Having done a trade deal with US President Donald Trump, Japan’s prime minister will soon announce his resignation, reports said Wednesday, after his latest election debacle left his coalition without a majority now in both houses of parliament.
The reports said Shigeru Ishiba had conveyed his intention to step down to those close to him, following the announcement Wednesday of a US-Japan trade deal.
Sunday’s upper house election was calamitous for Ishiba’s centre-right Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has governed almost continuously since 1955.
Voters angry at inflation turned to other parties, notably the “Japanese first” Sanseito, whose “anti-globalist” drive echoes the agenda of populist movements elsewhere.
President Donald Trump said on Tuesday the United States agreed to a “massive” trade deal with Japan, including a 15% tariff on its exports. Months of negotiations followed Trump’s global trade offensive, with steel and auto tariffs key sticking points.
Senate passes Labor motion expressing ‘extreme disapproval’ against Mehreen Faruqi for Gaza sign protest
While the Coalition amendment failed, Labor’s original motion to sanction Mehreen Faruqi passes the Senate.
The Greens opposed the motion along with independent senator Fatima Payman while One Nation and independent senator Tammy Tyrrell teamed up with the two major parties to sanction Faruqi.
While we have been calling it a censure motion, it’s technically a motion to express “profound disapproval” against the senator but also includes that the Senate voted it not “appropriate for Senator Faruqi to represent the Senate as a member of any delegation during the life of this parliament”.
The anchoring effect is one of the sneakiest tools companies use to make us spend money.
Here’s how it works. Let’s say we’re shopping for a smartphone manufactured by Dapple, which has just released two new models: a $1,200 model with a big screen and a $900 one that is more compact. The more expensive smartphone will serve as the “anchor” by which we make comparisons, so the $900 model will appear to be value for money — even if it is costly in absolute terms. But we’re likely to feel good about choosing it because we’ve “saved” $300 on our purchase.
This scenario seems to be what’s happening with the U.S-Japan trade agreement freshly announced late Tuesday stateside. U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington would gain access to Japan’s markets for rice and cars — which had been sticking points during negotiations — while the latter would see 15% tariffs on its exports to America.
At first glance, that doesn’t sound too positive for Japan. But investors celebrated the news — the Nikkei 225 jumped 3.8% at 1:45 a.m. ET. After all, a 15% tariff rate is a big improvement from the 25% tariff Trump slapped on Tokyo earlier this month. Furthermore, Japanese auto exports to the U.S. — which made up 28.3% of all shipments in 2024 — will face a tariff of 15%, lower than the universal 25% other countries are subject to.
As Brian Jacobsen, chief economist at Annex Wealth Management, said, “It’s a sign of the times that markets would cheer 15% tariffs. A year ago, that level of tariffs would be shocking. Today, we breathe a sigh of relief.” That, in essence, is the anchoring effect at play.
More than 100 aid organisations warned on Wednesday that “mass starvation“ was spreading in Gaza, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports.
Israel is facing mounting international pressure over the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory, where more than 2 million people face severe shortages of food and other essentials after 21 months of conflict, triggered by Hamas’s attack on Israel.
The UN said on Tuesday that Israeli forces had killed more than 1,000 Palestinians trying to get food aid since the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation started operations in late May – in effect sidelining the existing UN-led system.
A statement with 111 signatories, including Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Save the Children and Oxfam, warned that “our colleagues and those we serve are wasting away”.
More than 100 aid organisations warned on Wednesday that “mass starvation“ was spreading in Gaza, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports.
Israel is facing mounting international pressure over the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory, where more than 2 million people face severe shortages of food and other essentials after 21 months of conflict, triggered by Hamas’s attack on Israel.
The UN said on Tuesday that Israeli forces had killed more than 1,000 Palestinians trying to get food aid since the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation started operations in late May – in effect sidelining the existing UN-led system.
A statement with 111 signatories, including Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Save the Children and Oxfam, warned that “our colleagues and those we serve are wasting away”.
Russian soldiers needing medical care returned by Ukraine
Two Russian soldiers in need of medical care were handed over by Ukrainian authorities yesterday to be returned home, the Russian defence ministry said.
A ministry statement on Telegram said the two servicemen were handed over and taken to Belarus, one of Moscow’s closest allies, on Russia’s western border. They were receiving treatment in Belarus and would soon return to Russia, it said.
The statement said the action was undertaken on the basis of agreements reached at the second of two direct meetings aimed at ending the conflict last month between Russian and Ukrainian representatives.
