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Ex-health minister Katsunobu Kato set to be named Ishiba’s finance minister

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Ex-health minister Katsunobu Kato set to be named Ishiba’s finance minister

Tokyo, Japan (DT/KN) — New ruling Liberal Democratic Party leader Shigeru Ishiba, set to soon become Japan’s next prime minister, is considering naming former Chief Cabinet Secretary and health minister Katsunobu Kato as finance minister, sources close to the matter said Saturday.

Former Defense Minister Ishiba, the winner of the LDP’s presidential race on Friday, also plans to appoint former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi as its election campaign chief, the sources said, as lawmakers brace for the possibility of a general election by the end of this year.

REALTED NEWS : Ex-defense chief Ishiba set to become new Japan PM

Ishiba, meanwhile, has decided to retain Yoshimasa Hayashi, known as a right-hand man to outgoing Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, as chief Cabinet secretary and the top government spokesperson. Hayashi previously served as foreign minister.

But economic security minister Sanae Takaichi, who lost in the runoff of the presidential election, declined his offer to become LDP general council chief, the sources said, indicating the difficulties Ishiba faces in achieving postrace party unity.

Kato, a former Finance Ministry bureaucrat, Koizumi and Hayashi were also among the record nine candidates in the leadership race to choose the successor to Kishida, who did not seek reelection following a slush fund scandal that has hit the party.

Ishiba plans to launch the new LDP leadership on Monday. He is expected to become prime minister on Tuesday, as both houses of parliament are controlled by the LDP and its coalition partner, the Komeito party. He will then form a Cabinet on Tuesday.

The new president has decided to appoint Hiroshi Moriyama, the head of the LDP’s decision-making general council, as its secretary general, the party’s No. 2 position, while tapping former Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera as its policy chief, the sources said.

In another development, Ishiba, who is believed to have been backed by former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga in the runoff, is eager to sound him out about becoming LDP vice president, the sources said.

In his fifth presidential bid, Ishiba, who also served as the party’s secretary general, won 215 of the 409 valid votes cast by LDP lawmakers and rank-and-file members in a runoff vote on Friday, while Takaichi secured 194.

Regarding the Cabinet lineup, senior vice finance minister Ryosei Akazawa, a close aide to Ishiba, is set to be given a ministerial post and transport minister Tetsuo Saito, a lawmaker of Komeito, is certain to be retained, the sources said.

Ishiba said at a press conference after he was elected LDP chief, “I will ask each of them (the other leadership candidates) to take the position that suits them best.” But Takaichi, who was narrowly defeated by 21 votes in the runoff, said, “I will support” Ishiba “as a member of parliament.”

Amid mounting speculation that Ishiba may dissolve the House of Representatives for a snap election in the near future, he apparently accelerated preparations on Saturday by having photos taken for campaign posters.

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Police launch manhunt after 17 people killed in South Africa shootings

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Police launch manhunt after 17 people killed in South Africa shootings

Johannesburg, South Africa (EFE.)  — Police in South Africa were searching Saturday for the perpetrators of two shootings that killed at least 17 people.

The shootings on Friday night in the southeastern city of Lusikisiki, Eastern Cape province, also left one person injured who was in critical condition, police said.

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“In one house 13 people were killed, which include 12 women and one man. In another homestead, four people were also killed,” South Africa Police said on X. Fifteen of the victims were women.

A “manhunt (…) has been launched to apprehend those behind these heinous killings,” the statement added.

Violent crime is a serious problem in South Africa, where nearly 6,200 people were killed between April and June.

In its latest crime report on September 12, the South African Police announced the arrest of 85,000 suspected criminals and the seizure of 824 illegal and unlicensed weapons in just four weeks. EFE

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Flooding and landslides in Nepal kill at least 66 people, with as many again still missing

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Flooding and landslides in Nepal kill at least 66 people, with as many again still missing

Kathmandu, Nepal (AP) — Flooding and landslides caused by continuous rainfall has killed at least 66 people in Nepal, and a further 69 are missing, officials said Saturday.

