Author: Shaurya Negi

On Sunday, voters in Japan went to the polls for an upper house election. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) may experience a boost in support following the death of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. He was the key figure in the party and a leading statesman. Abe, was Japan’s longest-serving leader in modern times. He was shot and killed on Friday in the western city of Nara. He was making a speech in support of a local candidate, a killing the political establishment denounced as an assault on democracy itself. Elections for seats in the lower house of parliament…

Rosfinmonitoring, a financial monitoring agency in Russia, said on Friday that it is using software to track cryptocurrency transactions. Also, it hopes to improve its capabilities as Moscow regulates what one lawmaker dubbed “cryptomania.” The Bank of Russia has long expressed skepticism about cryptocurrencies. It has citing financial stability concerns, and has advocated for a complete ban on trading and mining. As it runs counter to the government’s desire to regulate the industry. According to Rosfinmonitoring’s head, Yuri Chikhanchin, Russia has already identified specific criminal cases involving cryptocurrencies. Therefore, the agency wants to improve its systems and identify transactions and…

A SoftBank-owned company is thriving by providing face-recognition technology to Mastercard and Visa. It was fueled by a blacklisted Chinese firm, an opportunity for the Japanese conglomerate fraught with geopolitical and privacy risks. Japan Computer Vision Corp (JCV), which is owned by SoftBank Group Corp wireless unit, has struck payment deals in recent months. Therefore, this could pave the way for SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son’s dream of driving new business through collaboration among his tech investments. If JCV continues to grow, it could become a model for SoftBank creating synergies with portfolio companies. It is a key part of Son’s…

A South Korean activist said Thursday that he launched more huge balloons carrying COVID-19 relief items toward North Korea. It was just days after the North vowed to crack down on such activities and claimed they were a source of the virus. South Korean experts question North Korea’s efforts to blame South Korean balloons. Therefore, suggesting that the goal may be to incite anti-South Korean sentiments and alleviate public outrage over the outbreak’s handling. The coronavirus is spread by people in close contact inhaling airborne droplets. The experts agree that spreading the virus from surfaces is nearly impossible. Park Sang-hak:…

On Wednesday, floodwaters threatened the homes of 85,000 people in Sydney. As rivers began to recede and heavy rains tracked north of Australia’s largest city. While the rain had stopped in Sydney, several waterways, including the Hawkesbury-Nepean river system on the city’s northern and western outskirts. It remained at major flood levels, according to Emergency Services Minister Steph Cooke. Emergency responders knocked on doors overnight in the Hunter Valley towns of Singleton and Muswellbrook, north of Sydney, to order residents to evacuate, she said. New South Wales state Premier Dominic Perrottet said 85,000 people had been given evacuation orders. Officials…

On Tuesday, the long-distance leaders of Hamas and Fatah met for the first time in several years in Algeria. Thus, potentially signaling new efforts to mediate reconciliation talks between the warring factions . Both Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh are in Algeria this week to celebrate the country’s 60th anniversary of independence. Algeria’s state broadcaster reported late Tuesday that representatives from the Palestinian Authority and the Islamist Hamas movement were also present at the “historic” meeting. Algerian and Palestinian media outlets printed photos of the pair shaking hands clasped together by Algerian President Abdelmajid Tebboune,…

Despite concerns about slowing demand due to rising inflation, Taiwan’s Foxconn, the world’s largest contract electronics manufacturer, raised its full-year business outlook on Monday. The Taiwanese firm, like other global manufacturers, has been dealing with a severe chip shortage. It has hampered smartphone production, including for its major client Apple, in part due to COVID-19 lockdowns in China. However, the company said in a late-Monday statement that June sales increased 31 percent year on year to a record high. All thanks to proper supply chain management and rising consumer electronics sales. The majority of its revenue comes from smartphones. Foxconn’s…

John Lee, Hong Kong’s new leader was at his first news conference since taking office. On Tuesday, he will work to ease travel restrictions while balancing the risks of a coronavirus outbreak overwhelming the health-care system. Hong Kong and mainland China are among the few places in the world where arrivals are still quarantined. In order to slow down the spread of the virus after two and a half years of the pandemic. Most visitors to Hong Kong are required to serve a seven-day quarantine at designated hotels. Lee, a former security official ran as the sole candidate for Hong…

A Hong Kong lawmaker posed for a group photo with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the leader’s visit to the financial center this week. It was confirmed on Sunday that he has tested positive for coronavirus. In his first trip outside of mainland China since the pandemic’s outbreak, Xi visited Hong Kong under strict security measures to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the city’s handover from Britain. Steven Ho, is  42-year-old legislator from Hong Kong’s of the largest pro-Beijing party. He was one of about 100 officials granted close contact with Xi for a photo call on Thursday afternoon. According…

Texas Supreme Court overturned a lower court order that said clinics could continue to perform abortions, on Friday. Some doctors resumed seeing patients just days after the repeal of Roe v. Wade. According to the ACLU, the order does not allow for criminal enforcement of Texas’ virtual abortion ban for the time being. But it does pave the way for civil enforcement. It was unclear whether Texas clinics that had resumed seeing patients this week would do so again. A hearing has been set for later this month. The whirlwind of Texas clinics dissuading patients, rescheduling them, and now potentially…