The remains of murdered former prime minister Shinzo Abe are back in Tokyo, a day after he was shot dead while on the campaign trail in the old imperial city Nara.
The body of the 67-year-old was accompanied by his widow, Akie Abe, as it was transported by ambulance.
Broadcaster NHK reported that the vehicle drove to the Abe residence.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida paid a condolence visit.
Well-wishers have been leaving flowers at the site of the shooting.
Meanwhile, the man who shot and killed former Abe on Friday has told investigators that he originally intended his target to be the leader of a religious group, Japanese news agency Kyodo reported on Saturday.
The 41-year-old Japanese man who shot Abe from behind with a home-made gun at close range during an election campaign speech in the city of Nara told investigators he had been “dissatisfied” with Abe and had wanted to kill him.
The man reportedly held a grudge against an unnamed religious group that he believed had links to Abe.
The Japanese police now face many questions about how the shooting could have happened, with experts asking why those working in Abe’s security detail were unable to prevent the attack.
“I don’t think there are enough firearms precautions in Japan given its strict gun laws,” one security expert was quoted as saying by the Nikkei newspaper.
The National Police Agency now intends to review its security arrangements for the protection of prominent figures, according to media reports.
The police searched the perpetrator’s flat on Friday, seizing several other home-made firearms.
The assassin was reportedly unemployed, but is believed to have served in the navy for three years before his discharge in 2005.
It is thought the suspect received handgun training during his time in the navy.
Japan is considered one of the safest countries in the world and has extremely strict gun laws.
The assassination happened in the run up to elections for the upper house of parliament on Sunday.
The vote is to take place as planned in spite of the attack, according to the government.
UK’s former -finance minister Rishi Sunak, has announced his bid to succeed Boris Johnson who resigned as Prime Minister on Thursday.
On Friday, British Conservative Rishi Sunak, whose resignation from Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s cabinet helped spark an exodus of other ministers, declared his candidacy to become the party’s next leader.
“Let’s restore trust, rebuild the economy and reunite the country,” the former finance minister said, presenting a slick video about his life story to launch the campaign on social media.
“Someone has to grip this moment and make the right decisions,” Sunak said in his campaign video, which he released online. The 42-year-old MP has been seen as the heir apparent of Boris Johnson at 10 Downing Street and it is believed that he also supports a sizeable number of members of the Conservative Party to launch his candidacy.
“We need to make sure that’s not the end of the British Indian story. There is lots more we can achieve. There is lots more we can do. And I’m really excited about the future,” Sunak had said last week in response to a question on whether he would go on to become the first Indian-origin prime minister of the UK.
Rishi Sunak is a British politician who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2020 to 2022, having previously served as Chief Secretary to the Treasury from 2019 to 2020. A member of the Conservative Party, he has been Member of Parliament for Richmond since 2015
Former Japanese Prime Minister (PM), Shinzo Abe, who was shot while delivering a campaign speech, has died, according to local media report.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Abe, 67, was shot while giving a campaign speech in Nara, Japan.
He was Japan’s longest-serving Prime Minister. He served from 2006 to 2007 and then again from 2012 to 2020, before stepping down due to chronic health issues.
Abe was in the middle of a speech on the street when he was shot. Witnesses heard two loud bangs accompanied by smoke that confused the scene. Abe reportedly suffered bullet wounds, local reports say.
Meanwhile, the police in Japan have arrested one suspect and kept in custody. The suspect is a 41-year old local man. Defense sources say he worked for the Maritime Self Defense Force for three years until around 2005.
Authorities have identified the suspect as Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, according to NHK. A weapon, described as a shotgun, was recovered at the scene.
TNG reports Abe’s funeral arrangements are yet to be announced.
Former Japan Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe was taken to hospital on Friday after being shot from behind by what appeared to be a man with a shotgun.
He was delivering a speech in the western city of Nara, public broadcaster NHK said.
Abe, 67, appeared to be in a state of cardiac arrest, the network said and Kyodo news agency. Shots were heard and a white puff of smoke was seen as Abe made a campaign stump speech outside a train station, NHK said.
An NHK reporter on the scene said they could hear two consecutive bangs during Abe’s speech.
The chief cabinet secretary will brief media at 0400 GMT.
Abe served two terms as prime minister to become Japan’s longest-serving premier before stepping down in 2020 citing ill health.
But he has remained a dominant presence over the ruling Liberal Democratic party (LDP) party, controlling one of its major factions.
His protege, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, faces an upper house election on Sunday in which analysts say he hopes to emerge from Abe’s shadow and define his premiership.