The two meetings in Istanbul resulted in agreements to return prisoners of war and remains of fallen soldiers, but made little progress towards an end to the more than three-year-old conflict.
Sudan’s oil-rich Kordofan region has turned into a major front line in the war between the army and rival paramilitary forces, as both sides try to gain the upper-hand in a conflict that has devastated the vast African state for more than two years.
Attacks that killed hundreds of civilians earlier this month have shifted attention to the battle for this part of the country.
“Whoever controls Kordofan effectively controls the country’s oil supply, as well as a huge chunk of Sudan,” Amir Amin, an analyst with risk consultancy Oasis Policy Advisory, told the BBC.
The region is also vital for landlocked South Sudan, as its oil flows through pipelines in Kordofan, before being exported. So, it has a vested interest in Kordofan’s stability.
Poilievre, Conservative MPs publicly support ‘Freedom Convoy’ organizers ahead of sentencing – Canada’s National Observer Source Link Excerpt:
Several Conservative MPs are criticizing the Crown’s approach to prosecuting two key organizers of the “Freedom Convoy” protests, with the party’s deputy leader calling it an act of “political vengeance.”
Tamara Lich and Chris Barber were convicted of mischief in April for their roles in organizing the demonstration, which blockaded streets around Parliament Hill for more than three weeks in early 2022. Barber was also convicted of counselling others to disobey a court order.
Iran vows to press on with nuke enrichment despite Trump’s threats and ‘serious damage’ done by stealth bombings– www.thesun.co.uk Source Link Excerpt:
IRAN has vowed to push on with nuclear enrichment – in a stark warning to the west following Donald Trump’s stealth blitz on Tehran’s nuke plants.
The pariah state pledged to enrich uranium, despite the 12-day war which started over fears the mullahs were dangerously close to getting a nuclear warhead.
The first new U.S. rare-earth mine in 70 years broke ground this month in Wyoming.
Ramaco Brook Mine, which contains 1.7 million tons of rare earth minerals, is a “groundbreaking discovery” that “marks a turning point for America,” the Department of Energy announced.
The groundbreaking discovery at the Ramaco Brook Mine marks a turning point for America as the first new rare earth facility in 7 DECADES, containing 1.7 MILLION tons of rare earth oxides.
Developing American supply chains for rare earth minerals STRENGTHENS our energy security.
— U.S. Department of Energy (@ENERGY) July 9, 2025
BREAKING: Trump announces ‘massive’ trade deal with Japan, includes $550 billion investment in US | The Post Millennial– thepostmillennial.com Source Link Excerpt:
Trump said Japan will invest $550 billion into the US economy and that the United States will receive 90% of the profits from the deal.
President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday evening that a new trade agreement has been finalized between the United States and Japan, calling it “perhaps the largest Deal ever made.”
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Japan will invest $550 billion into the US economy and that the United States will receive 90% of the profits from the deal. The president says the agreement would generate “Hundreds of Thousands of Jobs” and significantly expand trade between the two countries.
“We just completed a massive Deal with Japan, perhaps the largest Deal ever made. Japan will invest, at my direction, $550 Billion Dollars into the United States, which will receive 90% of the Profits. This Deal will create Hundreds of Thousands of Jobs — There has never been anything like it. Perhaps most importantly, Japan will open their Country to Trade including Cars and Trucks, Rice and certain other Agricultural Products, and other things. Japan will pay Reciprocal Tariffs to the United States of 15%. This is a very exciting time for the United States of America, and especially for the fact that we will continue to always have a great relationship with the Country of Japan. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” the post reads.
Exclusive: Who are Syria’s Druze and why are they under attack?– www.euronews.com Source Link Excerpt:
The new authorities in Damascus have largely been met with a cautious sigh of relief by the international community.
Al-Sharaa has met with leaders from Western powers, including the UK, the EU and the US. Donald Trump even called the new president “handsome”.
What followed was the lifting of many crippling sanctions that were imposed on the Assad regime for crimes against the Syrian people. Today, 90% of the population still lives below the poverty line, and the economy hangs by a thread.
Although many have lauded al-Sharaa for providing stability to a country ravaged by over a decade of war, Syria has endured multiple eruptions of interethnic violence, notably in early March when Alawite communities were massacred in coastal regions.
While al-Sharaa at the time called for calm and promised an independent investigation into claims that government-affiliated forces initiated what one commentator called the “orgy of violence,” many believe the president was complicit.
