Macron attacked far-right rival Marine Le Pen, highlighting the divisions days before the runoff.