TOKYO -- Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi recently made erroneous remarks about China's Taiwan during a hearing in the Diet, prompting parliament members to demand that she retract those remarks.
Japanese Communist Party and House of Councillors member Taku Yamazoe said Friday that Takaichi's remarks had exacerbated tensions between Japan and China and led to mutual distrust. To prevent further deterioration of bilateral relations, Takaichi, as prime minister, should retract her statements, Shimbun Akahata reported on Saturday. (Japan-China-Taiwan-Takaichi)
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JERUSALEM -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation on Saturday evening, during which the two leaders exchanged views on the Middle East situation, according to statements from both sides.
Netanyahu's office said in a statement that the two leaders spoke at Putin's initiative, following a series of previous talks on regional issues. It did not provide further information on the talks. (Israel-Russia-Phone Talks)
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TEHRAN -- Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said on Saturday that its naval forces have seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker off the country's southern Makran coast along the Gulf of Oman over unspecified "violations."
The oil tanker, the Talara, was tracked and seized by the IRGC Navy's rapid-reaction forces on Friday at 7:30 a.m. local time (0400 GMT) following an order from Iran's judicial authorities and after its movements were monitored, according to a statement published by the IRGC's official news outlet, Sepah News. (Iran-Oil tanker-Takeover)
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NEW DELHI -- At least nine people were killed and 32 others injured after a pile of recovered explosives exploded at a police station in the Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said Saturday.
The massive explosion took place late Friday at Nowgam police station in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir. (India-Explosion-Death) ■
