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A firefighter works during the Eaton Fire in Pasadena, California, on Jan. 8.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Jun 19, 2025

Warning signs on climate flashing bright red: top scientists

Greenhouse gas emissions hit a new high in 2024 and averaged a record 53.6 billion metric tons per year of CO2, they reported in a peer-reviewed update.
People participate in a rally in support of Aung San Suu Kyi in Yangon, Myanmar, in 2019.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 19, 2025

Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi marks 80th birthday in junta jail

No formal celebrations are planned in junta-held parts of Myanmar, but followers in military-controlled Mandalay city staged a spontaneous protest ahead of her birthday.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the press as workers install a large flag pole on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 21, 2025

Deal, not bombs, seen as only way to end Iranian nuclear threat

For U.S. President Donald Trump, a deal would avoid dragging the U.S. into another regional war or driving up inflation-generating oil prices.
An Iraqi woman walks past a portrait of Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani (left), and Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during protest march in the Kadhimiya district of Baghdad on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 23, 2025

Iran stands alone against Trump and Israel, stripped of allies

Following the U.S. bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities, its partners in Russia and China are sitting on the sidelines, while its proxies are unable or unwilling to join the fray.
In this frame-grab taken from video, missiles and air-defense interceptors are visible over Doha after Iran launched an attack on U.S. forces at Al Udeid Air Base on Monday.
WORLD
Jun 24, 2025

Trump thanks Iran after attack choreographed to de-escalate

The Qataris knew the missile barrage was coming. So did the Americans. The Iranians had told them.
Japan showed improved performance in the category of “no poverty” but did worse in fields like “zero hunger” and “press freedom” in the latest SDG Index.
JAPAN
Jun 24, 2025

Japan ranks in the top 20 on SDG index

Japan was rated 19th this year, behind Estonia and Belgium and above Portugal and Hungary.
Inter Miami forward Luis Suarez (center) celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Group A match against Palmeiras in Miami on Monday.
SOCCER
Jun 24, 2025

Messi's Miami and PSG progress to set up Club World Cup reunion

Miami drew 2-2 with Palmeiras to go through second in Group A, after the Brazilian side fought back from two goals down to seal top spot.
An 11-year-old girl (Yui Suzuki) finds glimpses of hope while coping with her father’s terminal illness in “Renoir.”
CULTURE / Film
Jun 26, 2025

‘Renoir’: An impressionistic portrait of grief and girlhood

Chie Hayakawa’s latest feature about a young girl facing losing a parent to cancer is a shining, soulful study of quiet mourning.
U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office on April 7. Without further diplomacy, the Iran-Israel conflict could become an endless, no-win situation.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 25, 2025

Trump abandons ‘America First’ for Middle East quagmire

Iran's acceptance of the ceasefire is what in Japanese politics is called a “feigned death” tactic.
Thai eatery Orangutan takes over Lou cafe in the evening, replacing casual coffee and cakes with the fiery dishes of Isan cuisine.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jun 29, 2025

Come nightfall in Nakano, Thai eatery Orangutan opens its arms

Named after an ape, the restaurant, which takes over a cafe space in the evening, brings authentic, fiery Isan flavors to Tokyo.
Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra goes on trial for lese-majeste next week, while his daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, faces being sacked as prime minister while activists threaten mass protests.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 27, 2025

Thailand braces for crisis as trials and protests loom

Southeast Asia's second-biggest economy looks set for a new round of the turmoil that has periodically gripped it over the last two decades.
Chairs made using the Nishijin-ori textile are displayed in the city of Kyoto.
JAPAN
Jun 27, 2025

Trading firm works to help preserve Kyoto's traditional crafts

Although Kyoto's traditional crafts are popular among foreign tourists, overall demand for such items for daily use is falling due to lifestyle changes.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a news conference during the 2025 NATO Summit in The Hague on Wednesday. He expressed anger and threatened to sue over media reports claiming the U.S. strike on Iran delayed its nuclear program by only a few months.
EDITORIALS
Jun 27, 2025

Airstrikes won’t end Iran’s nuclear ambitions — diplomacy might

The consensus of the U.S. intelligence community earlier this year was that Iran was up to three years away from being able to deliver a nuclear weapon to a target of its choosing.
This satellite image taken on June 19 shows damage at the Iranian nuclear facility at Arak in central Iran after an Israeli strike.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 27, 2025

An Iranian nuclear weapon just became more likely

The U.S. and Israel are likely to learn this the hard way when Iran abandons all doubts about pursuing nuclear breakout.
Coco Gauff takes part in a practice session on Friday ahead of Wimbledon.
TENNIS
Jun 29, 2025

Cautious Gauff targets 'Channel Slam' at Wimbledon

The last woman to win Wimbledon and the French Open in the same year was Serena Williams, who accomplished the feat in 2002 and again in 2015.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy
WORLD / Politics
Jun 30, 2025

