As it happened: Japan PM Ishiba says election result a 'harsh judgment', pledges to pursue US tariff deal
His Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and coalition partner Komeito secured 47 seats, short of the 50 seats it needed to ensure a majority in the Upper House.
It is the first time the LDP has lost a majority in both houses of parliament.
Catch up on the developments:
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
CNA938 Rewind - Appearing on a concert screen? Lawyer tells us you've waived rights
An IT company CEO has resigned after a viral video showed him embracing an employee at a Coldplay concert. But beyond the headlines, what rights are you giving up when you buy a concert ticket? Daniel Martin speaks with Ong Pei Ching, Partner at TSMP Law.
CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
Over 50% of Malaysian employers cite family needs, maternity leave as barriers to hiring women: World Bank report
KUALA LUMPUR: Familial commitments that women have to attend to. Maternity regulations that are in place for when they choose to have children. These have been identified as among the 'significant obstacles' for firms when choosing to hire women, a recent survey of 1,500 companies in Malaysia found. Launched on Tuesday (Jul 22), the survey report by the World Bank found that for 58 per cent of employers, women's family commitments are a major challenge in recruitment while 54 per cent of these firms cited the provision of maternity leave as a barrier to employing them. These findings coincided with another trend observed among the firms surveyed - that the proportion of female employees tends to decrease as their age increases. Women in Malaysia tend to leave the workforce upon starting a family, the report found, and they are unlikely to return without adequate and proper support from employers. 'Without employment practices that adequately support women's caregiving responsibilities - such as flexible work arrangements and accessible childcare - many women will continue to remain outside of the labour force or resort to informal work in order to balance family and employment,' Malaysian World Bank country manager Judith McGreen said at the report's launch. GENDER GAP IN WORKFORCE 'PROBLEMATIC' The World Bank's report shows that the proportion of female employees at the firms surveyed decreases with age - women between the age of 21 and 30 form the largest share of female employees at 41 per cent. This is then followed by women between the ages of 31 and 40 years at 32 per cent, those between the ages of 41 and 50 make up 17 per cent and those above the age of 50 at 10 per cent. 'This trend is broad-based across firms' size, regions, sectors and years of operation,' it said. The World Bank added: 'Unlike in other countries where women often re-enter employment after a career break, Malaysian women's departure from the labour market tends to be more permanent. 'Malaysia has one of the lowest rates of women taking temporary career breaks, reinforcing this trend of permanent labour market exit.' Meanwhile, the labour force participation rate for men at 83.4 percent in 2024 was much higher than the female labour force participation rate of 56.6 percent. McGreen said that the gender gap is problematic - both from an equity as well as from an economic perspective. 'Malaysian women are on average better educated than Malaysian men, and under-representation in the labour market is a lost economic opportunity - it implies that Malaysia is not fully utilising its human resources,' she said. McGreen added that a previous World Bank report found that if female labour force participation rates in Malaysia were to rise to levels seen in advanced economies, the country's income per capita could grow by 26.2 per cent - or equivalent to a RM9,400 (US$2,200) annual income gain. She noted that the working-age population has already begun to shrink since 2020 and that this trend posed significant challenges for the labour market. 'These demographic changes underscore the urgency for strategic labour market interventions that can help mitigate the impacts of a shrinking workforce while sustaining economic growth. 'One of the most promising ways forward for Malaysia to do this is by increasing and sustaining women's participation in the labour force,' said McGreen. WHAT CAN BE DONE? However, it is not all doom and gloom, with over half of the firms surveyed saying that they have put in place key measures to support women at the workplace. The World Bank said that 54 per cent of firms indicated that they offer hybrid working or flexible working arrangements as part of its childcare benefits, while 53 per cent indicated that they have an onsite or near-site childcare or daycare facility. Additionally, 47 per cent of firms offer paid parental or family leave, separate from annual leave. In a panel discussion at the report launch, Hamidah Naziadin - the former chief people officer of CIMB Group - said that employers need to understand the need for family-friendly policies. The CIMB Group is one of the largest banking groups in the country. Hamidah added that these policies must be looked at as an investment rather than thinking of it as just a cost. During her tenure at the banking group, CIMB introduced a six-month maternity leave scheme and one month of paternity leave. In Malaysia, female employees are typically eligible for 98 consecutive days of paid maternity leave while males are eligible for only seven days of paternity leave. She said that there were those who questioned the extended paternity leave. 