Rain has been pouring down since Friday night and is expected to continue over the weekend.

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Home Ministry spokesperson Rishiram Tiwari told reporters there were 66 people reported dead across the country, of whom 34 were in the capital, Kathmandu.

Sixty people were injured and 3,010 rescued across the Himalayan nation, he added.

He said all divisions of security forces in the country including the army have been ordered to help in the rescue efforts.

Several roads were blocked by landslides triggered by the rainfall.

A man walks on the shore of the flooded Bagmati River after heavy rains in Kathmandu, Nepal, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Gopen Rai)

Three highways, including the key Prithvi highway, connecting Kathmandu to the rest of the country have been blocked by landslides, and heavy equipment is being used to try open the routes, said Tiwari.

The government had issued flood warnings across the Himalayan nation warning of massive rainfall.

Buses were banned from traveling at night on highways and cars were discouraged. Security forces were ordered to high alert.

Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak told reporters that officials are still collecting information on the effects of the flooding.

“The government’s priority right now is to rescue the people and help those who have been affected,” Lekhak said.

Parts of Kathmandu were inundated by swollen rivers with many houses flooded and residents forced to move to top floors. A huge area on the southern side of the city was mostly flooded. An army helicopter was used to pick up four people who were unable to leave their houses.

Most of Kathmandu was without power and internet for a period of time.

The monsoon season that bring heavy rainfall began in June and usually ends by mid-September.

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Ex-defense chief Ishiba set to become new Japan PM

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Ex-defense chief Ishiba set to become new Japan PM

Tokyo, Japan (DT/KN) — Former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba is set to become Japan’s next prime minister after winning the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s presidential election on Friday in a runoff vote, defeating economic security minister Sanae Takaichi.

In his fifth presidential bid, Ishiba, who also served as the party’s secretary general, won 215 of the 409 valid votes cast by LDP lawmakers and rank-and-file members, while Takaichi secured 194, in a closely competitive race with a record nine contenders.

REALTED NEWS : Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa joins ruling LDP’s leadership race

Ishiba, a 67-year-old policy expert well-versed in defense, agriculture and regional revitalization, is set to be named prime minister in parliament next Tuesday, replacing Fumio Kishida. The new leader will then form a Cabinet.

Both ruling and opposition lawmakers are bracing for the possibility of a general election before the end of this year, although Ishiba has not hinted at the exact timing.

Emerging victorious, Ishiba urged LDP members to unite after the presidential election, noting that the party, hit by a political funds scandal, faces strong headwinds.

Shigeru Ishiba, center, celebrates after he was elected as new head of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) during the party’s leadership election Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae, Pool)

“I will select people who can appropriately exercise their responsibility within our party, the Cabinet and in parliament to navigate this severe situation,” Ishiba said at a press conference after the leadership election.

Asked when he intends to dissolve the House of Representatives for a snap election, Ishiba said he is aware of the need to seek a public mandate “as soon as possible,” while stressing the importance of debating with opposition parties in parliament.

Later in the day, however, Ishiba said in a TV program that it is “difficult to imagine” that the dissolution of the lower house would “happen beyond this year.”

The LDP’s junior coalition partner Komeito party will get a new leader on Saturday and the country’s main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan elected former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda as its chief earlier this week.

Noda, who led Japan for more than a year from 2011 when the CDPJ’s predecessor was in power, voiced hope for substantive debates with Ishiba, describing him as someone who will not “shy away.”

In Friday’s election, none of the candidates secured an outright majority of the 735 valid votes cast by LDP lawmakers and rank-and-file members in the first round.

Takaichi came out on top with 181 votes, followed by 154 for Ishiba. Shinjiro Koizumi, 43, the youngest candidate whose father was a popular reform-minded prime minister, ranked third with 136 votes.

