The Japan Times - Politics (English)

Bid to ban bullfighting abandoned in France

A bid to ban bullfighting in France was abandoned Thursday in parliament, spelling relief for lovers of the traditional blood sport and dismay for animal rights' activists.

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Ukraine battles to reconnect millions in the cold and dark

Ukraine battled Thursday to reconnect water and electricity services to millions of people cut off after Russia launched dozens of cruise missiles that battered Ukraine's already crippled electricity grid.

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French MPs vote to enshrine abortion rights in constitution

Lawmakers in the French parliament voted Thursday to add the right to abortion to the constitution in response to recent changes in Poland and the United States.

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Power cuts and trench foot: winter bites on Ukraine's Donbas front

Soldiers are battling trench foot while the rain and snow have turned roads to mud and ongoing power outages have led many to question how they will manage to endure the coming cold as winter descends on the frontlines in eastern Ukraine.

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Palestinians return body of Israeli teen killed in West Bank

The body of an Israeli teenager snatched by Palestinian militants in the occupied West Bank was returned to his relatives Thursday, following intense talks to avoid an escalation of violence.

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Top Austria festival signs on Russian playwright Davydova

Austria's Salzburg opera, theatre and music festival said Thursday it had appointed exiled Russian playwright Marina Davydova as its drama director.

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Brazil election court throws out Bolsonaro challenge, fines party

Brazil's top electoral authority on Wednesday threw out a challenge by President Jair Bolsonaro's party against his election defeat and fined it more than $4 million for bringing the case "in bad faith."

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Syria Kurds fear thaw between Assad regime and Turkey

Syria's Kurds, bracing for a Turkish land offensive against their autonomous northern region, face an additional threat: being squeezed by warming ties between their foe Ankara and the Assad regime.

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Emperor Charles V's secret code cracked after five centuries

A team of researchers has cracked a five century-old code which reveals a rumoured French plot to kill the Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain Charles V.

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EU fails to agree gas price cap amid deep divisions

EU energy ministers failed Thursday to agree a cap on gas prices to mitigate the energy crunch in Europe amid deep divisions over an initial proposal slammed by many as a "joke".

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UN, diplomats demand end to deadly Iran crackdown

The bloody repression of peaceful demonstrators in Iran must end, the UN rights chief insisted Thursday, as countries discussed launching an investigation into Tehran's deadly crackdown.

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Spanish PM sets sights on international role

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will on Sunday become president of an international socialist grouping, a potential springboard to a major post on the world stage.

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Ukraine battles to restore power after latest Russian barrage

Ukraine struggled Thursday to repair its battered power and water services after Russia targeted the electricity grid with dozens of cruise missiles and temperatures plunged.

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UN rights chief urges Iran to halt violence on protesters

The UN rights chief urged Iran Thursday to immediately halt violence against protesters, as countries debated whether to launch an investigation into Tehran's deadly crackdown.

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Anwar Ibrahim sworn in as Malaysia's prime minister

Malaysia's perennial opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was sworn in as prime minister before the king in Kuala Lumpur Thursday, ending a five-day political impasse after inconclusive polls.

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Malaysia's new PM Anwar: from prison to power, a dream fulfilled

It has been a bumpy road to the pinnacle of power for Anwar Ibrahim, who on Thursday achieved his dream of the Malaysian premiership.

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French lawmakers to vote on bullfighting ban

French members of parliament are expected to vote for the first time Thursday on a complete ban on bullfighting, after a national debate that has pitched animal rights defenders against fans of the traditional blood sport.

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Russians fleeing Putin prepare for life in Serbian exile

A group of Russian children clamour cheerfully in a Belgrade apartment, proudly shouting out the new Serbian words they've just learned to their teacher.

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Opposition leader Anwar named next Malaysia PM

Malaysia's perennial opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was named prime minister on Thursday, ending a days-long political impasse after inconclusive election results.

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BTS star to begin S. Korea military service next month: report

The oldest member of K-pop phenomenon BTS will begin his military service on December 13, becoming the first in the band to enlist, local media reported Thursday.

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Taiwanese politicians flaunt good luck veggies on campaign trail

In many parts of the world, a politician might hope for a picture-perfect moment with a voter's baby to boost their poll numbers. But in Taiwan, vegetables are the kings of the campaign trail.

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Venezuela's Maduro to resume talks with opposition Friday

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government will resume talks with the opposition Friday after more than a year in a bid to resolve a political crisis that has gripped the country since a contested 2018 election.

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Two US surrogate babies 'rescued' from Russian orphanage, group says

Two American babies born to a surrogate mother from eastern Ukraine and evacuated to Russia after the start of the war have been returned to their US parents, the private group behind the operation, Project Dynamo, said Wednesday.

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Zelensky to address UN, as Russian strikes batter Ukraine power grid

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was set to address an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council Wednesday, as Russian strikes left the country's energy system in tatters.

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Serb women in Kosovo protest against 'ghettoisation'

Hundreds of Serbian women demonstrated in northern Kosovo on Wednesday, in protest against ethnic-Albanian authorities who they accused of seeking to "ghettoise" the Serb minority.

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DR Congo and Rwanda agree ceasefire at talks: Angola

An agreement has been struck which could mean the adoption of a ceasefire in the violence-torn east of DR Congo as soon as late Friday, Angola's Foreign Minister Tete Antonio has said.

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Zelensky to address US, as Russian strikes batter Ukraine power grid

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was set to address an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council Wednesday, as Russian strikes left the country's energy system in tatters.

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UK defends Brexit deal despite economic woes

Finance minister Jeremy Hunt on Wednesday defended the UK's post-Brexit trade deal with the EU, despite growing criticism about its economic impact, and rejected claims he was pushing for closer European ties.

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DR Congo and Rwanda in fresh talks in Angola, Kagame absent

DR Congo President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan Foreign Minister Vincent Biruta met in Angola on Wednesday amid a surge in tensions triggered by militia violence in eastern Congo.

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Russia, declared 'terror' state by EU lawmakers, batters Ukraine grid

Russian strikes across Ukraine on Wednesday battered the country's already failing electricity grid, leaving several dead, disconnecting three nuclear power stations from the grid and spurring "massive" blackouts in neighbouring Moldova.

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European Space Agency names new astronauts, agrees record budget

The European Space Agency announced five new career astronauts as well as history's first astronaut recruit with a disability on Wednesday after adopting a record budget to fund its projects.

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Gang violence grips French Indian Ocean territory Mayotte

On the French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte, clashes between machete-wielding gangs have left at least one dead, highlighting chronic crime problems that have rung alarm bells in Paris.

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