'When you formulate policies, you do it for the majority. Such family-friendly policies give you greater value in terms of branding and help to promote productivity through employees who find the company to be thoughtful and caring,' she said, adding that strong policies come from understanding the employees' needs. She also believed that the flexible work arrangements, for example, are here to stay. 'At the end of the day, it is the employees who make up the company. Let's do what we can to provide them with that support system. One important word is trust. If you want to implement policies, a lot of it will require trust.' Meanwhile, Nazrul Aziz - who is the group chief strategy officer at TalentCorp - said that smaller firms face the biggest challenge to implement family-friendly policies in order to attract women back into the workforce. TalentCorp is an agency under Malaysia's Ministry of Human Resources that drives the country's talent strategy. Nazrul said that only 30 per cent of Malaysians work with multi-national companies or government linked companies while the majority work with the MSMEs.
CNA
2 hours ago
- CNA
Bangladesh seethes as toll from jet crash at school hits 31
DHAKA: Grief gave way to anger in Bangladesh on Tuesday (Jul 22), a day after a fighter jet crashed into a school, killing 31 people, mostly children, in the country's deadliest aviation accident in decades. The pupils had just been let out of class when the Chinese-made F-7 BJI aircraft slammed into the private Milestone School and College in Dhaka on Monday. At least 31 people have died, up from the military's earlier toll of 27. More than 170 people were injured in the crash, with 69 of them still undergoing treatment at various hospitals. "Ten patients are in very critical condition," Sayedur Rahman, from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, told reporters. At a protest on the school campus, students accused the government of lying about the death toll and demanded a list of those injured. "There were hundreds of students in that academic building. We saw body parts strewn all over the ground. Where are they?" a 17-year-old student, who requested anonymity, told AFP. "When students and teachers asked this question to the military personnel, they roughed us up," he said. Some of the students carried placards that read: "We want justice" and "Where are the bodies of our brothers and sisters?" Students also stormed the national secretariat in Dhaka, prompting police to use batons and stun grenades, local media reported. Press secretary Ahammed Foyez told AFP that the government had agreed to meet the student's demands. "We believe the demands raised by the students are legitimate and should be fulfilled," Foyez said. CHILDREN'S TRAUMA Teacher Shahadat Hossain, whose son narrowly escaped the crash, was devastated to see the school bereft of its usual buzz. "Along with the children, the school has lost its life," he said. "There are two swings in front of the affected building. During lunch breaks and after school, children play there. Even yesterday, around the time the plane crashed, students were on those swings," the 45-year-old told AFP. Around 7,000 pupils are enrolled at the school, including Abul Bashar's sixth-grade son whose best friend was killed. "He came out just two or three minutes before the accident occurred," said Bashar. "He couldn't sleep through the night and forced me to bring him to school this morning," the father added, while his son stood in silence. School authorities have retrieved bags, shoes and identity cards of children from the site. Air Force personnel said remnants of the fighter jet were removed on Monday night, but they were still scouring the site for evidence. "I don't know how long it will take to return to normalcy, to relieve the children from this trauma," teacher Hossain said. "PROFOUND PAIN" On Monday night, school authorities held prayers at the campus. Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus expressed "deep grief and sorrow" over the incident and declared a day of national mourning. "The loss suffered by the Air Force, the students, parents, teachers and staff of Milestone School and College, as well as others affected by this accident, is irreparable," he said. "This is a moment of profound pain for the nation." The military said the pilot, 27-year-old flight lieutenant Towkir Islam, was on a routine training mission when the jet "reportedly encountered a mechanical failure".