“They asked (the Alawites) to hand over weapons,” the Suwayda resident said during their interview. “When the weapons were handed over, and the Syrian coastal area became isolated … they attacked and committed terrible massacres against humanity.”
“The entire villages were killed and exterminated. Houses and houses were burned.”
Sheikh Hikmat agreed, adding, “They use a local group to stir up strife, and then they carry out mass killings against their opponents.”
Protests in Ukraine as Zelensky signs bill targeting anti-corruption bodies– www.bbc.com Source Link Excerpt:
President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed a bill that critics say weakens the independence of Ukraine’s anti-corruption bodies, sparking protests in several cities and drawing international criticism.
Critics say the new law undermines the authority of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (Nabu) and Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (Sapo) – placing them under the control of the prosecutor general.
In an address on Wednesday, Zelensky said both agencies would still “work” but needed to be cleared of “Russian influence”.
After the bill passed, hundreds of people gathered in Kyiv for the biggest anti-government protest since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Demonstrations were also seen in the cities of Lviv, Dnipro and Odesa.
“We chose Europe, not autocracy,” said a poster held by one demonstrator. “My father did not die for this,” said another.
Ukraine’s chief prosecutor, Zelensky loyalist Ruslan Kravchenko, will now be able to reassign corruption probes to potentially more pliant investigators, and even to close them.
Despite Billions in Aid, Somalia’s Army Crumbles as Al-Shabaab Resurgence Gains Ground, Donors Losing Faith – Garowe Online Source Link Excerpt:
Despite billions of dollars in international support, Somalia’s army has melted in the face of a months-long offensive by the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabab insurgency, and donors are running out of patience.
Using hundreds of fighters and a vehicle packed with explosives for a suicide attack, Al-Shabab retook the town of Moqokori on July 7, the latest in a wave of defeats this year for the government.
It has given them a strategic geographical position to launch attacks into the Hiiraan region. Still, it was also a powerful symbolic victory over a local clan militia that had been the government’s “best fighting force” against Al-Shabab, according to Omar Mahmood of the International Crisis Group.
As the now-familiar wailing of air-raid sirens echoed across Ukraine on Sunday night, civilians across the country again sought refuge in metro stations, underground shelters and dimly lit basements, bracing for yet another massive Russian aerial assault.
Israel successfully assassinated 19 senior Iranian nuclear scientists during the 12-Day War, depriving Tehran’s atomic “weapons program of its most capable and experienced personnel,” according to a new intelligence assessment by a leading nonproliferation organization.
The military campaign evaporated decades of nuclear know-how, striking at the heart of Tehran’s weapons program in a way kinetic attacks could not, according to the Institute for Science and International Security.
“This act weakened Iran’s base for building nuclear weapons, eliminating needed expertise and hard-to-get management experience,” the organization determined. “This time the Israeli effort is different, and recovering may be far more difficult and take far longer.”
UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, is an international organization that runs under the auspices of the United Nations. UNESCO’s charter is to promote “… cooperation in education, science, culture and communication to foster peace worldwide.” Among other things, UNESCO administers World Heritage sites. But in recent years, UNESCO has also been accused of slanted, pro-China, pro-Palestine stances, among other woke priorities.
On Tuesday, the New York Post broke the story that President Trump is withdrawing the United States from UNESCO due to these priorities. Under President Biden, the U.S. rejoined UNESCO in 2021, after President Reagan withdrew the U.S. from the organization in 1983.
Trump ordered a 90-day review of America’s presence in UNESCO back in February, with special emphasis on probing any “anti-Semitism or anti-Israel sentiment within the organization.”
Upon conducting the review, administration officials took issue with UNESCO’s diversity, equity, and inclusion policies as well as its pro-Palestinian and pro-China bias, a White House official told The Post.
Somali-American State Senator Omar Fateh, a 35-year-old democratic socialist, has won the DFL (Democratic Party) endorsement for Mayor of Minneapolis, defeating two-term incumbent Jacob Frey at a chaotic party convention.
While Frey remains in the race for the November general election, Fateh’s victory signals a growing shift toward progressive and minority-led leadership in urban Democratic strongholds.
What happened?
Over the weekend, the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party, Minnesota’s branch of the US Democratic Party, held its Minneapolis convention to decide who it would endorse for mayor. After a tumultuous day marked by technical glitches, paper ballots, and a dramatic walkout by Frey supporters, Omar Fateh emerged with the endorsement, receiving over 60% of delegate support by a show-of-hands vote.
