Japan immigration agency to work more with other ministries on illegal foreign labor
The Immigration Services Agency of Japan is looking to cooperate more closely with related ministries as part of its countermeasures against illegal foreign labor. Starting as early as October, agency officials will accompany inspectors from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism on patrols of demolition and construction sites under the ministry’s jurisdiction. The agency aims to gain an understanding of on-site conditions where unauthorized employment oc
Tax data reveals rapid growth in China's high-tech industries
China's high-tech industries and AI-related sectors recorded robust growth in the first eight months of 2026, according to tax data released by the State Taxation Administration on Monday. From January to August, sales revenue across China's high-tech industries rose 15.7% year on year, while sales revenue in high-tech manufacturing increased 18.9%, the administration said. Notably, sales revenue in AI-related integrated circuit manufacturing and intelligent vehicle equipment
The explosion of an unidentified object at a train station in southern Germany.
Blast reported at Augsburg train station Police are investigating the explosion of an unidentified object at a train station in southern Germany. Meanwhile, a malfunction at a German power station near Cologne is being probed as a deliberate act. Unidentified object explodes at Augsburg train station, injuring 2 An unidentified object exploded at a train station in the southern German city of Augsburg early Wednesday morning, with two people sustaining minor injuries due to a
Police lay 14 charges against man accused of violent Epsom attack
Police lay 14 charges against man accused of violent Epsom attack The man accused of a violent attack that left three school kids injured and a dog dead has been charged with 14 charges by police. The 49-year-old man allegedly stole a Good Samaritan’s car before ploughing into five high school student cyclists and killing a woman’s dog during a frenzied series of attacks in Auckland’s Epsom that left five people injured, police say. The violent chain of events began about 7.0
Child sexual abuse deepfakes more than double in Japan in first half of 2026
Cases involving child sexual abuse material made using deepfakes, or manipulated digital representations, more than doubled in number in Japan in the first half of 2026, the National Police Agency has said. Police handled 123 such cases in the six months, exceeding both the 60 recorded a year earlier and the 114 logged in all of 2025, the agency said Monday. The surge highlights the rapid spread of generative artificial intelligence and its increasingly sophisticated image-ed
Joint operations, superiority through UAVs
Unmanned operations and smart technologies are reshaping the modern battlefield. No longer mere reconnaissance platforms, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) operate in deep coordination with the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Rocket Force, Navy and Army. They connect the dots between spotting a target and hitting it, collecting and making sense of large volumes of sensor data to support joint operations across the services, turning intelligence into a battlefield edge.
Jeremie: ZOSO Bill meets a ‘very real crisis’
Hours before Independent senators voted against it, Attorney General John Jeremie defended the Zones of Special Operations Bill, insisting yesterday that its legal safeguards were proportionate and necessary to deal with the country’s escalating gang violence. He made the comments during the debate of the Law Reform (Zones of Special Operations) (Special Security and Community Development Measures) Bill, 2026, in the Senate, responding to concerns raised by Opposition senator
No more free food, no more last-minute voting, after controversial law change
No more free food, no more last-minute voting, after controversial law change The Government has locked in controversial election law changes, which will ban last-minute voter enrolment and free food near polling stations. Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith shepherded through his electoral law changes on Tuesday night, which passed Parliament’s final hurdle. The Government used urgency to speed up the process last week, and required MPs stay late into the night to consider the l
Japan lifts quake advisory but urges continued caution
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) lifted a special advisory for further earthquakes and tsunamis in the Hokkaido and Sanriku coastal areas at the end of Monday, one week after it was initially issued. On Dec. 8, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck off the east coast of Aomori Prefecture, causing severe shaking with a maximum seismic intensity of upper 6 on the Japanese shindo scale in the city of Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture. Tsunami warnings and advisories were issued fro
Auckland and top of North Island hit by severe thunderstorms
It's a wild weather day, this is what you need to know Severe weather is battering parts of the North Island. Northland and Auckland are under a severe thunderstorm watch until 5pm, with MetService warning of large hail and possible tornados. Heavy rain is expected in Bay of Plenty and Gisborne until 11pm, with streams and rivers likely to rise rapidly. An apparent tornado hit the Manawatū town of Dudding Lake around midday, knocking over a caravan and injuring one. The weat
