Tokyo

An angry Japanese prime minister on Jan. 28 slammed as "utterly despicable" an Islamist militant threat to kill both a Japanese hostage and a Jordanian pilot unless Amman releases a jihadi bomber.
      

The euro hit its lowest level against the US dollar in more than 11 years on Monday following the victory of radical left SYRIZA party in Greece's elections that has ignited fears the country might exit the eurozone.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Jan. 25 branded the murder of a Japanese hostage by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants as "outrageous and unforgivable" and demanded the immediate release of a second captive, amid growing global revulsion.
      

The deadline set by Islamist militants threatening to kill two Japanese men unless they were given $200 million passed Jan. 23, after one captive's mother made a desperate plea to save her son's life.
      

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe demanded Jan. 20 that the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) immediately free two Japanese hostages unharmed after the jihadists posted a video threat to kill them.
      

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) threatened to kill two Japanese hostages unless Tokyo pays a $200 million ransom within 72 hours, in a video posted on jihadist websites on Jan. 20.
      
In the footage, a black-clad militant brandishing a knife addresses the camera in English, standing between two hostages wearing orange jumpsuits.
      

The head of the group of eurozone finance ministers promised Tuesday to work with the winner of the upcoming Greek election, but urged Athens to stick with austerity.

Jeroen Dijsselbloem, the president of the Eurogroup who also serves as the Dutch finance minister, also stressed that the region could offer more help should Greece keep its promise to reform.

Worried about your future, the meaning of life or the realness of unreal things? Ask Japanese author Haruki Murakami for enlightenment - or as much as a surrealist can give.
   

By Netty Ismail & Hiroko Komiya

The euro traded 0.2 percent from a two-year low as Greece’s prime minister attempts to get his presidential candidate confirmed and avoid an early parliamentary election that risks severing the nation’s international lifeline.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe won comfortable re-election Sunday in a snap poll he had billed as a referendum on his economic policies after early success faded into a recession.