U.K. considers envoy for Britons held abroad

Cases like jailed Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abdel Fattah and imprisoned Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai have highlighted the issue.
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama in 2016
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 30, 2025

Dalai Lama set to reveal succession plan as China watches

The Dalai Lama has said his successor will be born outside China and urged his followers to reject anyone chosen by Beijing.
A protester wears a face mask with the colors of the Thai flag during an anti-government demonstration in Bangkok, Thailand, on Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 1, 2025

Top Thai court suspends PM Paetongtarn in ethics violation case

The court said it had accepted a petition from 36 senators that accuses Paetongtarn Shinawatra of dishonesty and breaching ethical standards in violation of the constitution.
World famous halftime act Red Panda performs during halftime of Game 5 of the 2023 NBA Finals in Denver, Colorado on June 12, 2023.
BASKETBALL
Jul 2, 2025

Halftime entertainer Red Panda injured during WNBA performance

Rong "Krystal" Niu has delighted basketball fans in numerous NBA, college basketball and WNBA venues since her debut in 1993.
Leafs forward Mitch Marner reacts after scoring against the Ottawa Senators during Game 1 of the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on April 20.
MORE SPORTS / Ice hockey
Jul 2, 2025

Mitch Marner on Maple Leafs exit: 'Leaving isn't easy'

The Maple Leafs acquired forward Nicolas Roy from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for Marner.
A Self-Defense Forces tank unit takes part in parade at Camp Asaka, near Tokyo, in October 2018. The percentage of GDP spent on defense is a politically convenient but flawed metric that oversimplifies the complex realities of alliance management.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 2, 2025

In the Trump era, how much should countries really be spending on defense?

In truth, the “percentage of GDP” approach is a political one, not a practical one
The remains of an Iranian missile launched during the 12-day Israel-Iran war lie on a road near Tekoa in the occupied West Bank on Sunday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 2, 2025

Nuclear proliferation cannot just be bombed away

The most powerful deterrent for any state is possession of nuclear weapons or membership in an alliance that offers a nuclear umbrella (like NATO).
Workers take a break near a ship under construction at China State Shipbuilding Corp.'s Longxue Shipyard in Guangzhou, China, in November 2011.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jul 2, 2025

China’s shipyard dominance leads to geoeconomic risks

According to 2024 data from the Chinese government, the country ranks first worldwide in ship completions, new orders and order backlogs.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during a meeting in Ilam, Iran, on June 12. Pezeshkian formally enacted the suspension of Iran's cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 3, 2025

Iran ends cooperation with U.N. nuclear watchdog after Israel and U.S. strikes

Washington has described the decision as "unacceptable."
Shuhei Nakata, president of Nakata Kogei — a wooden-hanger maker in Toyooka, Hyogo Prefecture — says a revised work evaluation system and a strict policy against workplace harassment has helped to attract women to the company.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Jul 14, 2025

Fukushima looks to local initiatives to combat population decline

The measures will bring the area in line with other parts of Japan that are proactively trying to retain residents.
Private companies are rushing into risky, profit-driven geoengineering projects to fight climate change without clear regulations, raising fears of dangerous unintended consequences.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 6, 2025

Geoengineering’s risks need to be studied more

With for-profit organizations already releasing chemicals into the oceans, it’s important for scientists with no financial stake in this industry to collect data.
Yoshiomi Tamai
JAPAN / Society
Jul 7, 2025

Philanthropist Yoshiomi Tamai dies at 90

Tamai was the founder and longtime president of the Ashinaga Foundation, which has supported over 110,000 orphaned students.
Alan Bates, a former branch manager who led the fight for justice, has said the compensation process has "turned into quasi-kangaroo courts."
WORLD
Jul 9, 2025

U.K. post office scandal may have caused 13 suicides: inquiry

The Post Office wrongfully prosecuted around 1,000 subpostmasters — self-employed branch managers — between 1999 and 2015.
Jung Yong-sun, a local official tasked with pest-control duties, poses while wearing a plastic netted onion bag for protection from "lovebugs" on the peak of Gyeyangsan Mountain in Incheon, west of Seoul.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Jul 9, 2025

South Korea battles 'lovebug' invasion amid climate change

Seoul is now annually hit by a weeks-long infestation of a type of March fly whose distinctive mating behavior earned it the nickname.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner before a practice session at the Austrian Grand Prix on June 27
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Jul 10, 2025

For Christian Horner, a brutal end to a highly successful reign at Red Bull

With this season's car not competitive with rival McLaren, a discontented Verstappen and the constant hemorrhaging of pivotal backroom talent, Horner's tenure ended brutally.

Longform

Members of the nonprofit group Japan Youth Memorial Association search for the remains of dead soldiers in a cave in Okinawa Prefecture in February.
The long search for Japan’s lost soldiers