News Headlines - 31 August 2013

▽President Obama Seeks Congressional Approval for Syria Action - ABC News

President Obama said today that the U.S. should pursue military intervention against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for use of chemical weapons in that country's civil war, but only after his administration seeks approval from Congress.

▽BBC News - Russia's Vladimir Putin challenges US on Syria claims

Russian President Vladimir Putin has challenged the US to present to the UN evidence that Syria attacked rebels with chemical weapons near Damascus. Mr Putin said it would be "utter nonsense" for Syria's government to provoke opponents with such attacks.

▽UN weapons inspectors leave Syria earlier than planned - Telegraph

UN weapons experts left Syria earlier than planned this morning, paving the way for a possible US strike after Washington concluded the regime was responsible for last week's deadly chemical attack.

▽Japan eyes backing possible U.S. military intervention in Syria | GlobalPost

Japan is arranging for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to express support in the event the United States launches a military intervention against Syria, government sources said Saturday.

▽Entrepreneurs in Japan: Time to get started | The Economist

The mood among Japan’s would-be business moguls is at its most buoyant since the dotcom bubble burst a decade or so ago. A higher stockmarket is boosting the chances of a successful initial public offering. The prime minister, Shinzo Abe, is Japan’s first leader to treat entrepreneurs as something more than greedy hustlers. For the past few years Mr Horie, a brash self-publicist, has been exhibit A in the case for holding that view. But now Mr Horie says he is being welcomed back into the business world