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TOKYO — Lawmakers in Japan voted Monday to retain the embattled Shigeru Ishiba as prime minister despite his long-governing party’s di s mal s howing in parliamentary elections last month. Ishiba, 67, became prime minister of the key U.S. ally on Oct. 1 shortly after winning the leadership race for the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has governed Japan almost uninterrupted since the end of World War II. But his future in the role was in question after the party suffered its worst election defeat in more than a decade, losing support from voters angry about corruption scandals and the rising cost of living. That left the LDP without a parliamentary majority, but Ishiba was nonetheless able to retain his hold on power and will rule w...

LOS ANGELES — LeBron James recorded his second straight triple-double, and Anthony Davis scored 22 points before leaving with an eye injury in the third quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers ‘ 123-103 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night. Davis was hit in the face by Jakob Poeltl’s off hand while he blocked the Toronto center’s dunk attempt with 5:16 left in the third quarter. The nine-time All-Star, who began the night leading the NBA in scoring, was ruled out after he went to the locker room. James had 19 points, a season-high 16 assists and 10 rebounds in his third triple-double already this season and the 115th of his matchless 22-year career. Austin Reaves scored 27 points for the Lakers, who improved to 5-0 at home. Los Angeles also beat Toronto for the s...

British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has pulled his new children’s book from shelves, saying he was “devastated” by the offense he caused following criticism that the book stereotyped Indigenous Australians . The book, “Billy and the Epic Escape,” was first published in May and drew outrage in Australia where Indigenous leaders described it as trivializing the community's history and diversity as well as perpetuating harmful stereotypes against them. The book’s publisher Penguin Random House U.K. said it was withdrawing the book from sale. “It is clear that our publishing standards fell short on this occasion, and we must learn from that and take decisive action,” the publisher said Monday in an emailed statement. Oliver, who was in Australia promoting his c...

Pop megastar Taylor Swift was the big winner at the MTV Europe Music Awards on Sunday, picking up four trophies at the Manchester ceremony in England, which included a tribute to late singer Liam Payne. Swift, who had led nominations with seven nods, won best artist, best video for her collaboration with Post Malone “Fortnight”, best live and best U.S. act. Currently in North America for her Eras tour, she thanked fans via a video message. “The fact that you have honored the tour, everything that’s happened with the album this year, the video, it’s just unbelievable,” said Swift, who released her latest album “The Tortured Poets Department” in April. South African singer Tyla followed with three prizes — best Afrobeats, best R&B and best African act. The aw...

Dutch police said they took away more than 300 pro-Palestinian protesters who ignored a ban on demonstrations in Amsterdam on Sunday and detained 50 more following clashes involving Israeli soccer fans last week. Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in the capital’s Dam Square, chanting “Free Palestine” and “Amsterdam says no to genocide,” in reference to the Gaza war. Israel denies allegations of genocide in its more than year-long offensive against Palestinian militant group Hamas . After a local court ratified the city council’s ban, police moved in, instructing protesters to leave and rounding up more than 100 of them. Police said they removed 340 people from the protest area by putting them on buses and dropping them off on the outskirts of the city. Anoth...

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump announced late Sunday night that Tom Homan , the former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement who backed Trump's controversial "zero tolerance" polic y , will be his administration's "border czar." "I am pleased to announce that the Former ICE Director, and stalwart on Border Control, Tom Homan, will be joining the Trump Administration, in charge of our Nation’s Borders ('The Border Czar'), including, but not limited to, the Southern Border, the Northern Border, all Maritime, and Aviation Security," Trump said in a post to Truth Social. "I’ve known Tom for a long time, and there is nobody better at policing and controlling our Borders," the post continued. "Likewise, Tom Homan will be in charge of ...

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump announced late Sunday night that Tom Homan , the former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, will be his administration's "border czar." "I am pleased to announce that the Former ICE Director, and stalwart on Border Control, Tom Homan, will be joining the Trump Administration, in charge of our Nation’s Borders ('The Border Czar'), including, but not limited to, the Southern Border, the Northern Border, all Maritime, and Aviation Security," Trump said in a post to Truth Social. "I’ve known Tom for a long time, and there is nobody better at policing and controlling our Borders," the post continued. "Likewise, Tom Homan will be in charge of all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin. Congratu...

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The only remotely close part of this matchup was the final score. Minnesota’s stingy defense held Jacksonville to 143 yards — the fewest in coach Doug Pederson’s three seasons — and the Vikings overcame Sam Darnold’s three interceptions to beat the Jaguars 12-7 on Sunday in a mostly purple-clad stadium. “Those are the types of games that good teams find a way to win, regardless of what it looks like all day,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said. “And I’m proud of that, but absolutely a lot of things we need to correct and fix.” It was an ugly win for the Vikings (7-2) that felt about as lopsided as any blowout in the league this season. Minnesota ran 82 plays to Jacksonville’s 43. The Vikings held the ball for 42 minutes, 19 seconds to Jacksonville’s 17:41. ...

Something wicked this way comes on the packaging of Mattel ‘s “Wicked” dolls. There’s a website listed on the toy box, but instead of linking to the webpage for the movie adaptation of the Tony-winning musical, starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, Mattel has mistakenly listed the URL to a pornographic website. The film’s official website is WickedMovie.com, but the address listed on the plastic packaging for the special edition dolls, created in partnership with Universal Pictures, directs to a page that requires users to be 18 years or older to enter. In a statement shared with Variety on Sunday regarding the erroneous web address, Mattel said: “Mattel was made aware of a misprint on the packaging of the Mattel ‘Wicked’ collection dolls, primarily sold in the U...

An additional 24 monkeys believed to be among 43 that escaped a South Carolina research facility last week have been recovered, and eyes are on a "sizable group" nearby, police said Sunday. Sunday's capture comes a day after the recovery of one of the Rhesus macaques that escaped the Alpha Genesis Primate Research Center in the town of Yemassee, South Carolina. Veterinarians have examined the 25 and concluded they were unharmed, the Yemassee Police Department said in its latest statement. "Initial reports from the veterinary team indicate that all recovered animals are in good health," the department said. At least some of the rest of the 18 escapees were believed to be along a fence line around the facility, police said. The primates in that group have "bedded do...