logo
Japanese PM stays on to tackle high inflation and US tariffs despite a key election loss

Japanese PM stays on to tackle high inflation and US tariffs despite a key election loss

Toronto Star3 days ago
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who faced a major defeat in a key election for the smaller of Japan's two-chamber parliament, said Monday he will stay on to tackle challenges such as rising prices and high U.S. tariffs.
Ishiba's ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner Komeito were short three seats to maintain a majority in the 248-seat upper house in Sunday's vote. The coalition is now a minority in both houses of the Diet, or parliament, though the LDP is still the leading party.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

France's first couple sue Candace Owens for defamation over claims that Brigitte Macron is a man
France's first couple sue Candace Owens for defamation over claims that Brigitte Macron is a man

Winnipeg Free Press

time25 minutes ago

  • Winnipeg Free Press

France's first couple sue Candace Owens for defamation over claims that Brigitte Macron is a man

PARIS (AP) — A lawyer for France's first couple said they'll be seeking 'substantial' damages from U.S. conservative influencer Candace Owens if she persists with claims that President Emmanuel Macron's wife, Brigitte, is a man. The lawyer, Tom Clare, said in an interview with CNN that a defamation suit filed Wednesday for the Macrons in a Delaware court was 'really a last resort' after a fruitless yearlong effort to engage with Owens and requests that she 'do the right thing: tell the truth, stop spreading these lies.' 'Each time we've done that, she mocked the Macrons, she mocked our efforts to set the record straight,' Clare said. 'Enough is enough, it was time to hold her accountable.' The complaint against Owens lays out 'extensive evidence' that Brigitte Macron 'was born a woman, she's always been a woman,' he said. 'We'll put forward our damage claim at trial, but if she continues to double down between now and the time of trial, it will be a substantial award,' he said. In Paris, the presidential office had no immediate comment. The Macrons have been married since 2007, and Emmanuel Macron has been France's president since 2017. The couple first met at the high school where he was a student and she was a teacher. Brigitte Macron was then Brigitte Auzière, a married mother of three children. Emmanuel Macron moved to Paris for his last year of high school, but promised to marry Brigitte. She later moved to the French capital to join him and divorced before they finally married.

Taliban tortured and threatened Afghans expelled from Pakistan and Iran, UN report says
Taliban tortured and threatened Afghans expelled from Pakistan and Iran, UN report says

Toronto Star

timean hour ago

  • Toronto Star

Taliban tortured and threatened Afghans expelled from Pakistan and Iran, UN report says

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Taliban have tortured and threatened Afghans forcibly returned from Iran and Pakistan because of their identity or personal history, a U.N. report said Thursday. Pakistan and Iran are expelling millions of Afghans who they say are living in their countries illegally. Afghan authorities have urged nationals to return, pledging amnesty for anyone who left after the Taliban seized power in 2021.

Taliban tortured and threatened Afghans expelled from Pakistan and Iran, UN report says
Taliban tortured and threatened Afghans expelled from Pakistan and Iran, UN report says

Winnipeg Free Press

timean hour ago

  • Winnipeg Free Press

Taliban tortured and threatened Afghans expelled from Pakistan and Iran, UN report says

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Taliban have tortured and threatened Afghans forcibly returned from Iran and Pakistan because of their identity or personal history, a U.N. report said Thursday. Pakistan and Iran are expelling millions of Afghans who they say are living in their countries illegally. Afghan authorities have urged nationals to return, pledging amnesty for anyone who left after the Taliban seized power in 2021. But rights groups and the U.N. have repeatedly warned that some of those returning are at risk of persecution because of their gender, links to the former Western-backed administration or profession. Thursday's report from the U.N. mission in Afghanistan said some people have experienced serious human rights violations, while others have gone into hiding or relocated for fear of Taliban reprisal. The violations include torture, ill-treatment, arbitrary arrest, and threats to personal security at the hands of the Taliban, according to the report. A former government official told the U.N. mission that, after his return to Afghanistan in 2023, he was detained and severely tortured with sticks and cables. He was waterboarded and subjected to a mock execution. A non-binary person said they were beaten severely, including with the back of a gun. Volker Türk, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, said nobody should be sent back to a country where they faced the risk of persecution on account of their identity or personal history. This was even more pronounced for Afghan women and girls, who were subjected to a range of measures 'amounting to persecution based on their gender alone,' he added. The Taliban have imposed severe restrictions on Afghan girls and women, cutting off education beyond sixth grade, most employment and access to many public spaces. Responding to the report, Taliban authorities denied mistreating Afghan returnees and rejected allegations of arrest, violence, intimidation or retaliation against people because of their identity or personal history. Afghans returning from neighboring countries were provided with facilities related to documentation, transportation, resettlement, and other legal support, they said, while the Interior Ministry provides a 'warm welcome.' They called on the U.N. mission to prevent forced deportations, adding the United Nations as a whole 'should not hesitate' in providing basic needs to refugees, such as food, medicine, shelter and education. Afghans who left their homeland in the millions over the decades are either being pushed out in expulsion campaigns, like those in Iran and Pakistan, or face an uncertain future because of reduced support for refugees. On Monday, thousands of Afghans in the U.S. lost protection from deportation after a federal appeals court refused to postpone U.S. President Donald Trump administration's decision to end their legal status. Homeland Security officials said in their decision to end the Temporary Protected Status for Afghans that the situation in their home country was getting better. But groups helping Afghans with this status say the country is still extremely dangerous. The Trump administration's January suspension of a refugee program has left thousands of Afghans stranded, particularly in Pakistan, and a travel ban on Afghans has further diminished their hopes of resettlement in the U.S.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store