Site-Wide Activity

Japan weather bureau says 60% chance of La Nina not occurring

Japan’s weather bureau said on Tuesday that there was a 60% chance that the La Nina phenomenon would not occur and normal weather patterns would continue towards the Northern Hemisphere winter.
A La Nina weather event is characterised by unusually cold ocean temperatures in the…[Read more]

Budget Request Ceilings: Where Is The Mechanism To Curb Spending?

How can the ballooning national budget be curbed without cutting existing expenditures? Government ministries and agencies must not request funds without carefully reviewing the necessity of projects.

The government has approved at a Cabinet meeting the budget request ceilings,…[Read more]

Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average Races to Record High, SoftBank Leads Tech Surge

Japan’s Nikkei share gauge .N225 powered to an all-time high on Tuesday, driven by sharp gains for tech companies and renewed optimism over trade with the United States.

With financial markets reopening after a holiday in Japan on Monday, the stock benchmark caught up…[Read more]

Man faces jail in US for shipping 850 turtles in socks to Hong Kong

A Chinese man has pleaded guilty in a US district court to exporting around 850 protected turtles wrapped in socks and falsely labelled as toys, the US Department of Justice said.

Between August 2023 and November 2024, Wei Qiang Lin exported to Hong Kong more than 200 parcels…[Read more]

Trump names conservative economist to lead labour statistics agency

US president’s nomination comes after firing of agency head raised concerns about integrity of US government statistics.

United States President Donald Trump has tapped an economist from a conservative think tank to lead a key statistics agency after firing its previous head o…[Read more]

Why is Trump sending US National Guard to Washington, DC?

The president is deploying the National Guard in response to what he calls a crime emergency, with 800 troops slated to be sent to the capital.

United States President Donald Trump has announced that he is temporarily taking control of the Washington, DC, police department, while…[Read more]

Zelensky says Kyiv won’t give up land as US-Russia summit confirmed

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been pushing to make next week’s meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin a three-way summit and has frequently said meeting Putin is the only way to make progress towards peace.

Ukraine won’t give up land to Russia, President…[Read more]

How RFK Jr’s vaccine funding cuts fit with Trump’s vision

Latest move to cut funding for vaccines is not down to US health secretary. It is part of Trump’s wider war on science.

United States Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has announced that the US is to cut funding for mRNA vaccine development – a move that health…[Read more]

Before Trump-Putin talks, Ukraine rules out ‘gifting land to occupier’

With US and Russian leaders set to meet in Alaska next week, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warns deals without his country will not bring peace.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has ruled out Ukraine ceding land to Russia and demanded his country take part in negot…[Read more]

Ishiba says he will assess his responsibility based on election review

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Saturday that he will assess his responsibility for the ruling camp’s poor result in the Upper House election based on an upcoming review, as well as on the opinions of lawmakers of his Liberal Democratic Party.
The LDP plans to release a…[Read more]

Nagasaki marks 80th anniversary of US atomic bomb attack on Japan

Restored bell to ring at Nagasaki’s Immaculate Conception Cathedral for the first time since A-bomb devastated the city in 1945.

Twin cathedral bells will ring in unison in Nagasaki for the first time in 80 years, as the Japanese city commemorates the moment the United States d…[Read more]

Record Heavy Rain Hits Kagoshima

Record heavy rainfall hit Kagoshima Prefecture, and residents began recovery work on September 9th. In Kirishima, where the first heavy rain special warning of the year was issued, rivers overflowed, and muddy water flowed into residential areas.

Unstable weather is expected to persist from September 9th onward,…[Read more]

Foreign Residents Now 3% of Japan’s Total Population

As Japan faces an ongoing decline in its birthrate and aging population, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications has released data showing the country’s total population.

The number of Japanese citizens has seen its largest decrease to date, while the foreign population in Japan c…[Read more]

Women call out ‘creepy’ experiences on Vinted as trolls and image thieves target site

Scrutiny of selling platforms grows as female users warning of harassment on sites after photos stolen and sexualised

Users of secondhand clothing websites such as Vinted are warning about the danger their images will be used against their will on por…[Read more]

How a drowning victim became a lifesaving icon

If you know CPR, chances are you’ve practised on a dummy with the face of a woman who, legend says, drowned in Paris.

In the late 1950s, Norwegian toymaker Asmund Laerdal received an unusual brief: to design a life-like mannequin that resembled an unconscious patient.

Peter Safar, an Austrian d…[Read more]

French police open investigation after Israeli rabbi threatens Macron

French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau on Friday said he had reported threatening comments against President Emmanuel Macron to police investigators. The threats were expressed in an online video by a rabbi angered over France’s recent decision to formally recognise a…[Read more]

Byron writers festival cancelled and warnings for Sydney’s City2Surf due to east coast rain dump

Major flood warning remains in place along Namoi River as parts of coastline receive almost double August monthly rainfall in eight days

Heavy rainfall across Australia’s eastern states has prompted the cancellation of the Byron writers festival and…[Read more]

Australia joins UK, Germany, Italy and New Zealand in condemning Israel’s planned Gaza City takeover

Joint statement warns Netanyahu’s new ground offensive will worsen ‘catastrophic humanitarian situation’ as international outrage grows

Australia’s foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has joined fresh international condemnation of Israel’s…[Read more]

Albanese and Luxon urge Israel to reconsider Gaza City takeover during ‘warm, generous’ meeting

Australian and New Zealand leaders reject possible US trade retaliation over recognising Palestinian statehood and reaffirm plans to deepen security ties

Australia’s prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and his New Zealand counterpart, Christopher Luxon…[Read more]

Trump deploys nuclear submarines in row with Russia

U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of two nuclear submarines Friday in an extraordinary escalation of what had been an online war of words with a Russian official over Ukraine and tariffs.

Trump and Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia’s security council, have been…[Read more]