Site-Wide Activity

US Senate votes to advance bill to end 40-day government shutdown

Senators take the first step towards ending the longest shutdown in US history.

Senators in the United States have voted to move forward with a stopgap funding package aimed at ending the longest government shutdown in the country’s history.

In a procedural vote on Sunday, some e…[Read more]

Mexico unveils security operation in violent Michoacan state after brazen assassination of mayor

The government of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Sunday unveiled plans to fight organized crime and improve security in the violence-ridden state of Michoacan after the brazen public assassination of a local mayor sent shockwaves through the…[Read more]

NHK Party Leader Tachibana Arrested for Defaming Late Hyogo Assemblyman

Hyogo Prefectural Police arrested NHK Party leader Tachibana Takashi on November 9th on suspicion of defamation, alleging that he repeatedly made false statements about a former Hyogo prefectural assembly member who has since passed away.

According to investigators, in…[Read more]

Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average Rises on Hopes US Shutdown May End Soon

Japan’s Nikkei share average rose on Monday, tracking gains in U.S. stock futures as hopes grew that the historic U.S. government shutdown may end soon.

The Nikkei .N225 climbed 0.9% to 50,728.56 by 0143 GMT. The broader Topix .TOPX edged up 0.17% to 3,304.35.

“Market playe…[Read more]

Japan to Subsidize Gum Disease Screenings at Companies, Aiming for Early Detection

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry plans to provide financial support to companies that conduct periodontal disease screenings during workplace health checkups in fiscal 2026. The initiative aims to help working-age individuals, who are at a higher risk of…[Read more]

Reserve Bank reveals why lack of business investment is holding back economy, threatening further rate cuts

Further cuts to interest rates could be held back, as the Reserve Bank’s deputy governor flags Australia’s economy is being held back by businesses failing to invest.

The Reserve Bank has warned a lack of investment by business is hol…[Read more]

Who is Jay Weatherill, Australia’s next top diplomat in London?

As the prime minister just announced, the former South Australian Labor premier and early childhood education advocate Jay Weatherill will be Australia’s next top diplomat in London.

Weatherill was South Australia’s 45th premier, replacing Mike Rann, who also went on to become Austr…[Read more]

Revolt of the mods: Kovacic, Ruston, Wilson could quit frontbench if net zero dumped

Three more members of Sussan Ley’s shadow cabinet have opened the door to quitting the frontbench if the Liberal Party dumps support for net zero emissions by 2050, just two days before a crunch party room meeting designed to settle the fractious debate.

On S…[Read more]

Japan’s crypto players jostle for market share on regulatory easing hopes

From the launch of new products and services in Japan to facilitating leveraged trading bets, crypto exchanges and some financial firms are rushing to cash in on rising investor enthusiasm for digital assets amid hopes of easing regulations.
The recent surge underscores a…[Read more]

What Is Sanaenomics?

The economic policy bannered by Prime Minister Takaichi as “Sanaenomics” is beginning to take shape, with expectations centering on lower gasoline prices and the restart of electricity and gas subsidies even as critics say the program’s substance remains unclear and insufficiently developed; framed as a successor to Abeno…[Read more]

GSDF deployed to Akita Prefecture amid rise in bear attacks

Members of the Ground Self-Defense Force were dispatched to Akita Prefecture to assist with bear control on Wednesday — although they are not permitted to cull the bears — as the number of attacks and subsequent fatalities continue to rise in the prefecture and nationwide.
“We had been…[Read more]

Last shutdown, Trump hunkered down at the White House ‘all alone.’ This time, Mar-a-Lago beckons

The last time the federal government ran out of money, President Donald Trump wanted the world to know he was making sacrifices.

“I am all alone (poor me) in the White House,” he tweeted on Christmas Eve 2018, left behind in dreary, shutdown Washing…[Read more]

What we know about deadly Kentucky cargo plane crash

At least nine people have been killed after a cargo plane ran off the runway and burst into flames in Kentucky on Tuesday.

The burning aircraft, which was operated by the American delivery company UPS, struck several buildings when it crashed mid-takeoff. Officials fear the number of dead and…[Read more]

America’s mayor? Why people outside of New York should care about Mamdani’s victory

Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the New York mayor’s race turns him, for better or worse, into one of the most high-profile Democrats in the country.

He’s the mayor-elect of New York. Will he also be America’s mayor?

Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the Nov. 4 electio…[Read more]

Nationals formally abandon commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050

The Nationals have formally abandoned a commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050, in a unanimous party room decision.

Nationals leader David Littleproud said the party would shift its focus to climate adaptation instead of being “focused solely” on reducing…[Read more]

‘Diabolical’: why Australia’s teacher shortages are among the worst in the world – and who is suffering most

Regional and disadvantaged schools are bearing the brunt of the crisis, with almost two-thirds of teachers reporting high levels of stress

Mathew Burt has been principal at Broome Senior High School for less than a decade, yet he’s on…[Read more]

ATO is paying private debt collector $42m to pursue taxpayers, including welfare recipients

The tax office’s increased reliance on Recoveriescorp has coincided with a spike in complaints to the watchdog

The Australian Taxation Office has awarded the private debt collector Recoveriescorp more than $42m in contracts as part of a hard-edged c…[Read more]

United Nations calls for end to US embargo on Cuba, again

Cuba denies US allegations of mercenary activity in Ukraine and insists the embargo is a form of collective punishment.

The United Nations General Assembly has overwhelmingly called for an end to a US economic embargo on Cuba for a 33rd year, despite lobbying by Washington that included…[Read more]

US will reduce its troops on Nato’s eastern flank, Romania says

Romania’s defence ministry has said the US intends to reduce some of its troops stationed on Nato’s eastern flank.

Between 900 and 1,000 American troops will remain in Romania, Bucharest said – down from 1,700.

The ministry said the decision was expected and that the “resizing” of…[Read more]

Taiwan worries about US support wavering ahead of Trump’s meeting with Xi

Days before President Donald Trump departed for Asia where he will sit down with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea on Thursday for their first in-person meeting of his second term, the president refused to count out the possibility of America’s position on Taiwan get…[Read more]