October 2, Wednesday, 2024

1. US vice presidential candidates of the Democratic and Republican parties faced off at a televised debate in New York on Tuesday, ahead of the presidential election on November 5. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is the running mate of Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee. Ohio Senator JD Vance is running on the ticket with the Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump. 2. Japan’s new Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru had his first phone conversation with US President Joe Biden just a day after taking office. The call took place on Wednesday morning, Japan time. Ishiba noted during the discussion that the Japan-Us alliance was strengthened significantly under former Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and President Biden. He said he hopes to continue on this path and further fortify the alliance. 3. Claudia Sheinbaum has been sworn in as Mexico’s first female president. Sheinbaum took the oath of office in the capital, Mexico City, on Tuesday. In an inauguration speech, she said, “I am a mother, a grandmother, a scientist and a woman of faith, and from today, by the will of the Mexican people, the president.” Legislators on the floor of Congress shouted “Presidenta”—the feminine form of president in Spanish – to celebrate the birth of the country’s female leader.

October 1, Tuesday, 2024

1. Outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio’s Cabinet has resigned ahead of the appointment of a new Cabinet, which will be led by Kishida’s successor, Ishiba Shigeru. The Kishida administration’s Cabinet ministers submitted letters of resignation en masse at a Cabinet meeting, which started shortly after 9 a.m. on Tuesday.
2. A Russian online media outlet has reported that opposition leader Alexei Navalny was killed in prison by being poisoned, contradicting the official story that he died of natural causes. 3. Japan Airlines is entering into a revenue-sharing venture with Garuda Indonesia. It comes as the company looks to strengthen its business in Asia. The two carriers are already in a code-sharing agreement. The new arrangement will strengthen that relationship and see the airlines set flight schedules and manage revenues as if they were a single company. It is expected to take effect next April.