Shigeru Ishiba, the newly elected leader of Japan’s ruling party, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) poses in the party leader’s office after the LDP leadership election, in Tokyo Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (Kim Kyung-Hoon/Pool Photo via AP)

Party renewal is seen as a priority as a slush funds scandal at intraparty factions damaged public confidence in the LDP.

Ishiba’s leadership skills will be put to the test as economic growth remains shaky against a backdrop of rising costs affecting households, while provocative actions by China, North Korea and Russia continue to pose security threats to Japan.

After Ishiba was elected, China called on Japan to adopt a “positive and rational” policy stance, while South Korea expressed hope to maintain close communication and continue improving ties with Tokyo, building on the momentum established under Kishida.

Ishiba envisions the creation of an Asian version of the NATO collective security framework in the region, where tensions remain high between China and Taiwan, drawing a parallel to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

While he emphasizes the need for the Japan-U.S. bilateral alliance to be solid, he has also said that as premier, he would seek to review the agreement defining the status of U.S. forces stationed in Japan.

He wants to revise the war-renouncing Constitution to specifically mention the country’s Self-Defense Forces, which aligns with the LDP’s long-held goal of ending the domestic debate over the constitutionality of the armed organization.

Uncertainty remains over how he will steer the economy, with news of his victory sending the Japanese yen sharply higher against the dollar. He has floated the idea of imposing a higher tax on financial income.

He has taken a positive stance on allowing married couples to use different surnames, a contentious issue that has met resistance from conservative members like Takaichi, who value traditional family structures.

Backed by conservatives aligned with the late premier Shinzo Abe, known for his hawkish views, Takaichi, 63, aspired to become Japan’s first-ever female prime minister in her second bid.

The other contenders were former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi, 49, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, 63, Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, 71, former health minister Katsunobu Kato, 68, Digital Minister Taro Kono, 61, and LDP Secretary General Toshimitsu Motegi, 68.

During the 15-day campaign, the longest on record, the nine candidates ramped up calls for party renewal and presented their visions for Japan, a rapidly aging nation with low growth potential and a key U.S. ally in Asia.

The wide field of candidates emerged as most of the party’s factions disbanded. The groups had previously demanded unity among members and influenced their voting behavior.

Some candidates, including Ishiba, approached heavyweights like former Prime Minister Taro Aso, who leads the only faction that has decided not to disband, in apparent last-minute bids to secure behind-the-scenes support.

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15 killed after a landslide struck an illegal gold mine on Indonesia’s Sumatra island

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15 killed after a landslide struck an illegal gold mine on Indonesia’s Sumatra island

Padang, Indonesia (DT/AP) — A landslide triggered by torrential rains struck an unauthorized gold mining operation on Indonesia’s Sumatra island, killing at least 15 people, officials said Friday. Dozens others were reported missing.

Villagers were digging Thursday for grains of gold in the remote Solok district of West Sumatra province when mud plunged down the surrounding hills and buried them, said Irwan Effendi, head of the local disaster mitigation agency office.

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He said at least 25 people were still buried, and that three people were pulled out alive with injuries by rescuers.

Search efforts in the worst-affected area, near Nagari Sungai Abu village, were hampered by mudslides that covered much of the area, blackouts and lack of telecommunications.

“The devastated mining area can only be reached by walking for four hours from the nearest settlement,” said Ilham Wahab, the agency’s spokesperson.

Informal mining operations are common in Indonesia, providing a tenuous livelihood to thousands who labor in conditions with a high risk of serious injury or death.

Landslides, flooding and collapses of tunnels are just some of the hazards facing miners. Much of gold ore processing involves highly toxic mercury and cyanide and workers frequently use little or no protection.

The country’s last major mining-related accident occurred in July when a landslide crashed onto an illegal traditional gold mine in Gorontalo province on Sulawesi island, killing at least 23 people.

In April 2022 a landslide hit another gold mine in North Sumatra’s Mandailing Natal district, killing 12 women.

