Shinkansen makes emergency stop when cars uncouple en route to Tokyo

A shinkansen made an emergency stop between northeastern Japan and Tokyo on Thursday after its two linked trains uncoupled, railway operator JR East said, but no injuries were reported among the some 320 people aboard.

The incident involving the Komachi and Hayabusa high-speed…[Read more]

BOJ keeps interest rates unchanged, weighs July hike impact

The Bank of Japan left its key interest rate steady at around 0.25 percent as widely expected at the end of a two-day policy meeting Friday, as it continued to assess the impact of its previous rate hike two months ago.

The central bank stood pat after it raised the target for the…[Read more]

Child dies after stabbing near Japanese school in China

Japan condemns ‘despicable act’ committed against the 10-year-old boy who was on his way to the Shenzhen Japanese School.

A 10-year-old boy enrolled in a Japanese school in China’s Shenzhen city has died after being stabbed by a 44-year-old man, according to officials in both count…[Read more]

Japan faces labor shortages and demographic crisis as elderly population hits record high

Japan commemorated its “Respect for the Aged Day” earlier this week, with the national holiday underscoring a somewhat problematic fact — the country has a record number of elderly citizens to celebrate.

Government data released ahead of the event showe…[Read more]

At a ‘fighting antisemitism’ event, Trump says Jewish voters will bear ‘a lot’ of blame if he loses

Trump has for years criticized Jewish Democratic voters and has repeatedly referred to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer as “like a Palestinian.”

In remarks ostensibly focused on combating antisemitism, former President Donald Trump q…[Read more]

North Carolina Republican denies calling himself Black Nazi, vows to stay in governor’s race

North Carolina’s Republican candidate for governor promised to stay in the race on Thursday after CNN reported that he once called himself a “black NAZI!” and proposed bringing back slavery in comments posted on a pornography website.
Mark Robinson, an…[Read more]

A Missouri death row inmate set to be executed in less than a week asks the US Supreme Court to halt his execution

A death row inmate in Missouri who has long claimed his innocence and is scheduled to be executed in less than one week asked the US Supreme Court on Wednesday for a stay of execution, arguing his due process rights were denied…[Read more]

Even before election, Trump, allies sue over claims that non-citizens might vote

Donald Trump and his Republican allies are ratcheting up baseless claims that the Nov. 5 U.S. presidential election could be skewed by widespread voting by non-citizens in a series of lawsuits that democracy advocates say are meant to sow distrust.
At least eight…[Read more]

‘The end of Schengen’: Germany’s new border controls put EU unity at risk

Critics say tightened land border checks a ‘transparent’ bid to appease far right that breaches free movement rights

Germany’s decision to tighten controls at every one of its land borders seems driven chiefly by politics, is difficult to justify in law, deals a heavy blo…[Read more]

The German woman who helped build an Indian university

In a Muslim graveyard in Delhi, a tombstone stands out.
It has an inscription written in the Urdu language, but beneath it lies the name of a German-born Jewish woman – Gerda Philipsborn – followed by the epithet ‘Aapajaan’ or ‘elder sister’.
This is an unusual sight as the graves of the…[Read more]

Germany: Second explosion shakes Cologne

The explosion was the second in a week in Cologne’s city center. Police said it was still too early to say if there was a connection. Sniffer dogs were on the site as officers investigated.

The western German city of Cologne saw a small explosion for the second time in a week early on Wednesday.

The…[Read more]

Germany has stopped approving war weapons exports to Israel: Report

Germany faces mounting pressure from legal cases arguing that German weapons exports to Israel breach humanitarian law.

Germany has put a hold on new exports of weapons of war to Israel while it deals with legal challenges, according to the Reuters news agency.

A source close…[Read more]

Australia’s population reaches 27 million with growth largely driven by overseas migration

Australia is now home to more than 27 million people but policies over the last decade have failed to deliver the housing needed, an expert warns.

New data issued by the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows the national population grew by 2.3 per cent to…[Read more]

Delays to Southwest Metro will cost taxpayers $3.6 million a day until resolution with Rail union, Minister says

The construction of Sydney’s Southwest Metro train line will be delayed after the union and government could not reach a bargaining agreement, costing taxpayers $3.6 million a day until it’s resolved.
The conversion of the T3 B…[Read more]

China pulls handbrake on Australian lobster imports

Negotiations to resume Australia’s lobster trade with China are proceeding at a crawling pace as Beijing makes more demands of the industry.

China alleged Australian lobsters were contaminated – which Canberra denied – and the hurdle remains a point of contention within the trading relat…[Read more]

Diabetic driver’s charges over five deaths at Daylesford pub thrown out

A diabetic driver who ploughed into a beer garden and killed three adults and two children will walk from court a free man after all charges against him were struck out.
William Swale, 66, faced a three-day committal hearing this week in Ballarat Magistrates Court as he…[Read more]

German far right hails ‘historic’ election victory in east

Germany’s anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) is celebrating a “historic success”, with a big victory for the far-right party in the eastern state of Thuringia.
The AfD won almost a third of the vote, nine points ahead of the conservative CDU, and far in front of Germany’s…[Read more]

An ‘earthquake’ at Volkswagen – and a crisis for Germany?

The company is seen as crucial not just to local but national wellbeing – and never before have its workers been threatened in their own homeland like this

‘Earthquake at Volkswagen” ran the stark headline in the Wolfsburger Nachrichten, the newspaper serving the north German city that i…[Read more]

German Chancellor Scholz expands border checks to tackle immigration

Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s ruling coalition agreed to temporarily extend frontier controls to all nine of Germany’s land borders as part of a crackdown on irregular immigration and an effort to strengthen domestic security.

Germany already has temporary controls on its bor…[Read more]

Japan’s premier hopefuls pledge more spending to support economy

Japan will likely see another stimulus package under a new prime minister, with several candidates running in the ruling party’s leadership race pledging fresh spending measures to boost growth and cushion the blow to households from rising inflation.

In announcing his int…[Read more]