Japan’s ruling party has missed out on a parliamentary majority for the first time since 2009, a result that strikes a blow to new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. The snap poll was called in early October, following a party slush fund scandal that led to the resignation of Fumio Kishida and Ishiba’s narrow election to the party’s leadership. Voters in the world’s fourth-largest economy have been rankled by rising prices.
Tbilisi (AFP) – Georgia’s electoral commission announces the ruling Georgian Dream party as official winners of the country’s parliamentary election, with 54.086 percent of the vote. The announcement follows counting of votes in more than 99 percent of precincts, according to electoral commission chair Giorgi Kalandarishvili. Georgia’s pro-European opposition claim the results are “falsified.”
Tlacotalpan (Mexico) (AFP) – Residents of Tlacotalpan, in Mexico’s eastern Veracruz state, navigate the streets using kayaks after heavy rain caused the Papaloapan River to overflow and flood homes. Mexico has suffered the effects of at least four cyclones in its current hurricane season, which hits the county every year between May and November.
Tbilisi (AFP) – “If the pro-Russian side wins, I’m definitely going to leave Georgia,” says Tamta, one of those heading to the polls for parliamentary elections that will determine the country’s future. Many are hoping to halt the drift towards Moscow seen under the ruling Georgian Dream party, which earlier this year passed a controversial “foreign influence” bill, targeting civil society and sparking weeks of mass street protests.
Apia (Samoa) (AFP) – “Iran should not respond” to Israeli strikes on military targets in the country, says UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Speaking in Samoa, where he is attending a Commonwealth summit, Starmer says “we need to avoid further regional escalation,” following the overnight strikes, which Israel has claimed were retaliation for an Iranian missile barrage earlier this month.
Atlanta (AFP) – As the US presidential race enters its final stretch, Democratic candidate Kamala Harris is facing a fresh problem in Georgia, a crucial swing state, where support from Black male voters is declining. President Joe Biden only narrowly beat Donald Trump in the state in 2020, despite receiving support from 88% of Black voters. Recent surveys have Harris at around 74%, a notable drop in what is becoming one of the tightest elections in recent memory.
Tbilisi (AFP) – Georgia’s President Salome Zurabishvili casts her ballot as the country goes to the polls for an election that could determine the fledgling democracy’s European aspirations, with concerns growing over the current ruling party’s pro-Russian drift.
Amman (AFP) – An Israeli airstrike on a Lebanese border crossing on Friday 25 October has jeapordised the main escape route for people fleeing into Syria, says the UN. Speaking in Jordan, UN refugee agency Middle East spokesperson Rula Amin says such strikes are “hindering and really putting at risk a main lifeline that people use to escape the conflict”. Israel’s military has said the route was being used by Hezbollah to transfer weapons.
Maputo (AFP) – In recent days, protests have swept the streets of Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, against the re-election of the East African country’s ruling Frelimo party. Hundreds of opposition supporters have rejected what they call a “stolen” ballot in favour of the party, which has been in power since 1975. On 24 October, the electoral commission announced Frelimo candidate Daniel Chapo as the winner, but opposition leader Venancio Mondlane claimed irregularities and declared himself the victor. PROFILE OF Daniel Chapo
Ichinono (Japan) (AFP) – Two-year-old Kuranosuke Kato was the first baby in two decades for Ichinono, a tiny, depopulated Japanese village overrun by life-sized puppets. Ichinono is one of more than 20,000 communities in Japan where the majority of residents are aged 65 and above, according to the internal affairs ministry data.