In February 2019, a makeshift wooden structure in an illegal gold mine in North Sulawesi province collapsed partly due to shifting soil. More than 40 people were buried.

Associated Press writers Niniek Karmini and Edna Tarigan in Jakarta, Indonesia, contributed to this report.

Hezbollah confirmed the death of one of its top commanders, Ibrahim Kobeisi

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Hezbollah confirmed the death of one of its top commanders, Ibrahim Kobeisi

Beirut, Lebanon (DT/AP) — Hezbollah on Tuesday confirmed the death of one of its top commanders, Ibrahim Kobeisi, who was killed in an Israeli strike in a southern Beirut suburb.

The strike hit three floors of a six-story building. It was Israel’s third strike over Beirut in less than a week.

Kobeissi is the first member of the militant group pronounced dead since Israel and Hezbollah entered a more intense phase of the ongoing conflict.

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Israel said Kobeisi was a top Hezbollah commander with the group’s rocket and missile unit. Israeli military officials said Kobeisi was responsible for launches towards Israel and planned a 2000 attack in which three Israeli soldiers were kidnapped and killed.

It was the latest in a string of assassinations and setbacks for Hezbollah, the strongest political and military actor in Lebanon and widely considered the top paramilitary force in the Arab world.

The Israeli military said it killed a top Hezbollah commander Tuesday as part of a two-day aerial barrage that has left more than 560 people dead and prompted thousands in southern Lebanon to seek refuge from the widening conflict.

With the two sides on the brink of all-out war, Hezbollah launched dozens of rockets into Israel, targeting an explosives factory and sending families into bomb shelters.

Families that fled southern Lebanon flocked to Beirut and the coastal city of Sidon, sleeping in schools turned into shelters, as well as in cars, parks and along the beach. Some sought to leave the country, causing a traffic jam at the border with Syria.

Issa Baydoun fled the village of Shihine when it was bombed and drove to Beirut with his extended family. They slept in vehicles on the side of the road because the shelters were full.

“We struggled a lot on the road just to get here,” said Baydoun, who rejected Israel’s contention that it hit only military targets. “We evacuated our homes because Israel is targeting civilians and attacking them.”

The Israeli military says it has no immediate plans for a ground invasion but is prepared for one. It has moved thousands of troops who had been serving in Gaza to the northern border. It says Hezbollah has some 150,000 rockets and missiles, including some capable of striking anywhere in Israel, and that the group has fired some 9,000 rockets and drones since last October.

Israel said its warplanes struck 1,600 Hezbollah targets Monday, destroying cruise missiles, long- and short-range rockets and attack drones, including weapons concealed in private homes.

Monday’s escalation came after a particularly heavy exchange of fire Sunday, when Hezbollah launched around 150 rockets, missiles and drones into northern Israel.

Last week, thousands of communications devices used mainly by Hezbollah members exploded in different parts of Lebanon, killing 39 people and wounding nearly 3,000, many of them civilians. Lebanon blamed Israel, but Israel did not confirm or deny responsibility.

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North Korea vows response to US submarine’s visit to South Korea

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North Korea vows response to US submarine’s visit to South Korea

Seoul, South Korea (AP) — The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed Tuesday to boost the country’s nuclear war capability and take other steps to protest the recent arrival of a nuclear-powered U.S. submarine in South Korea.

North Korea has repeatedly vowed to expand its nuclear arsenal, but the latest threat by Kim Yo Jong came after North Korea dialed up regional tensions by unveiling a uranium-enrichment facility and testing a new ballistic missile earlier this month.

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In a statement carried by state media, Kim Yo Jong said that the submarine’s visit “clearly reveals the frantic military and strategic attempt of the U.S.” She said North Korea’s nuclear war deterrent must be bolstered “both in quality and quantity continuously and limitlessly” in response.

“The U.S. strategic assets will never find their resting place in the region of the Korean Peninsula,” she said. “We will continue to inform that all the ports and military bases of the ROK are not safe places.” ROK stands for the Republic of Korea, South Korea’s formal name.

