Category World News

Due to an escalating diplomatic row over Taiwan, Chinese film distributors have suspended the release of two Japanese anime movies.

Super Hot! Crayon Shin-chan the movie The Hot Kasukabe Cells and Dancers at Work! will not be screened as originally scheduled in mainland China, according to the state-run CCTV of China.

Following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s suggestion that Tokyo might use force militarily if China attempted to overthrow Taiwan, the move comes at a time when Tokyo and Beijing’s relationship are at their lowest point in years.

According to CCTV, distributors made the “prudent” decision to postpone the releases in light of the Chinese audience’s perception of the Japanese films overall.

Film distributors claimed Takaichi’s “provocative remarks” would unavoidably affect Chinese viewers’ perceptions of Japanese films, according to CCTV. They also stated that the companies would “follow market principles and respect audience preferences” by halting the release dates.

The postponements allegedly complied with a well-known playbook in Chinese statecraft, according to Edith Cowan University’s expert in economic coercion, Naoise McDonagh.

According to McDonagh, “China is typically careful to target trade that is not necessary for China, but which will have a significant impact on Japanese firms, causing both financial costs and symbolic pressure,” McDonagh said.

According to McDonagh, these incidents give Beijing the ability to “assign some degree of influence” on other governmental decision-making processes that affect China’s red line by signaling that parties who violate its interests will pay costs.

Beijing responded to Takaichi’s comments with a number of retaliatory measures, including a warning against visiting Japan and deploying warships in waters close to the disputed Senkaku Islands, with the delayed film releases.

Japan issued its own travel advisory for China on Monday, instructing its citizens to observe local customs, stay away from crowd-clogged locations, and use caution when speaking with Chinese people.

Minoru Kihara, the head of Japan’s cabinet, stated to a regular media briefing on Tuesday that its recommendations were based on “the social circumstances” of various nations, and that its most recent statement reflected recent reports about the tensions between Tokyo and Beijing.

After Beijing claimed that Chinese Premier Li Qiang had no plans to meet Takaichi on the eve of the G20 summit this weekend in South Africa, Kihara added that Tokyo had an “open stance” on dialogue with China.

In a bid to ease conflict between the countries, Kihara made the remarks as Masaaki Kanai, Japan’s top official for Asia-Pacific affairs, met with Liu Jinsong on Tuesday in Beijing.

Taiwan, which China calls home, is considered to be a part of its territory and has pledged to “reunify” it with the Chinese mainland, using force if necessary.

Due to the island’s close proximity to Japanese territory and its proximity to international waters, Japan is concerned about China’s position on Taiwan.

Mexico, the Reuters news agency, and the NBC report are among the countries that President Donald Trump has suggested he might expand his unprecedented strikes against Latin American drug cartels.

“Would I launch strikes against drugs in Mexico?” That’s fine with me. Mexico is where I’ve been speaking. They are aware of my position, he told reporters on Monday at the Oval Office. “We’re putting up hundreds of thousands of dollars in the drug trade.” We know every route, so we’ve already stopped the waterways.

Trump did not specify how or when such strikes might occur. Claudia Sheinbaum, the president of Mexico, has previously stated that she opposes any such attacks on the soil of her country.

According to Jeff Garmany, an associate professor of Latin American studies at the University of Melbourne, Mexican opposition may not be heard when he says. There are a number of legal obstacles, some domestic and others international, that stand in the way. UN member states generally respect basic protocols of international diplomacy, he said, despite the fact that they may not be bound by the law.

Nothing about Trump’s second term suggests that he would abide by these rules and protocols, though. No, I wouldn’t be surprised if Trump waited for Sheinbaum’s approval before starting a strike in Mexico, he continued.

Two weeks prior to Trump’s comments, NBC reported that the White House was getting ready for the first stages of a ground operation in Mexico that would be jointly conducted with US intelligence agencies. According to the report, drone strikes against cartel members and drug labs in Mexico will be the focus of the operation.

