Ishiba Weighs Timing of Resignation Amid Revolt in LDP; Prime Minister Seeks to Minimize Political Disruption

With Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba having decided to resign, the focus has now shifted to when he will make it official. Ishiba plans to choose a moment that will minimize disruption to key political events — reaching a formal agreement i…[Read more]

Osaka to Ban People Over 65 from Making Phone Calls at ATMs

Osaka Prefecture is introducing new AI-powered surveillance systems at ATMs to combat a surge in special fraud cases targeting the elderly. Beginning in August, residents aged 65 and over will be prohibited from using their mobile phones while operating ATMs under a new local…[Read more]

Asia markets rally on U.S.-Japan trade progress

Asia-Pacific markets opened on a strong note, buoyed by encouraging trade developments between the U.S. and Japan and growing optimism around a potential deal with the European Union.

Japan’s Topix index surged 1.4%, extending gains for a second day and setting a new all-time high, as CNBC r…[Read more]

What the US-Japan deal means for Asia and the world

US President Donald Trump has called the agreement he reached with Japan the “largest trade deal in history”.

It might be premature to make such claims, but it’s certainly the most significant deal since Trump announced his so-called Liberation Day tariffs in April which roiled stock markets…[Read more]

Libya is ready to work with European governments to stem the migrant flow

The UN-backed government of national unity is working to ensure the rule of law in Libya and could tackle traffickers at source, writes Walid Ellafi

The ambition of Germany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, to join the UK-France migrant returns agreement overlooks one of the m…[Read more]

EU and US edge closer to trade deal as tariff deadline looms

US officials are ‘optimistic’ that an agreement could be imminent.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said that negotiations between the European Union and the United States over a long-running trade dispute are making progress.

Speaking in Berlin on Wednesday ahead of a dinner wit…[Read more]

France’s global aid programmes at risk from ‘unprecedented’ budget cuts

Almost 190 non-governmental organisations are sounding the alarm over a “historic” €700 million in cuts to the country’s aid budget announced by the prime minister earlier this month. Coming hard on the heels of other cuts to France’s aid budget last year, the NGOs are warnin…[Read more]

Anthony Albanese says Powderfinger, Midnight Oil and Paul Kelly played during banquet with Chinese leaders

Anthony Albanese said he was serenaded with songs by Paul Kelly, Midnight Oil and Powderfinger during a banquet with leaders after meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping in Beijing.
The prime minister dressed casually in a polo shirt a…[Read more]

Search for missing plane underway in NSW Snowy Mountains

A search is underway for a plane missing in New South Wales.

Emergency services were notified at 4:30pm yesterday that a light aircraft was overdue arriving at Moruya Airport on the Far South Coast.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said the aircraft was flying from…[Read more]

Fewer school-age children vaping in Australia since ban, study says

School-age children in Australia are vaping less, research suggests, a year after a government ban on disposable vapes came into effect.

Vaping rates among 14 to 17 year olds fell from 17.5% at the start of 2023 to 14.6% in April this year, according to the latest update from…[Read more]

US sanctions violate immunity that protects UN envoys: Albanese

UN envoy on Palestinian rights Francesca Albanese said Tuesday that U.S. sanctions against her, imposed after her criticism of Washington’s Gaza policy, violate her diplomatic immunity.

The United Nations’ Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories made the c…[Read more]

FM Fidan to attend informal meeting on Cyprus in New York

The leaders of Turkish Cyprus and Greek Cyprus, as well as guarantor states Türkiye, Greece and the United Kingdom, will come together at a 5+1 format meeting hosted by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on July 16 and 17 in New York, Turkish diplomatic sources have said.

According…[Read more]

Blazes surge across Türkiye as firefighting efforts persist

Firefighters continue to battle relentless forest fires sweeping across multiple provinces, fueled by fierce winds, scorching temperatures and parched vegetation.

In the northern province of Kocaeli’s Gebze district, a forest fire that broke out between Balçık and Cumaköy on July 15 at…[Read more]

UN says malnutrition in Gaza has doubled

Malnutrition rates among children in the Gaza Strip have doubled since Israel imposed sharp restrictions on the entry of food in March, the U.N. said on July 15. New Israeli strikes killed more than 90 Palestinians, including dozens of women and children, according to health officials.

Hunger has been…[Read more]

French papers divided over PM Bayrou’s ‘shock treatment’ budget

Wednesday, July 16: French left- and right-wing papers have different evaluations of Prime Minister François Bayrou’s proposed new budget: necessary “shock treatment” or a “purge”? Next, British papers explain the unprecedented superinjunction legal order that was used to hide a…[Read more]

French PM looks to scrap two public holidays in bold bid to cut national debt

France’s Prime Minister François Bayrou has proposed cutting two public holidays as part of a 2026 budget proposal to slash overall spending while also increasing defence expenses.

Bayrou suggested axing Easter Monday and 8 May, a day that commemorates the Allied…[Read more]

France, UK, Germany to reimpose Iran sanctions in August if no progress

France’s foreign minister says sanctions lifted under a 2015 deal would return if no breakthrough on nuclear issue.

France, the United Kingdom and Germany will reinstate harsh sanctions on Iran by the end of August if no progress is made on a nuclear deal, Western d…[Read more]

Blue Impulse Planes Fly over Osaka-Kansai Expo Site; Halfway Point of Event Reached

A team of Air Self-Defense Force pilots performed an aerobatic demonstration at the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo in Yumeshima, Osaka, on Saturday.

The event, which lasted for about 15 minutes, was performed by Blue Impulse, the ASDF’s aerobatic demonstration team. T…[Read more]

U.S. urges clarity on Japan’s role in potential war over Taiwan, report says

The Pentagon is urging Japan to make clear the role it would play in the event of a U.S.-China conflict over Taiwan, a media report said Saturday, with the U.S. Defense Department’s No. 3 official later appearing to confirm the push.
U.S. Undersecretary of Defense for…[Read more]

Indian national arrested in Japan for alleged rape of a schoolgirl

Police say suspect asked girl for hotel directions, then forced her into room and assaulted her

Police in Japan’s Shiga prefecture have arrested a 24-year-old Indian man on charges of allegedly raping a teenage high school student in Otsu City last month, according to local m…[Read more]