Briefly

JAPAN

Kishida Cabinet rating drops to record low

The support rate for the Japanese Cabinet dropped to a record low of 28.3 percent, a survey by national news agency Kyodo showed on Sunday. The opinion poll showed that the approval rating for Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's Cabinet plunged from 32.3 in the previous poll conducted in October, reaching a record low since Kishida took office in October 2021. Meanwhile, the disapproval rating rose to a record high of 56.7 percent from 52.5 percent last month. The survey also found that 62.5 percent of respondents were unsatisfied with the recently announced income tax cut as part of Kishida's economic stimulus package, Kyodo reported. On Thursday, the Japanese government adopted an economic package worth over 17 trillion yen ($113 billion).

SUDAN

Over 20 civilians killed in bombardment

A Sudanese lawyers group on Sunday announced that more than 20 civilians were killed in Omdurman city, north of the capital Khartoum, as a result of exchanged bombardment between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. "Due to the escalation in the clashes between the two parties and the exchanged indiscriminate shelling from both sides, many shells fell in district (15) of Al-Thawra Neighborhood of Omdurman, killing more than 20 citizens and injuring others," Sudan's Emergency Lawyers, a nongovernmental group, said in a statement on Sunday. The group held both the SAF and RSF responsible as they continued fighting in populated areas.

GERMANY

Airport hostage situation ends

A hostage situation at Hamburg Airport ended on Sunday afternoon, about 18 hours after a man drove his vehicle through the gates of the airport with his 4-year-old daughter as a passenger, authorities said. The man was arrested and the girl was safe. Hamburg police said the man had left the car with his daughter, who did not appear to be harmed, and he was "arrested by the emergency services without resistance". Authorities said the man's ex-wife had previously contacted them about a child abduction. The airport had been closed to passengers and flights canceled since Saturday night when the man, who was armed, broke through an airport gate with his vehicle and fired twice into the air with a weapon, according to German news agency dpa.

Agencies - Xinhua