Japan names first female prime minister
Parliament elected Sanae Takaichi as prime minister; Japanese stocks hit records on expectations of looser policy.
Japan’s parliament elected Sanae Takaichi as the country’s first female prime minister, and Japanese stocks hit records amid expectations of looser policy. In Washington, President Trump’s nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel withdrew after reports of racist text messages spurred rare GOP opposition, while the federal shutdown reached Day 21 with FAA-related delays at major airports. The U.S. and Australia unveiled a critical-minerals framework with at least $1B each in near-term financing, as a planned Trump–Putin summit was put on hold amid disagreement over an immediate Ukraine ceasefire tied to current front lines.
Parliament elected Sanae Takaichi as prime minister; Japanese stocks hit records on expectations of looser policy.
South Korea’s military said North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the sea off its east coast.
Authorities warned of damaging winds, heat and elevated wildfire risk in coming days.
Paul Ingrassia withdrew as nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel after reports of racist texts prompted rare GOP opposition; the shutdown reached Day 21, contributing to FAA-related delays at major airports.
Democrats criticized DHS for authorizing two Gulfstream G700 jets during the shutdown, calling the $172M–$200M purchase “immoral” and seeking details.
Both countries committed at least $1B each in near-term financing and support for projects including a new gallium plant; the White House published the agreement.
Amazon said AWS returned to normal after a major outage disrupted thousands of apps and services worldwide, with some backlogs lingering.
Moscow rejected an immediate Ukraine ceasefire tied to current front lines; European leaders publicly backed Washington’s ceasefire position.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance visited Israel as Washington pressed for next steps in a fragile Gaza truce; Trump warned of force if Hamas resists disarmament.
Paris prosecutors valued jewels stolen in the Louvre heist at about €88 million (~$102M), while authorities said the historical loss is far greater.
Gold slumped more than 5% from Monday’s peak as U.S. equities ended mixed.