The Japan Times - Politics

World hails 'one-of-a-kind' ex-Soviet leader Gorbachev

Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union who played a major role in ending the Cold War, died in Moscow on Tuesday aged 91.

Gorbachev and first lady Raisa, a life 'hand-in-hand'

Uniquely among Soviet leaders, Mikhail Gorbachev made no secret of his warm and supportive relationship with his wife Raisa, an elegant woman who often appeared in public with him and whose premature death from cancer was a devastating blow.

US says top Russian official in charge of 'sham' Ukraine referenda

The United States said Tuesday that a top Russian official has been put in charge of "sham" referenda aimed at annexing parts of Ukraine as it again warned that votes could come soon.

Zelensky says Russia attacking nuclear plant environs ahead of UN visit

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday accused Russia of attacking the area near Europe's biggest nuclear plant due to be visited by UN inspectors as intense battles raged in southern Ukraine.

On Afghan pullout anniversary, Biden has moved on

President Joe Biden faced intense criticism for the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan but one year later both he and the United States have largely turned the page, even as the war-ravaged country still faces mounting challenges.

Gorbachev: the man who let the Soviet empire go

Mikhail Gorbachev changed the course of modern history by triggering the demise of the USSR and allowing Eastern Europe to free itself from Soviet rule, earning him accolades in the West but the scorn of many Russians.

Mikhail Gorbachev, last Soviet leader, dead at 91

Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, has died in Moscow aged 91, Russian news agencies reported on Tuesday.

Tigray rebels vow to pursue military advance in northern Ethiopia

Tigrayan rebels said Tuesday they intended to advance further into neighbouring regions of northern Ethiopia but were still open to peace talks after fighting erupted last week and put paid to a five-month-long truce.

Zelensky meets IAEA team over nuclear plant as fighting rages in south

President Volodymyr Zelensky met with top UN nuclear inspectors in Kyiv Tuesday ahead of their visit to inspect the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant as intense fighting raged across southern Ukraine, his office said.

S.Africa's Ramaphosa lashes xenophobic hospital protests

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday condemned anti-immigrant protests that had prevented foreigners from accessing a hospital in the capital, fuelling concerns about rising xenophobia.

Stocks extend Fed-induced sell-off into third day

Stock markets mostly tumbled again on Tuesday, extending losses that were sparked by last week's Federal Reserve warning that more monetary tightening was on the way.

US says Russia receives Iranian combat drones, many faulty

Russia has begun receiving Iranian combat drones to be used in the Ukraine war, but many of them have already proven faulty, the US military said Tuesday.

Russia seeks 24 years in jail for treason trial journalist

Russian prosecutors on Tuesday requested a 24-year sentence for respected former reporter Ivan Safronov, who is accused of treason for allegedly sharing state secrets.

Ukraine seeks UNESCO cultural protection for Odessa

Ukraine's government will ask the UN's cultural watchdog to add the historic port of Odessa to its World Heritage List of protected sites as Russia's invasion continues, the agency said Tuesday.

Biden to give prime-time warning on US democracy

President Joe Biden will sound the alarm on threats to US democracy in a rare prime-time address to the nation in the key swing state of Pennsylvania Thursday as his party fights to hold on to Congress in the midterm elections.

Ukraine's shadow army tracking the Russian troops

Crouched in bushes on the shores of the Dnipro River, two young Ukrainian men dressed in army gear stalked Russian troops through the camera of a remote-controlled drone.

South Sudan's former rebels join unified army

Thousands of fighters including former rebels from rival camps in South Sudan's civil war were integrated into the country's army in a long-overdue graduation ceremony on Tuesday.

UN appeals for $160 mn to help worst hit in Pakistan floods

The United Nations and the Pakistani government launched an emergency appeal for $160 million on Tuesday to help those hit hardest by the floods devastating the country.

China's Communist Party to hold Congress set to cement Xi's rule

China's ruling Communist Party will begin its 20th Party Congress on October 16, state media reported Tuesday, a landmark meeting at which President Xi Jinping is expected to be anointed as the country's most powerful leader in decades.

Xi: China's most powerful leader since Mao

Xi Jinping, who is soon expected to be anointed for an unprecedented third term in office as China's ruling Communist Party (CCP) holds its 20th Congress, has become his country's most powerful leader since Mao Zedong.

Iraq protesters disperse after Sadr demands end to deadly clashes

Iraqi supporters of powerful cleric Moqtada Sadr began withdrawing Tuesday from Baghdad's Green Zone after he demanded fighting end between rival Shiite forces and the army that left 23 dead and hundreds wounded.

China's Communist Party Congress to open October 16

China's ruling Communist Party will begin its 20th Party Congress on October 16, state media reported Tuesday, a landmark meeting at which President Xi Jinping is expected to be anointed as the country's most powerful leader in decades.

UN rights chief leaving with China report still unreleased

Diplomats paid tribute to departing UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet on Tuesday, despite her failure to release a long-promised report on alleged abuses in China's Xinjiang region.

Iraq protesters begin withdrawal after Sadr demands deadly clashes end

Iraqi supporters of powerful cleric Moqtada Sadr began withdrawing Tuesday from Baghdad's Green Zone after he demanded fighting end between rival Shiite forces and the army that left 23 dead and hundreds wounded.

Angolan opposition to contest tightly fought vote

Angola's biggest opposition party has vowed to contest last week's election results, which saw the long-ruling MPLA win by a significantly reduced majority.

Russian paratrooper flees to France denouncing army 'chaos'

Suddenly notorious for a scathing first-person account of the war in Ukraine published online, Russian paratrooper Pavel Filatiev arrived in France seeking political asylum Sunday after quitting his country for fear of reprisals.

Fighting in Iraqi capital leaves 23 dead as Shiite rivalry escalates

Fighting between rival Iraqi forces raged for a second day Tuesday with rocket fire echoing from Baghdad's Green Zone where 23 supporters of powerful Shiite leader Moqtada Sadr have been shot dead, medics said.

Afghan family rebuilds far from home after US drone strike

The damage inflicted by a United States drone that killed 10 members of Aimal Ahmadi's family in the Afghan capital can still be seen in the courtyard of his home a year after the strike.

S.Sudan's ex-rebels set to join unified army

More than 50,000 fighters including former rebels from rival camps in South Sudan's civil war were set to be integrated into the country's army in a long-overdue graduation ceremony on Tuesday.

Fighting across southern front as Ukraine wages counter-offensive

Intense fighting was raging on Tuesday across the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson occupied by Russia, Kyiv's presidency said, as its troops pressed counter-offensives "in various directions".

Most markets bounce after Powell-induced sell-off

Asian markets mostly rose Tuesday on bargain-buying following the latest selloff, but confidence remains at a premium as traders contemplate the prospect of more Federal Reserve interest rate hikes and a possible recession.

Fighting in Iraqi capital leaves 23 dead after Sadr quits politics