Japan PM Takaichi's party poised for landslide victory, poll shows
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's party is likely to score a landslide victory in next week's lower house election, a survey by the Asahi newspaper showed, heightening the chance the country will continue to pursue big spending and tax cuts, Reuters reported.
A strong showing in Sunday's election would solidify Takaichi's grip on her party and give a mandate for her expansionary fiscal policy, which could heighten concerns about Japan's finances and push bond yields higher.
"Implementing expansionary fiscal policy at a time the economy is at near full employment would heighten inflationary pressure" and weaken the yen, said Ryutaro Kono, chief Japan economist at BNP Paribas, according to Reuters.
Iran's supreme leader warns of regional war if US attacks
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has warned that any attack on his country would spark a regional conflict, as the US continues to build up its forces nearby, BBC reported.
"The Americans should know that if they start a war, this time it will be a regional war," Khamenei was quoted as saying by the semi-official Tasnim news agency.
Donald Trump earlier said Iran was in "serious discussions" and he hoped they would lead to something "acceptable", while Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told CNN he was "confident that we can achieve a deal" on Tehran's nuclear programme, according to BBC.
Twelve miners killed by Russian strike in Ukraine, officials say
Twelve miners have been killed by a Russian drone strike in eastern Ukraine, the country's largest private energy firm have said, BBC reported.
DTEK said a bus carrying workers after a shift in the Dnipropetrovsk region had been targeted in Sunday's attack. At least 15 people were injured, State Emergency Services said.
Earlier, at least two others were killed and nine injured in separate Russian attacks overnight and on Sunday, according to BBC.
Lord Mandelson resigns from Labour Party over Epstein links
Lord Mandelson says he has resigned his membership of the Labour Party as he does not want to "cause further embarrassment" by his links to the late convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, BBC reported.
The former cabinet minister, who was sacked as US ambassador last year because of his past connections to Epstein, appeared in the latest release of files by the US Department of Justice on Friday.
Documents suggest Epstein made $75,000 (£55,000) in payments to Lord Mandelson in three separate $25,000 transactions in 2003 and 2004, according to BBC.