Her comments suggested North Korea may test-fire a missile whose range covers a South Korean site where the U.S. submarine is docked, some observers say.

South Korea’s military said the USS Vermont, a nuclear-powered and fast-attack submarine, arrived at the southeastern South Korean port city of Busan on Monday to take on supplies and allow its crew to rest.

Temporary deployments of powerful U.S. military assets like aircraft carriers, nuclear-powered submarines and bombers to South Korea are not unusual, but Washington has boosted them over the last year in a show of force against North Korea’s evolving nuclear threats.

Pyongyang often responds furiously to such visits, calling them proof of hostile intentions, and reacts with missile tests.

On Sept. 13, North Korea’s state media published photos of a secretive facility to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons. It was North Korea’s first unveiling of a uranium-enrichment facility since it showed one at the country’s main Yongbyon nuclear complex to visiting American scholars in 2010. Last week, North Korea tested a newly built ballistic missile designed to carry what it calls “a 4.5-ton super-large conventional warhead” and a modified cruise missile.

Since late May, North Korea has also floated thousands of trash-carrying balloons toward South Korea in a Cold War-style psychological campaign, prompting South Korea to restart anti-Pyongyang propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts at border areas.

South Korea’s military warned on Tuesday of unspecified military action if the North pushes its balloon campaign to a point that seriously threatens the safety of South Korean civilians.

Military spokesperson Lee Sung Joon didn’t say what action South Korea could take, but he reiterated that the military isn’t considering shooting down the balloons midair because they could be carrying hazardous substances.

So far, North Korea’s balloon activities haven’t caused serious damage.

| Associated Press writer Kim Tong-hyung contributed to this report.

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G20 Brasil holds meeting at the UN for the first time in the forum’s history

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G20 Brasil holds meeting at the UN for the first time in the forum’s history

New York, USA (DT) – For the first time, the Foreign Ministers of the world’s largest economies will convene at the United Nations. On September 25th, G20 Brazil will host the second meeting of the group’s Foreign Ministers in the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) room at UN headquarters in New York, coinciding with the 79th United Nations General Assembly.

This meeting will be open to all 193 member states of the UN and will focus on discussions about reforming global governance, a key priority for Brazil’s G20 Presidency. Brazil will lead the efforts to adopt a “Call to Action on Global Governance Reform,” aimed at strengthening the multilateral system and modernizing major international organizations.

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In addition, the G20 representatives will discuss global measures to tackle hunger and poverty and promote sustainable development and a just energy transition, an agenda summarized in the motto “Building a just world and a sustainable planet,” focusing on advancing the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“This is the first meeting of the G20 at the UN, a milestone in the group’s history that demonstrates the effort of the Brazilian presidency to make discussions more inclusive and comprehensive, bringing them to the center of the debate on the international agenda,” says a note released by the forum’s presidency.

Key Participants

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will take part in the opening session of the meeting, along with UN Secretary-General António Guterres; South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, who will assume the presidency of the G20 in December; and the President of the General Assembly, Philémon Yang. Minister Mauro Vieira will lead the proceedings after the opening session, with the participation of the other G20 Foreign Ministers and UN member countries.

The first meeting of the group’s Foreign Ministers took place in Rio de Janeiro on February 21 and 22, to discuss the G20’s role in the face of current geopolitical tensions.

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27 killed after a bus with Indian pilgrims drives off a Nepal highway and crash

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27 killed after a bus with Indian pilgrims drives off a Nepal highway and crash

Kathmandu, Nepal (AP) — At least 27 people were killed and 16 others injured when a bus carrying dozens of Indian pilgrims drove off a key highway and crashed on Friday in Nepal, officials said.

The bus veered off Prithvi Highway and rolled toward a fast-flowing river. Its roof was ripped open before stopping on the rocky bank just shy of the Marsyangdi’s rushing, murky water.

