TOKYO -- As Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi marked her first anniversary in office on Wednesday, Japanese media questioned the effectiveness of her economic and diplomatic policies and voiced concern over her military buildup agenda and increasingly unilateral leadership style.
An editorial published Wednesday by Tokyo Shimbun said Takaichi's pledge to make Japan "strong and prosperous" had yet to translate into tangible progress in either the economy or diplomacy. (Japan-Takaichi-ROUNDUP)
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ISLAMABAD -- At least eight people were killed and 32 others injured when a passenger bus overturned on a highway in Pakistan's eastern Punjab province early on Wednesday, said a rescue official.
An official from the state-owned Rescue 1122 told Xinhua that the accident occurred near Bangla Hidayat in Rajanpur district, where a bus travelling from the southern port city of Karachi to the Dera Ghazi Khan district of Punjab collided with a road divider before overturning. (Pakistan-Road Accident)
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VIENTIANE -- The Lao government has officially released the results of the 2025 Population and Housing Census, revealing that the working-age population has grown to 65 percent of the country's total population, creating an opportunity to accelerate economic growth.
The findings, released Tuesday, show that Laos has an estimated combined resident and non-resident population of 7.55 million, including 7.24 million people living in the country and 313,766 Lao citizens residing abroad. Among the resident population, females account for 49.2 percent, while males make up 50.8 percent. (Laos-Population-Housing-Census)
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HONG KONG -- The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Finance Ministers' Meeting closed in Hong Kong on Wednesday, with a series of practical outcomes delivered, according to China's Ministry of Finance.
The meeting reviewed and adopted the 2026 APEC Finance Ministers' Joint Statement and the Policy Statement on Digital Infrastructure Financing across the Asia-Pacific Region, providing guidance for deepening financial cooperation among APEC economies, the ministry said in an online statement. (Hong Kong-APEC-Finance Ministers) ■
