Category: International

Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot as he gave a campaign speech Friday in western Japan and airlifted to a hospital, but the country’s national public broadcaster NHK said later that he had succumbed to his injuries. Multiple Japanese and international news outlets cited officials from Abe’s political party and the regional hospital where he was treated as confirming his death. Local fire department official Makoto Morimoto said Abe was in cardiopulmonary arrest, or CPA, meaning he was not breathing and his heart had stopped, even as he…

Western leaders appeared relaxed as they started their three-day G7 summit in Germany, with Boris Johnson joking about the group being “tougher” than Vladimir Putin, while also showing a united front in their response to his Ukraine invasion. They were meeting to discuss how to secure energy supplies and tackle inflation, and trying to ensure the global coalition working to punish Moscow is not splintered. Amid speculation about the appetite of some leaders to continue to support Ukraine during a prolonged conflict, Mr Johnson said President Putin must not be…

Macron re-elected French president with 58.2% of the vote One could almost hear the sighs of relief, from Paris to Brussels, and all the way to Washington, as French leader Emmanuel Macron clinched another five-year term in the Elysée Palace. Though polls narrowed during some points leading up to Sunday’s runoff, Macron beat out far-right nationalist Marine Le Pen in the presidential elections—a contest that risked shattering the Western alliance against Russia, and jeopardizing the very survival of the European Union. Macron’s victory over Le Pen—with 58.2% of the vote…

Speaking on the Greek island of Lesbos, Pope Francis called the neglect of migrants the “shipwreck of civilisation”. The Pope first visited Lesbos in 2016, when it was a major entry point for people trying to reach Europe. Since then, new flashpoints have emerged and the Pope expressed regret that little had changed. Last month 27 people died when their inflatable dinghy sank in the Channel between France and the UK. The number of people attempting the crossing has been growing, with more than 26,000 people arriving in the UK…