TOKYO: Sporting a pair of jeans and sneakers, Japan’s prime minister ditched his usually solemn demeanour for a fashion show to tout a “cute, lively and cool” Japan. Surrounded on stage by members of an all-girl pop group, Shigeru Ishiba made a surprise appearance Saturday at the Tokyo Girls Collection
SAINT-DENIS DE LA REUNION (France): Cyclone Garance barrelled across La Reunion island on Friday killing four people as fierce winds left destruction across the French Indian Ocean territory, authorities said. Winds of up to 230 kilometres per hour battered the territory of 900,000 people and the storm earlier forced the
GAZA CITY (Palestinian Territories): UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Friday that the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage release deal “must hold”, with just hours to go before an initial phase expires. His comments came after Palestinian group Hamas called for international pressure on Israel to enter the next phase of
ATHENS: Masked youths threw petrol bombs and clashed with police outside the Greek parliament on Friday, as huge crowds gathered in a show of force to mark the second anniversary of the country’s worst rail tragedy. Nearly 200,000 people rallied in Athens to demand justice for the 57 victims of
TOKYO: Japan was battling its largest wildfire in more than three decades yesterday, one of several blazes that have killed one person and forced the evacuation of more than a thousand. Flames are estimated to have spread over about 3,000 acres in the forest of Ofunato in the northern region
BERLIN: Friedrich Merz, Germany’s conservative election winner, began coalition talks yesterday, warning that “the world isn’t waiting for us.” His CDU/CSU bloc secured over 28 per cent of the vote, defeating Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s SPD (16 per cent) and the Greens, while the far-right AfD celebrated a record 20 per
TOKYO: Japan braces for more heavy snow after a two-week whiteout, with the weather agency warning of avalanches and icy roads. Regions along the Sea of Japan, known for heavy snowfall and ski resorts, have seen record snow this month, disrupting traffic and causing fatalities. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA)
MUNICH: Germany’s conservative frontrunner Friedrich Merz vowed on Saturday to be a “strong voice in the EU” if elected, as Europe grapples with renewed US-EU tensions under Donald Trump. Speaking at his final rally before Sunday’s election, Merz stressed that Europe must “sit at the main table and safeguard our
APPLE has introduced a new iPhone 16e model with a lower price tag as the company seeks to revive sales of its iconic device. Apple touted the iPhone 16e as having many features found in more expensive models, including Apple-tailored artificial intelligence features and integration with OpenAI’s ChatGPT. “iPhone 16e
SYDNEY: China warned Australia yesterday of potential “live fire” naval drills in international waters off the eastern coast, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, as commercial flights were told to steer clear of the area. Beijing described the manoeuvres as training exercises that were “safe, standard and professional” and in line