Top Stories
TOP STORY
TOP STORY
Former defense minister to lead Japan
Shigeru Ishiba, a former Japan defense minister, won his party’s leadership today following a race that ended in a runoff vote.
The 67-year-old takes control of the long-ruling, scandal-plagued Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and will assume command of the world’s fourth-largest economy once parliament convenes in October due to his party’s majority in the lower house.
He was one of nine candidates and beat economic security minister Sanae Takaichi – who was vying to become Japan’s first woman leader – in the runoff, with 215 votes to 194.
It was Ishiba’s fifth attempt to lead the party, a conservative political machine that has ruled Japan almost continuously since its founding in 1955.
Ishiba promised a “full exit” from Japan’s high inflation and vowed to achieve “growth in real wages.” He supports legislation allowing married women to keep their maiden names, reducing nuclear energy in favor of renewables, and an Asian version of the NATO security bloc to counter China and North Korea.
US POLITICS
US POLITICS
Newsom signs formal apology for slavery
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a formal apology Thursday for California’s role in slavery and legacy of racism.
Although California banned slavery in its 1849 Constitution, the state had no laws that made it a crime to keep someone enslaved or require that they be freed, which allowed slavery to continue.
A disproportionate representation of white Southerners with pro-slavery views also held office in the legislature, state court system and in its congressional delegation.
Assembly Bill 3089, which requires the state to issue a formal apology, mandates California install a plaque memorializing the apology. Assembly member Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D-Los Angeles), who introduced the bill, called it a “monumental achievement.”
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WORLD
WORLD
China’s new nuclear submarine sank in dock
China’s efforts to achieve maritime military parity with the US suffered a blow after a new nuclear submarine sank in a dock. The incident happened in May or June at the Wuchang shipyard near Wuhan. Despite efforts by the country’s authorities to stage a cover-up, reports say satellite imagery made it evident. The submarine was salvaged, but experts say it will take months to return to the sea. It is not known if there were any casualties or if the submarine had any nuclear fuel onboard. A Chinese embassy spokesperson in Washington said they had no information to provide. “We are not familiar with the situation you mentioned.” China had six nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, six nuclear-powered attack submarines and 48 diesel-powered attack submarines, according to a 2022 Pentagon report on China’s military. The submarine force is expected to grow to 65 by 2025 and to 80 by 2035, the US Department of Defense said.
HEALTH
HEALTH
Non-profit hospitals’ tax breaks vs benefits
Nearly 3,000 US nonprofit hospitals had $37.4 billion in tax breaks in 2021 but gave only $15.2 billion in care to low-income patients.
The tax break calculation comes from a study by Johns Hopkins University and Texas Christian University created to inform taxpayers and elected officials how much tax relief nonprofit hospitals receive. Medicare filings show hospitals paid $15.2 billion in charity care in the same year.
An American Hospital Association (AHA) analysis this week reported hospitals in 2020 did not pay $13.2 billion in federal tax revenue (excluding state and local tax savings) but returned $129 billion in community benefits.
However, health policy experts have long debated what should be counted as a community benefit. An analysis this year by Lown Institute reported that 80% of nonprofit hospitals gave back to their communities less than what they got in tax breaks.
Nonprofit hospitals must report community benefits on IRS 'Schedule H' worksheets but are not required to estimate overall tax savings. This lack of transparency contributes to debates on the actual value of community contributions.
Disparities exist in tax benefits by state, with Massachusetts hospitals receiving the highest average exemptions per bed and Delaware the lowest. Larger, wealthier hospitals in affluent areas tend to receive the most substantial tax breaks, highlighting inequality.
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS
Dockworkers and ports urged to settle
White House officials on Thursday called for dockworkers and port operators to return to the bargaining table.
Negotiations between the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), representing ports, container carriers and other industry players, have been stalled since June.
The labor dispute has taken on added urgency as thousands of dockworkers are preparing to walk off their jobs when their contract expires at midnight on September 30.
Experts warn that even a short work stoppage at the ports that could close in a strike could temporarily disrupt food supplies, auto parts and many other products, potentially driving up consumer costs.
The cargo gateways, which span from Massachusetts to Texas, handle about half of all goods shipped in containers in and out of the US. Analysts at Oxford Economics said a strike would reduce US economic activity by between $4.5 billion and $7.5 billion every week it continues.
TECHNOLOGY
TECHNOLOGY
Archaeologists discover geoglyphs with AI
Archaeologists using artificial intelligence (AI) have discovered hundreds of geoglyphs near the Nazca Lines in Peru.
The geoglyphs depict parrots, cats, monkeys, killer whales and decapitated heads in a find nearly doubling the known figures at the enigmatic 2,000-year-old archaeological site.
The figures, which date back to 200 B.C., provide an understanding of the transition from the Paracas culture to the Nazcas, who later created the iconic hummingbird, monkey and whale figures that make up part of the Unesco World Heritage site, Peru’s most popular tourist attraction after Machu Picchu.
Archaeologists said in a research paper that AI combined with low-flying drones expedited the discovery of the geoglyphs. While it took nearly a century to discover 430 figurative Nazca geoglyphs, an AI system covered the entire Nazca region in six months, finding 303 figurative geoglyphs.
“With a drone, you can cover several kilometers in a day,” an archaeologist said. “What used to take three or four years can now be done in two or three days.”
OFFBEAT
OFFBEAT
Pitch for Helsinki as film capital of ‘weird’
The Helsinki International Film Festival has gone “weird” this year to showcase unusual, daring and unexplored ideas.
Finnish Weird (F-Weird) was introduced to accommodate unique ideas that don't fit traditional pitching sessions, responding to feedback from emerging filmmakers. This initiative aims to foster a more inclusive filmmaking environment.
Participants pitched in a brisk two-minute clip — time enough to unveil a teaser or mood board, recite an eerie monologue, work in a prop, or simply test the limits of the English language while trying to describe projects that were often hard to pin down.
Miro Seppänen summarized “All Rise for the Dead,” a “unique blend of zombie horror and courtroom drama.” Milla Puolakanaho and Karoliina Gröndahl pitched “Postpartum — Payback Time,” a reality show featuring four non-birthing parents and a “birthing machine” to experience labor and postpartum.
Other projects included an animated mockumentary “Humane Farming,” described as “‘BoJack Horseman,’ but in the style of ‘The Office.’”
Finnish Weird head Alisha Hasan said the feedback for the inaugural event has already been overwhelming. Filmmakers said they don’t feel alone anymore with these big-budget, weird genre, Dali-esque visions that they have. They’re so happy that someone has acknowledged them.”
Otherweb Editorial Staff
Alex FinkTechie in Chief
David WilliamsEditor in Chief
Angela PalmerContent Manager
Dan KriegerTechnical Director