Fumio Kishida becomes Japan’s 100th Prime Minister
Fumio Kishida was officially elected as Japan’s 100th Prime Minister after winning a majority of votes in both houses of parliament on Monday. Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) 64-year-old leader is succeeding Yoshihide Suga, who resigned after just one year in office. Kishida is reportedly expected to dissolve the parliament next week and call for a general election on October 31.
Russia sees new record daily COVID-19 deaths for 5th time in a week
Russia reported 890 COVID-19 deaths in the past 24 hours, making it the fifth time in a week that deaths have hit a new high in the country. Russia reported 25,769 COVID-19 cases during the same period, the second-highest one-day jump in cases for 2021 so far. However, officials said there are no plans to impose a lockdown.
Algeria closes its airspace to French military planes amid tensions
Algeria has closed its airspace to the French military amid a diplomatic crisis sparked by a visa row and critical comments from President Emmanuel Macron. On Saturday, Algeria had recalled its ambassador to France. The French government had announced last month that it’ll reduce the number of visas issued to people in North Africa, drawing a formal protest from Algeria.
New COVID-19 vaccines may be needed in 2022: BioNTech CEO
German company BioTech CEO Uğur Şahin has said that a new vaccine formula will likely be needed by mid-2022 to protect against future virus mutations. He told the Financial Times that the current variants, such as the delta strain, weren’t different enough to undermine current vaccinations. He predicted that new strains will emerge that can evade booster shots.
Small plane crashes into building in Italy’s Milan, 8 killed
All eight people onboard a small private plane were killed after it crashed into an empty building in the suburbs of Italy’s Milan city on Sunday. The plane, which took off from Milan’s Linate city airport, was headed for the island of Sardinia, officials said. The victims included six passengers and two crew members.
Thousands of women march in support of abortion rights in US
Thousands of women on Saturday took part in more than 650 protests across the US in support of abortion rights. The protests were largely sparked by a Texas law that bans abortions after cardiac activity is detected in the embryo, usually around six weeks. However, experts claim that 85% to 90% of all abortions are carried out after six weeks.
Bomb blast outside Kabul mosque, a number of civilians killed: Taliban
An explosion outside a mosque in Afghanistan’s Kabul killed “a number of civilians”,reports quoted Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid as saying. The bomb blast reportedly struck near the entrance of the Eidgah Mosque during a prayer ceremony for Zabihullah mother who died a few days ago. The exact number of casualties was unknown.
All 26 women candidates in Qatar’s 1st legislative elections lose
All 26 women candidates who stood for election in Qatar’s first legislative elections have lost, the results showed. The vote was held for 30 members of the 45-seat advisory Shura Council, with the Emir continuing to appoint the remaining 15 members of the body. “To have all men is not the vision of Qatar,” one of the female candidates said.
