Japan will spend about 1.65 billion yen ($12 million) on the state funeral planned for former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, according to the government's new estimate on Tuesday that includes security and reception costs.
The government in late August approved a more modest budget of 250 million yen for the funeral but then faced criticism for what was deemed an unrealistic figure that excluded hefty outlays for the security and hosting of VIPs.
Some 6,000 guests including foreign dignitaries are expected to attend the ceremony, to be held on September 27 at Tokyo's Nippon Budokan hall. Abe was shot to death during an election rally in July.
Opposition to a taxpayer-funded service for Abe, Japan's longest-serving but deeply divisive premier, has persisted, exacerbated by revelations of his and other ruling party members' links to the controversial Unification Church. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's approval ratings have fallen in tandem.
Abe's suspected killer told prosecutors he held a grudge against the religious organisation, known for its mass weddings and aggressive fund-raising tactics, and he believed Abe had connections to the group, local media have reported.
A Yomiuri newspaper poll conducted earlier this month showed 56% of respondents opposing the state funeral, compared with 38 per cent in favour.
A man missing for more than 26 years has been found alive in his neighbour's cellar, just a few hundred metres from his family home. Omar bin Omran was reportedly kidnapped as a teenager and was discovered on Sunday.
China will always be a good neighbor, friend and partner of mutual trust with Russia, the state television quoted China president Xi Jinping as saying, as he mets Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is no longer in a life-threatening condition after he was shot in an assassination attempt when leaving a government meeting on Wednesday, a government minister said.
US President Joe Biden and Republican rival Donald Trump on Wednesday agreed to face off in two debates on June 27 and Sept. 10, setting up the highest stakes moments yet of the race for the White House.
The number of people killed by weekend flash floods and mud slides in Indonesia's West Sumatra province has risen to 67 and 20 are still missing, authorities said on Thursday, as the government plans to relocate survivors to safer areas.
As part of one of the largest large mammal reintroduction programmes in the world, the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD) released six dama gazelles into the Ouadi Rimé-Ouadi Achim Wildlife Reserve (OROAWF) in Chad, Africa.
The National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) held a workshop on flood forecasting, to discuss various initiatives and global best practices in advancing flood preparedness and mitigation efforts.