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]

Türkiye begins natural gas shipments to Syria

The first natural gas shipments from Türkiye to Syria have begun, Türkiye’s Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar announced on Saturday.

Speaking at the inauguration of the Türkiye-Syria natural gas pipeline, Bayraktar said natural gas from Azerbaijan will be delivered to Syr…[Read more]

Italy praises Türkiye’s cooperation in migration management

Italy on Friday hailed Türkiye’s cooperation in curbing irregular migration, saying it has delivered “excellent results,” according to an official statement.

In a statement, the Italian government said that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan…[Read more]

One Gazan family’s struggle to find their next meal

Every morning in a sweltering tent in Gaza, Abeer and Fadi Sobh wake to the same grim task: finding enough food to keep their six children alive.

The couple has three options: Maybe a charity kitchen will be open and they can get a pot of watery lentils. Or they can try jostling through c…[Read more]

Germany’s ‘oldest and biggest’ gay nightclub declares bankruptcy

Germany’s “oldest and biggest” gay dance club has declared itself bankrupt after nearly half a century in business, falling victim to inflation and an evolving party culture threatening Berlin’s nightlife.

Management troubles and dating apps were among the factors putting Schwu…[Read more]

Germany to deliver two Patriot systems to Ukraine in deal with US

Germany said on Friday that it will deliver two Patriot systems to Ukraine after reaching an agreement with the U.S. that Berlin will be first in line to receive the latest systems in return.
Thanks to the U.S. commitment, “Germany can initially support Ukraine with launchers and…[Read more]

Amount of aid entering Gaza is ‘very insufficient’, Germany says

The amount of humanitarian aid that Israel is allowing to enter the besieged Gaza Strip is “very insufficient”, the German government said Saturday, noting “limited initial progress” in getting more aid into the enclave. Aid agencies say that more than two million Palestinians are…[Read more]

Former PM Gabriel Attal wants to make his mark with a name change for Macron’s Renaissance party

Gabriel Attal, former prime minister and current head of Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party, sent questions to Renaissance members on July 31 about the party’s future and name, as a way to redefine its identity and shape it to suit him ahead of the…[Read more]

France suspends Gaza evacuations after student antisemitism row

France has suspended its programme for receiving Palestinians fleeing Gaza.

The freeze will be in place while authorities investigate a Palestinian student in France who has been accused of making antisemitic remarks online, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot has said.

The…[Read more]

Long delays for passengers at Port and LeShuttle

People leaving the UK via the Port of Dover or Eurotunnel Le Shuttle at Folkestone are facing delays as the summer holiday getaway begins.

At Dover, travellers are being warned of a 90-minute processing time at the French border during check-in.

Traffic is building in the town, with TAP…[Read more]

Palestinian statehood vote at Victorian Labor conference heaps more pressure on PM

Labor Friends of Palestine’s motion also called on federal government to extend sanctions to all members of Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet

Victorian Labor members have voted to immediately recognise Palestine, heaping further pressure on the Albanese government to…[Read more]

Albanese praises Indigenous truth-telling in Victoria after failure of Voice to Parliament

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese acknowledged the work of the Yoorrook Justice Commission, the nation’s first truth-telling inquiry, on Saturday.

As the annual Garma Indigenous festival kicks off in north-east Arnhem land, the Northern Territory justice…[Read more]

UN chief urges Australia to aim higher as it debates climate goals

The UN’s climate chief has urged Australia to take more ambitious climate action, as debate over the country’s emissions reduction targets heats up in parliament.

“Bog standard is beneath you,” Simon Stiell told the country, arguing “colossal” economic rewards could be reaped by…[Read more]