Trump made the suggestion that the US already has a shortlist of targets in his remarks on Monday at the White House. We are “knowing every route.” Trump told reporters, “We know the addresses of every drug lord.” They are aware of their address. Their front door is known to us. We are completely knowledgeable about each and every one of them.

Because cartels were abusing “hundreds of thousands” of Americans with drugs like cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines, and fentanyl, he said the situation was “like a war.”

Due to the strength of the drug cartels there, Garmany told Al Jazeera, that US strikes in Mexico could probably amount to little. After declaring a “war” on drugs 20 years ago, the Mexican government has itself been at the center of a long-running, deadly conflict.

“Mexico’s cartels are some of the most powerful and organized criminal organizations in the world.” They are situated between the United States and the rest of Latin America in a unique geographic location with abundant resources. Carrying out targeted military strikes would be more effective as a PR stunt than anything else. One of the most lucrative illegal supply chains in the world won’t be stopped, he said.

Since taking office in January, Trump has relied on executive orders and legal provisions to justify military action against drug cartels without the support of Congress. In addition, the White House can use the designation of six drug cartels as a defense for national security.

At least 80 people have died as a result of the White House’s at least 20 strikes on ships reported to be transporting drugs in the Caribbean and the Pacific since September, despite the fact that it hasn’t made any public evidence of their connections to drug cartels like Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua.

As a result of the Canadian government’s support for a motion to begin debating his first federal budget, which leaves the possibility of a second election in less than a year, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s minority government narrowly survived a confidence vote on Monday.

To advance the fiscal plan’s study, the Commons voted 169 to 168. The lopsided victory indicates that the budget will eventually be approved, even though additional votes are anticipated in the upcoming months.

The House of Commons voted to pass Budget 2025 tonight.

To protect our communities, give Canadians new opportunities, and strengthen Canada, it is now time to work together to realize this vision.

According to Carney, “It’s time to work together to deliver on this plan … to protect our communities, empower Canadians with new opportunities, and strengthen Canada,” according to Carney on X, arguing that his spending plan would help protect the economy from rising US tariffs.

Carney has portrayed the budget as a “generational” chance to boost Canada’s economic viability and lower US trade reliance.

The proposal calls for the deficit to nearly double to 78.3 billion Canadian dollars ($55. 5 billion), with significant investments aimed at halting US trade restrictions and supporting housing and defense initiatives. The prime minister insists that a higher deficit spending is necessary to avert the effects of tariffs on US citizens. While the majority of bilateral trade is exempt from tariffs under a current North American trade agreement, US tariffs on steel, aluminum, and steel have hurt significant Canadian industries.

Internal forecasts from Carney, a former central banker, indicate that “US tariffs and the associated uncertainty will cost Canadians about 1.8 percent of our GDP]gross domestic product.”

The Liberals relied on abstentions from a number of opposition members who were reluctant to start early elections, a few seats short of a majority in the 343-seat House of Commons. If Canadians were to be re-elected, recent polls suggested that Carney’s Liberals would continue to rule.

After campaigning on a promise to challenge Washington’s protectionist stance, Carney was elected to a full term in April. The official opposition’s Conservative Party has been grappling with internal divisions since its defeat, and Pierre Poilievre will have to go through a formal evaluation of his performance very soon.

The fiscal package is described as a “credit card budget,” which is a sharp criticism of the government’s spending plans.

The NDP, a left-leaning party party, has also voiced its concerns about the proposal’s insufficient response to housing, housing, and rising costs for many Canadian families.

NDP interim leader Don Davies explained why two of its MPs ultimately abstained, explaining that the party accepted that blocking the budget would bring the nation back into a flimsy election cycle.

He claimed that it was “clear that Canadians do not want an election at this time because the Trump administration is still threatening us.”

Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne remarked, “Parliamentarians decided to put Canada first.”