Briefly

JAPAN

PM's support slides on Abe funeral anger

Support for Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida tumbled to its lowest level since he took office, hit by growing anger over a state funeral for slain former leader Shinzo Abe and his ruling party's ties to a controversial church, an opinion poll showed. Kishida's support fell to 32.3 percent from 44.3 percent a month before, according to the survey by the Jiji news agency conducted at the weekend－approaching what is widely seen as a "danger level" of 30 percent that signifies a government may run into trouble carrying out its political agenda. Those who did not support his government climbed to 40 percent, a rise of 11.5 points, Jiji added.

FRANCE

Strike causes havoc as flights grounded

Many domestic and some international flights were canceled in France on Friday as air traffic controllers went on a national strike over pay and recruitment issues. French civil aviation authority DGAC warned that domestic traffic would be "severely disrupted" with many flights canceled and others experiencing long delays. Travelers have been advised to postpone their trip if possible. Air France said it has canceled 55 percent of its short- and medium-haul flights and 10 percent of its long-haul flights. The company could not rule out further delays and last-minute cancellations, it said in a statement.

UNITED NATIONS

345m confronted with starvation risk

The United Nations food chief warned on Thursday that the world is facing "a global emergency of unprecedented magnitude", with up to 345 million people marching toward starvation. David Beasley, executive director of the UN World Food Program, told the UN Security Council that the 345 million people facing acute food insecurity in the 82 countries where the agency operates is 2½ times the number of acutely food insecure people before the pandemic hit in 2020.

Agencies Via Xinhua