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Rescue workers recovered 27 bodies from the wreckage and flew the 16 injured to the capital Kathmandu for treatment, according to Armed Police Force spokesperson Shailendra Thapa.

The wreckage was found near Abukhaireni, a town about 120 kilometers (75 miles) west of the capital, Kathmandu and the river. It would be removed only on Saturday as it was already dark and recovery was difficult, Thapa said.

There were 43 people on board the bus and all of them were Indian nationals, confirmed the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu. The embassy also said the bus fell about 150 meters (500 feet) from the highway, and they were coordinating with local authorities undertaking relief and rescue operations.

The bus from the neighboring Indian town of Gorakhpur was heading toward Kathmandu from the resort town of Pokhara on Friday when it drove off the highway midway through the journey.

Tens of thousands of Hindu pilgrims from neighboring India visit Nepal every year to visit Hindu shrines. Nepal is a Hindu-majority country. Local news reports said the pilgrims on the bus were also heading toward Kathmandu to visit the Pashupatinath, the revered temple of Hindu god Shiva.

In July, two buses were swept by landslides not too far from Friday’s accident site. Of the 65 people on board those two buses, only three survived and only about half the bodies were recovered. The wreckage of those buses has not been found yet but authorities have continued to search.

The Monsoon season that begins in June and stretches up to September brings heavy rainfall to Nepal triggering landslides and flooding. The heavy rainfall also swells the rivers and adds speed to the generally fast-flowing rivers due to the mountainous terrain. The season also turns rivers murky brown, making any search mission difficult.

Rescuers used divers, scanners and even heavy magnets to try to locate the wreckage but no traces were found.

Bus accidents in Nepal are mostly due to poorly maintained roads and vehicles and much of the country is covered by mountains with narrow roads.

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Who is Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Sri Lanka’s new Marxist president?

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Who is Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Sri Lanka’s new Marxist president?

Colombo, Sri Lanka (AP) — Marxist politician Anura Dissanayake won Sri Lanka’s presidential election over the weekend, dealing a blow to a political old guard that has been widely blamed for the unprecedented economic crisis that hit the South Asian island nation two years ago.

Dissanayake, whose pro-working class populist campaign won him youth support, secured victory over opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, the runner up; and incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who took over the country two years ago after its economy hit bottom.

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Dissanayake is the leader of National People’s Power alliance, and of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, or People’s Liberation Front, a Marxist political party that waged two unsuccessful armed insurrections in 1970s and 1980s to capture power through socialist revolution.

Early interest in politics

Born on Nov. 24, 1968 into an ordinary family in a paddy-growing central part of Sri Lanka, Dissanayake was politically active from his school days, taking part in student demonstrations against an agreement with India to grant a degree of self rule to Sri Lanka’s Tamil minority in an effort to resolve the demands for autonomy that later erupted into a decades-long civil war.

Dissanayake political involvement was further sharpened when he entered university to read for his science degree and joined the Socialist Students’ Union, the student wing of the JVP, which had already staged one armed insurrection in 1971 before giving up arms and entering politics.

Parliamentary politics

Dissanayake entered public politics in 1993, working to rebuild the party under a new leader-in-exile, Somawansa Amarasinghe. The party won its first seat in Parliament in 1994, signalling its re-entry into democratic politics.

Dissanayake became national organiser of the Socialist Students’ Union in 1997 and the same year, he was added to to the Central Committee of the JVP. One year later, he joined the party’s politburo.

Dissanayake was elected to Parliament in 2000, and when the JVP entered an alliance with President Chandrika Kumaratunga, he briefly served as agriculture and irrigation minister.

That alliance was formed to oppose a cease-fire agreement signed between then-Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and the now-defeated Tamil Tiger rebels to resolve the separatist conflict that had blown into a full scale civil war.

Later, Dissanayake and the JVP backed former President Mahinda Rajapaksa to militarily defeat the rebels in 2009.

He was elected JVP leader in 2014, after a party schism in which a radical left wing broke off to form a new party.

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