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A shock parliamentary election result in Japan has left the country in political limbo, after its ruling coalition suffered a rare defeat with no party winning enough seats to be given a clear mandate to lead.Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior coalition partner Komeito secured 215 seats in the lower house of parliament - 233 seats are needed to form a majority. The main opposition, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ) won 148 seats, up from 98 previously.Under the constitution, the parties now have 30 days to try to form a coalition government. There could be days or weeks of political jockeying ahead.The LDP's coalition still has a majority in the less powerful upper house. The result is a major setback for Mr Ishiba, who only beca...

An evocation of Nazism? Of course it was, and of course it wasn't.Like everything else in this election, the narrative cuts both ways. Madison Square Garden is the iconic venue in New York City for spectacle. It's a stage for the big event and lends cachet to a candidate closing out his campaign, no doubt.In appearing at MSG, Donald Trump writes himself on to the same Wikipedia page as the New York Knicks, several hundred rock concerts and two of the three Ali-Frazier fights. Image: Donald Trump set out his campaign closing message to voters in New York's Madison Square Garden Image: Melania Trump introduces her husband. Pic: Reuters Throw "Nazi" into the ...

A comedian performing at a Donald Trump rally has come under fire after he labelled Puerto Rico a "floating island of garbage".Comic Tony Hinchcliffe later said "these Latinos, they love making babies" and added that they don't use the pull-out birth control method before Mr Trump took to the stage at New York's Madison Square Garden on Sunday evening. The comments sparked significant criticism including among Republican politicians.As it happened: Trump's Madison Square Garden rallyMaria Elvira Salazar, who represents parts of Miami for the Republicans and has participated in recent Trump events, wrote on X that she was "disgusted" by the comment. She said: "This rhetoric does not reflect GOP values. Puerto Rico sent 48,000+ soldiers to Vietnam, with over 345 Purple Hearts awarded. This b...

The dusty corridors, broken windows, and locked doors of the apartment block in central Beirut are testament to Lebanon's ongoing economic disaster.But this relic of one crisis has been repurposed for the latest.Hundreds of people fleeing Israeli bombing in the south of the country have come here - and taken over the building.They've cleared rooms of junk, and installed water, electricity, and naked bulbs for lighting.But the refugees here face not just difficult living conditions but resentment - sometimes racist - and suspicion because many have come from Dahieh, in the south of the city: Hezbollah territory.Hawraa Saad fled Dahieh and lives here with her husband and three young children in a single room that she has made spotless."When we came, it was extremely dirty," she tells Sky New...

The trial of French film star Gerard Depardieu is set to begin in Paris today on charges of sexually assaulting two women.Depardieu, who has appeared in more than 200 films, is considered an icon of French cinema. He is alleged to have assaulted both women during the making of the film Les Volets Verts in 2021. If convicted, he could be jailed for up to five years, although it is more likely he would be hit with a combination of a suspended sentence and a large fine.Depardieu has denied the allegations, claiming he has never "abused a woman". He has been offered support by a group of actors and directors, who said that an attack on Depardieu represented "an attack on art itself".The trial is seen as a huge moment for the growing MeToo movement in France. MeToo, which became well known in A...

Bolivian ex-president Evo Morales says his car was shot at amid rising political tensions in the South American country.The politician posted a Facebook video appearing to show him sitting in the passenger seat with at least two bullet holes in the windscreen. In the video, which has not yet been independently verified, the driver appeared injured but was able to continue driving.In a radio interview after the incident, Mr Morales said two vehicles intercepted him on the road and fired upon his car, claiming a bullet passed "centimetres" from his head.It comes at a time of high tensions, with supporters of Mr Morales blocking highways in the centre of the country as police and security forces try to clear them. Bolivia's government recently criticised Mr Morales for "destabilising" the cou...

At least 24 people have died after a bus tipped over in western Mexico, according to authorities.The bus had collided with a trailer that detached from a truck transporting corn, they added. At least five other people are believed to have been injured in the incident, which happened in the early hours of Saturday as the bus was leaving Tepic in the western Mexico state of Nayarit.In a video on social media, Juan Manríquez Moreno, coordinator of the National Guard in Zacatecas, explained that the truck trailer detached on a highway before the bus collided with it, causing the vehicle to tip onto its right side.Images shared from the site of the crash showed rescue teams and security forces, including military personnel, securing the area while rescuers worked to recover the bodies. ...

Is Donald Trump a fascist? The 'F' word is in play in the final few days of this US election campaign.Trump's opponent Kamala Harris was asked whether she thought Donald Trump is a fascist during a CNN townhall in Pennsylvania this week and replied "Yes. I do. Yes. I do." She has shifted her campaign from smilingly spreading "joy", to concentrating on bread-and-butter issues and warnings about a Trump victory.People "care about bringing down the cost of groceries", she explained. "They also care about our democracy and not having a president of the United States who admires dictators and is a fascist."The spectre of fascism is in the news because of alarming threats from Trump himself, along with on the record responses to them by two top generals who served in the White House during Trump...

Georgia's ruling party has won the country's general election, beating its pro-EU and pro-Western opposition.The Central Election Commission (CEC) said the ruling Georgian Dream party, which has been in power for 12 years, had won 54% of the vote with more than 99% of precincts counted. Both Georgian Dream and the opposition blocs trying to end its time in power portrayed the vote as an existential choice between moving towards the West - potentially by joining the European Union - or tightening ties with its regionally-dominant neighbour, Russia.Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of Georgian Dream and a billionaire who made his fortune in Russia, has accused opposition parties of being "an agent of a foreign country that will only fulfil the tasks of a foreign country" - suggesting the West...

LA Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani partially dislocated his left shoulder during Saturday's Game 2 of the World Series against the New York Yankees.The Japanese baseballer hurt himself when he tried to steal second base in the seventh inning. He is now a doubt for Monday's Game 3 in New York.Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani "had a little left shoulder subluxation" and tests would be carried out."We'll know more in the next couple of days. "The strength was great. The range of motion good, so we're encouraged."But obviously I can't speculate because we don't get the scans yet. So, once we have the scans, we'll know more." Image: Pic: Kyodo via AP Images Read more:Japanese interpreter charged with stealing mo...