Lebanon Cabinet Approves Financial Gap Law to Tackle Ongoing Economic Crisis 
U.S. Shifts Strategy Toward Economic Pressure With Venezuelan Oil Quarantine 
Christmas Eve Jazz Concert Canceled After Kennedy Center Renaming to Include Trump 
FBI to Permanently Close Hoover Building, Relocate Headquarters to Reagan Building 
U.S. Judge Blocks Deportation of British Anti-Disinformation Campaigner Imran Ahmed Amid Free Speech Dispute 
Kosovo Heads to Early Parliamentary Election Amid Prolonged Political Deadlock 
US Airstrikes Target Islamic State Militants in Northwest Nigeria Amid Rising Security Concerns 
California Drops Lawsuit Over Federal Funding Cuts to High-Speed Rail Project 
Democratic Governors Urge Trump Administration to Lift Halt on East Coast Offshore Wind Projects 
Canada Announces $2.5 Billion Economic Aid Package to Support Ukraine’s Financial Stability 
Najib Razak Jailed 15 More Years in Landmark 1MDB Verdict With Major Political Impact 
Zelenskiy to Meet Trump in Florida as Ukraine-U.S. Peace Framework Nears Completion 
Zelenskiy and Trump Meet in Florida as Ukraine Peace Talks Face Major Hurdles 
Bolsonaro Undergoes Phrenic Nerve Block Procedure After Surgery-Related Complications 
Zelenskiy Discusses Ukraine Peace Efforts With Trump Envoys 
Kim Jong Un Oversees Missile Test Amid Rising Korean Peninsula Tensions 
Bolsonaro Endorses Son Flavio for Brazil’s 2026 Presidential Election From Hospital 
Tokyo has filed a protest with Russia over its military drills near the disputed islands. The military drills were taking place close to the disputed islands near Japan’s Hokkaido.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said on Monday Tokyo filed a protest against Russia over the military drills its forces were carrying out near contested islands close to Japan’s Hokkaido region. Matsuno added that Moscow had informed Japan that would be carrying out missile exercises around the contested islands from April 18 to April 22.
Japan and Russia are in a dispute over islands in the North Pacific that date back to World War II. As part of the G7 countries, Japan has also adopted the West’s sanctions on Russia.
Moscow has since dismissed Japan’s criticism of the drills being conducted by the Russian Pacific Fleet. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the drills were necessary for its fleet to be prepared for every possible threat while focusing on Ukraine. Peskov added that the naval drills were being done while adhering to international law.
Last month, two Russian strategic bomber planes were flying over the Sea of Japan for over seven hours. The transit by the Russian aircraft coincided with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s visit to Ukraine. The latest naval drills by Moscow coincided with a visit by Chinese defense minister Li Shangfu to Russia after having met with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the finance ministers of Japan and South Korea are set to have a bilateral meeting early in May, the first of such a meeting in seven years, as the two countries aim for closer cooperation on economic policy. South Korean finance minister Choo Kyung-ho told reporters during a visit to the United States that he has agreed to meet with his Japanese counterpart Shunichi Suzuki.
Choo said their bilateral meeting would take place on the sidelines of the Asian Development Bank annual meetings on May 2-5 in Incheon, South Korea. Their summit follows that of the meeting between Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol last month, with both leaders agreeing to work together on shared regional security challenges.
