SHIGERU Ishiba, leader of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), was officially elected the country’s prime minister on Tuesday after winning a majority of votes in both houses of parliament.

The Japanese Diet convened an extraordinary session in the afternoon to choose the new prime minister. As the ruling coalition led by the LDP controls both chambers, 67-year-old Ishiba received 291 of 461 votes in the House of Representatives and 143 of 242 votes in the House of Councillors.

WHEN someone with an emotional issue or mental illness struggles with the idea of seeing a therapist in person, there is now another option: speaking to an artificial intelligence (AI) therapist through a WeChat mini program.

THE Israeli army said it launched a ground offensive in Lebanon and that its forces engaged in clashes Tuesday, further escalating the conflict after a week of intense air strikes that killed hundreds.

The UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon said, however, the Israeli operation did not amount to a “ground incursion” and while Hezbollah denied any troops had crossed the border, an Israeli security official said localized raids had taken place and they were limited in scope.

LILING of Hunan Province boasts a long history of ceramic production. The city

now has more than 650 ceramic production enterprises and nearly 200,000 related

employees.