Abe first took office in 2006 as Japan’s youngest prime minister since World War Two. After a year plagued by political scandals, voter outrage at lost pension records, and an election drubbing for his ruling party, Abe quit citing ill health.
He became prime minister again in 2012.
Abe hails from a wealthy political family that included a foreign minister father and a great-uncle who served as premier.
Embattled Prime Minister Boris Johnson has finally resigned, setting the path for the election of a new British Prime Minister.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Boris Johnson announced his resignation as British PM on Thursday.
Johnson confirmed the process to appoint a new leader would begin now, with a timetable set out next week.
“I want you to know how sad I am to be giving up the best job in the world, but them’s the breaks.
“No one in politics is remotely indispensable,” Johnson said, speaking from Downing Street.
He thanked millions of people who voted Conservative at the last election, and gave a reason why he fought so long to remain in office.
“I thought it was my job, my duty and my obligation to you,” Johnson said.
TNG reports Boris Johnson became Prime Minister in July 2019.
He will, however, remain as PM until a successor is in place, expected to be by the time of the Conservative Party conference in October.
Johnson was weakened by anger about Partygate, in which his administration was accused of hosting parties on government property despite government guidance to avoid social gatherings due to COVID-19.
Then allegations arose that he had picked Chris Pincher for key party roles in spite of knowing about accusations of sexual misconduct against Pincher.
Johnson’s resignation came after the prime minister haemorrhaged support among his ministers and member of his Tory party.
More than 50 lawmakers resigned from government or party roles since Tuesday night when the mass exodus was triggered by the resignations of Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid from the Cabinet.
The prime minister had sought to defy his critics and carry on in the office, in spite of warnings from Cabinet colleagues that this was not sustainable.
But resignations continued and Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi who was only appointed to the role on Tuesday, went public with his call for the prime minister to quit.
The timetable for the Tory leadership contest would be agreed upon between the 1922 Committee, which ran the parliamentary proceedings to whittle the candidates down to two, and Conservative headquarters.
But critics of the prime minister suggested he should not be allowed to remain in office until October.
George Freeman, who quit as science minister on Thursday, said that now Johnson had finally done the decent thing, he should hand in the seals of office, and apologise to her majesty.
“To allow her to appoint a caretaker under whom ministers can serve, so the Conservative Party can choose a new leader properly.’’
Australia’s Labour Party leader Anthony Albanese was sworn in on Monday to become the country’s 31st prime minister following his victory in Saturday’s federal election.
Albanese, joined by members of his leadership team, on Monday morning visited the Government House in Canberra where Governor-General David Hurley officially swore him in as the prime minister.
Albanese’s Labour Party defeated Scott Morrison and his coalition in the federal election, ending the coalition’s hold on power for nearly nine years.
Richard Marles was sworn in as the Minister for Employment and Deputy Prime Minister, Penny Wong as the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Jim Chalmers as the Treasurer and Katy Gallagher as the Minister for Finance and Minister for Women and Attorney-General.
Albanese fast-tracked the swearing-in ceremony to allow himself and Wong to fly to Tokyo later on Monday to meet with leaders of the United States, Japan and India as well as their foreign ministers.
He will also join a Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (the Quad) summit with the leaders Tuesday.
Marles will serve as the acting prime minister until Albanese’s return.
Spain’s National Court has sentenced a man to seven years in prison for threatening to kill Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
Manuel Murillo, 66, posted messages on social media with words threatening Sanchez.
Police raided Murillo’s home and seized seven prohibited firearms, including an automatic rifle.
The court ruled that Murillo had decided that the solution to produce a change in the Spanish political situation was to cause the death of the prime minister.
The judges also said that Murillo’s seized weapon is an indication of high danger.
Australians will get to decide who leads the country for the next three years when they go to the polls in a federal election on May 21, as Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese go into battle to become prime minister.
Come May 21, one will be prime minister and the other will likely face the end of their political career.
Morrison admitted his government was not “perfect” but that it was “up-front”.
Albanese said Australia deserved better after almost nine years of the Coalition.
Morrison locked the date in (May 21) today after visiting the Governor-General in Canberra.
It sets up a six-week campaign that will pit Mr Morrison’s Liberal-National Coalition against a Labor Party led by Anthony Albanese.
According to the Prime Minister, he did not think his government was “perfect” but that the public would judge it on what it had done over the last term.
“Our government is not perfect — we’ve never claimed to be, but we are up-front and you may see some flaws but you can also see what we have achieved for Australia in incredibly difficult times,” he said.
“You can see our plan. Our plan will deliver more and better jobs and the lowest unemployment seen in some 50 years.”
