Industrials

Japan to spend more on defense, refit first aircraft carrier

Japan has adopted new defense guidelines that include plans for its first aircraft carrier and increases in defense spending and arms capability in coming years, citing the need to counter potential threats from North Korea and China.

Report: China is driving use of armed drones in Middle East

The use of armed drones in the Middle East, driven largely by growing sales from China, has grown significantly in the past few years with an increasing number of state and non-state actors using them in regional conflicts.

Business Highlights

___ GM says it has 2,700 jobs for workers slated to be laid off DETROIT (AP) — The General Motors' massive 14,000-person layoff announced last month might not be as bad as originally projected.

Himalayan nation Nepal gets first modern train tracks

The competition between two Asian giants, India and China, for influence over tiny Nepal is yielding a bonanza in the form of the Himalayan mountain nation's first modern railway — and possibly more to come.