Japan's ruling party loses power as political drama unfolds in Asia

In a game-changing turn of events Shigeru Ishibaʼs bet on snap elections turned sour when his party lost its long-held grip on power (a move that shocked financial markets and re-shaped Japans political landscape). The Liberal-Democratic Party and its partner secured just 215 seats in the 465-seat house: their worst showing in about 15 years

The opposition party led by Yoshihiko Noda gained significant ground; winning 148 seats up from previous 98.

Our goal was to break the ruling partys majority‚ so the fact that we have achieved it is a huge accomplishment; this is not the end but the beginning

Several smaller political groups now hold the key to forming government:

• Democratic Party for the People: 28 seats
• Japan Innovation Party: 38 seats
• Other minor parties: remaining seats

The yen dropped to its lowest point in three months while stock-market traders prepare for more down-turns. Foreign partnerships might slow down - especially those aimed at counter-balancing Chinaʼs influence

In other global developments Iraq filed UN complaint about Israel using its airspace for attacks on Iran last week. The strike hit military sites near Tehran killing 4 soldiers and 1 civilian. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made careful statements neither over-reacting nor dismissing the incident

Meanwhile in Georgia Viktor Orban rushed to praise ruling partyʼs disputed election win (getting 54% of votes) while EU observers point to numerous voting problems. The countries president called it a “stolen“ vote

UN climate experts shared worrying news: greenhouse gases hit record levels last year - with CO2 up 10% in past two decades. Current plans will cut emissions just 2.6% by 2030 instead of needed 43%

In an odd twist famous chef Jamie Oliver asked his social-media followers to watch for nearly 50000 pounds of premium cheddar stolen by fake wholesale buyer