Scott Morrison
The Prime Minister was asked how he was feeling about the upcoming election.
“This election, others will seek to make it about me [but] it’s about the people watching this right now,” Mr Morrison said.
“It’s about them. What we’ve demonstrated over these past three years is the ability to make those decisions that has ensured that Australia’s recovery is leading the world.”
In calling the election, Morrison becomes the first prime minister since John Howard- more than 14 years ago- to serve a full term as the nation’s leader.
The Coalition is seeking its fourth term in office, while Albanese hopes to return Labor to government for the first time since 2013.
Morrison said voters would face a choice when they walked into the voting booth.
He urged them to stick with a government they knew amid uncertain times, listing war in Ukraine, a deadly pandemic and an economy recovering from recession as the biggest issues Australia was facing.
“It’s a choice between a strong economy and a Labor opposition that would weaken it. It’s a choice between an economic recovery that is leading the world and a Labor opposition that would weaken it,” Morrison said.
Anthony Albanese
Albanese has claimed underdog status as he seeks to return Labor to government.
Labor’s platform centres on policies like lifting childcare subsidies, placing more nurses in aged care homes, and providing nearly half a million fee-free TAFE places.
“Australians deserve better. This government doesn’t have an agenda for today, let alone a vision for tomorrow. They demonstrated that in their budget, which was nothing more than a ploy for an election campaign,” Albanese asserted.
The infrastructure minister (Albanese) when Labor was last in power, briefly served as deputy prime minister when Kevin Rudd returned to the prime ministership in 2013.
He said he expected a Coalition scare campaign about his credentials to lead the nation.
“Fear can be a powerful emotion,” he said.
“I imagine there will be quite a bit over the next few weeks but I want to appeal to your sense of optimism and desire for a better future.”
Morrison’s Coalition begins the election notionally with 76 seats — the bare minimum for a majority government.
Labor notionally has 69 seats, thanks to the creation of a new seat in Melbourne.
The Opposition needs four seats to get ahead of the Coalition and seven seats for a bare majority.
It offers a snapshot of where the campaign will likely be fought. Labor hopes to make gains in Western Australia, Queensland and Northern Tasmania, while the Coalition is seeking gains in New South Wales and the Northern Territory.
Albanese said while Australia was a “great country”, it could be better.
“The pandemic has given us the opportunity to imagine a better future. Labor has the policies and plan to shape that future. Labor has the policies and plan to shape that future,” he said.
Ireland’s Prime Minister, Taoiseach Micheal Martin, has tested positive for COVID-19.
It means the prime minister will be unable to meet U.S. President, Joe Biden, later on Thursday as part of the traditional shamrock ceremony.
Martin had been due to speak at the 30th anniversary of the Ireland Funds Gala dinner on Wednesday evening but had to leave that gathering.
Martin’s speech was instead given by Irish Ambassador to the U.S., Daniel Mulhall.
“I know you will all join with me in wishing the Taoiseach a speedy recovery,” he told the audience in Washington.
It remains unclear how the White House St Patrick’s Day celebrations will now be handled.
It also casts doubt on whether Martin can return to Ireland for a
national day of remembrance on Sunday to commemorate those who died during the COVID-19 pandemic.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to unveil on Monday his “living with COVID plan’’ amid criticism from the opposition, unions and medical sectors which fear that the lifting of all restrictions.
The opposition and medical sectors fear the scrapping of free testing and the legal self-isolation requirement could lead to another wave of the pandemic.
In a statement, Johnson claimed that although the pandemic is not over, the UK was “one step closer to a return to normality, thanks to the incredible vaccine rollout’’.
However, TUC, Unite, Unison and other unions urged the prime minister to reconsider his , as his plan could lead to chaos in schools and workplaces.
“If the remaining safety rules are relaxed, schools will be left in an impossible situation, with parents unsure about whether to send their children into school, transmission rates soaring and new, more potent variants emerging,’’ they warned in a joint statement.
Stephen Doughty, Labour lawmaker and shadow minister for Africa and International Development also criticised the government’s plan, claiming that this is the wrong time to scrap free test and be rolling back on the restrictions on self-isolation.
“I think the government again is driven by the headlines rather than what’s the best advise here,’’ the opposition politician said.
An emergency medicine doctor also questioned Johnson’s “rush” in bringing forward by about a month the new COVID-19 plan.
“There are measures that we need to put in place to properly live with COVID,’’ doctor Saleyha Ahsan said.
Johnson is expected to update Parliament on the plans on Monday afternoon before holding a televised news conference to reveal details to the public in the evening.