Florida health authorities have confirmed four deaths and several illnesses caused by Vibrio vulnificus, a rare but deadly “flesh-eating” bacteria found in warm saltwater, brackish water, and contaminated seafood. Though infections are uncommon, they can rapidly become life-threatening, especially when bacteria enter open wounds or the bloodstream. With rising ocean temperatures and increased flooding due to hurricanes, such cases are becoming more frequent along the Gulf Coast. Although rare, the high fatality rate makes awareness and early intervention crucial. By taking preventive steps and recognizing symptoms early, individuals can significantly reduce their risk of serious illness from this dangerous marine bacterium.Here’s a comprehensive look at where Vibrio vulnificus thrives, how it infects humans, the symptoms, and how you can protect yourself from this dangerous pathogen.
National security think tanks have long been funded by old-guard contractors like Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. In recent years, the Trump-tied software and data analytics firm Palantir, which is competing with those legacy contractors for federal weapons programs, has been getting in on the game.
In the first half of this year, Palantir gave nearly $1.7 million to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute, according to a disclosure it filed last week with the House. The sum of the donations, made in March, is on par with what the firm gave to the nonprofit in 2023 and 2024. Palantir appears to have given far more to the Reagan Foundation—where its co-founder Joe Lonsdale is on the board of trustees, alongside figures from the Republican Party establishment—than to other defense think tanks that shape national security planning and populate the revolving door between the Pentagon and weapons companies.
Under the Trump administration, Palantir is getting a boom in government contracts, which are the company’s largest source of revenue. The Silicon Valley-style defense company, tapped in recent months to expand its technology work with federal agencies like the Department of Defense, has been cheering its rising profits in earnings calls. In May, the Army boosted Palantir’s contract for Project Maven, an A.I.-powered targeting system, to a total of $1.3 billion. The firm’s CEO Alex Karp crowed “Palantir is on fire” on a first-quarter earnings call, and its stock price just hit a record high.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Tuesday said he is likely to hash out an extension of President Donald Trump‘s upcoming trade deadline with China when he meets with his Chinese counterparts in Stockholm, Sweden, next week.
The two sides in mid-May agreed to a 90-day suspension of most of the heavy tariffs on each others’ goods while they continued trade negotiations. That suspension is set to expire on Aug. 12.
But “we’ll be working out what is likely an extension” during talks in Stockholm on Monday and Tuesday, Bessent said in a Fox Business interview.
“I think trade is in a very good place with China,” he said.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson later Tuesday morning confirmed that his country would host the latest round of talks between Washington and Beijing.
“It is positive that both countries wish to meet in Sweden to seek mutual understanding,” Kristersson said on X in a translated post.
BRITAIN joined 24 other nations demanding Israel end its war in Gaza yesterday claiming the bloody conflict had plumbed “new depths.”
The joint statement said it was “horrifying” that more than 800 Palestinians in the strife-torn Hamas terror stronghold have been killed seeking food – including dozens yesterday.
But Israeli forces stepped up action in the central Gazan city of Deir al-Balah yesterday – despite fears October 7 hostages are being held there.
An unprecedented joint statement condemning the war was signed by the foreign ministers of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.
It said: “We come together with a simple, urgent message: the war in Gaza must end now. The suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths.
At least 19 people were killed and 164 injured as a Bangladesh air force training jet crashed into a college and school campus in the capital Dhaka on Monday after experiencing a technical problem shortly after takeoff, a military spokesperson said.
The F-7 BGI jet took off at 1:06 p.m. from the Bangladesh Air Force base in Kurmitola, Dhaka, as part of a routine training mission, but encountered a mechanical failure, said the spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Sami Ud Dowla Chowdhury.
“The pilot … made a valiant attempt to divert the aircraft away from densely populated areas. Despite his best efforts, the aircraft … crashed into a two-story building belonging to Milestone School and College,” he said.
The pilot was among those killed in the incident, the military said, adding that a committee had been formed to investigate its cause.
The Israeli military has launched a ground operation on Monday in the central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah, sending in tanks a day after dropping leaflets on neighbourhoods advising people to evacuate.
The ground operation, the first to take place in the city since the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza erupted in 2023, is being accompanied by aerial strikes by Israel’s air force.
Eyewitnesses said massive air strikes took place on the city overnight into Monday, one of the last remaining areas of the Strip not to suffer significant damage from the war.
The city is hosting thousands of Palestinians displaced from southern Gaza and is also the main hub for erratic aid deliveries due to its central location.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) cautioned against a military operation in Deir al-Balah after the IDF dropped evacuation orders on the city on Sunday.
