From the BBC World Service: Japan elected its first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, and the Nikkei 225 index surged to a record high. But the conservative leader, who models herself after former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, will have to tackle a range of economic challenges: a falling population, a rise in the cost of living, and sluggish growth. Plus, a federal green tech funding pullback in the U.S. is hitting Vice President JD Vance’s hometown.
